Sequence of tenses when we express certainty

Question

I beg your pardon but I have a doubt about this sentence:

"They failed to believe their eyes as they realized their world is just an experiment"

So, if we are following a correct sequence of tense, we should use the past tense in both verbs. However, in the second clause we express certainty so the present simple ("is") appears appropriate. Is that correct? Thanks!

I am afraid tags AE and BE may not quite help. – alexsms Feb 08 '18 at 09:00 — alexsms, Feb 08 '18 at 09:00

score -2 · Answer 1 · answered Feb 08 '18 at 09:33

-2

Although no-one is actually speaking, this sentence is reported speech. In the present tense "They fail to believe their eyes as they realise their world is just an experiment".

And as reported "...failed...realised...was..."

answered Feb 08 '18 at 09:33

JeremyC

3,723

It would be nice to know why my answer is disapproved of. No-one can ever learn if they are simply told they are wrong, without a reason being given. – JeremyC Feb 09 '18 at 23:02

Sequence of tenses when we express certainty

1 Answers1