[ti:Present Tense in 'We Didn't Start the Fire']
[al:Everyday Grammar]
[ar:VOA]
[dt:2023-08-18]
[by:www.voase.cn]
[00:00.00]The band Fallout Boy recently released a version of the song, We Didn't Start the Fire.
[00:09.51]The song was first released in 1989 by the singer/songwriter Billy Joel.
[00:17.76]Joel's song was about notable events and people in the United States and throughout the world from the years 1948, when Joel was born, to 1989.
[00:33.65]More than 30 years have passed since then. 
[00:37.80]Now, Fallout Boy remade the song to include events from 1989 to 2023.
[00:47.53]Joel's song was in chronological order, meaning the events are presented in the order in which they took place.
[00:57.04]Fallout Boy's version is not chronological.
[01:00.97]Another difference between the two is Fallout Boy's remake uses more full sentences.
[01:09.79]Both songs are mainly lists of people, places and events that many Americans are likely to remember.
[01:19.40]In today's Everyday Grammar, we will explore some of the different ways that the present tense is used in the song and some additional grammar points.
[01:33.15]We use the present tense not only to describe action happening now but to talk about habits and repeated actions. 
[01:45.07]The present tense is also used to talk about beliefs that people hold now and are likely to continue to have in the future.
[01:56.96]The updated song moves back and forth between more recent events and events many years ago. 
[02:06.56]Sometimes, events from the past are described using the present tense. Here is an example:
[02:15.63]Michael Jackson dies. (3rd person singular, simple present tense)
[02:22.94]To form the simple present tense, we use:
[02:26.70]Subject + base verb + the rest of the sentence.
[02:32.59]Make sure to add an "-s" to the base verb with the third person singular form ("he," "she" or "it").
[02:42.28]With some verbs that end in letters like "o," "z," or a combination of some consonants, we add an "-es" ending to the third person singular, as in "goes" from this line in the song.
[03:00.71]White rhino goes extinct.
[03:03.30]Here the use of "go" in the 3rd person present tense is an informal way to say "becomes" extinct.
[03:13.06]It is also worth noting that the "-es" ending sounds like /z/ rather than /s/.
[03:22.97]In the song, we see the modal verb "can" in the negative with a contraction.
[03:31.75]I can't take it anymore.
[03:33.93]"Can't take it anymore" is an expression, meaning that you are not able or refuse to accept something that is difficult or bad in some way.
[03:49.15]The song even uses the passive voice in the present tense with the verb "get" in place of the auxiliary or helping verb "be."
[04:00.89]Trump gets impeached twice.
[04:04.02]To form the passive:
[04:06.01]Subject + form of the verb "be" (or "get')+ past participle of transitive verb + rest of the sentence
[04:18.02]Next the band refers to the terrorist attack on the United States on September 11th, 2001.
[04:28.60]World trade, second plane, what else do I have to say?
[04:33.96]The question, "what else do I have to say?" can also be found in the first version of the song.
[04:41.71]This question is rhetorical, meaning an answer is not expected.
[04:48.77]Instead, the question is asked to have a dramatic effect on the listener. 
[04:55.47]The question does not need an answer because it is only asked to prove a point or an argument. 
[05:04.92]This question means: "There is nothing more to say because I have said everything necessary."
[05:13.23]In today's Everyday Grammar, we looked at the use of the present tense in the song We Didn't Start the Fire. 
[05:22.10]We also considered rhetorical questions and passive voice and even the modal verb "can."
[05:31.12]I'm Faith Pirlo.