Past, present tense…?
Is using “were” for “My parents were both immigrants…” correct? Or should it be “is” since they are still immigrants? Also, should it be “speak” or “spoke”? I am concerned that the “…so I did not speak English until…” will not sound right if I write “My parents are both immigrants who speak minimal English, so I did not speak any English until I was enrolled in elementary school.” Any suggestions or changes? Thanks!
Favorite Answer
Regarding your question, I think “were” is appropriate because you are using the past tense in the rest of the sentence — you’re looking back on your childhood.
It’s a very nicely written paragraph.
I would say “until I started elementary school” rather than “enrolled in”–that sounds like you became fluent the day you were signed up.
What you put at the end in correct.
- Academic Writing
- Accounting
- Anthropology
- Article
- Blog
- Business
- Career
- Case Study
- Critical Thinking
- Culture
- Dissertation
- Education
- Education Questions
- Essay Tips
- Essay Writing
- Finance
- Free Essay Samples
- Free Essay Templates
- Free Essay Topics
- Health
- History
- Human Resources
- Law
- Literature
- Management
- Marketing
- Nursing
- other
- Politics
- Problem Solving
- Psychology
- Report
- Research Paper
- Review Writing
- Social Issues
- Speech Writing
- Term Paper
- Thesis Writing
- Writing Styles