Which one should be used? Was or is? Which is more likely to sound odd?
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1Was is OK, but so is is. This is a cleft sentence, and the form of be is the fulcrum of cleavage. Its tense doesn't matter, since it's inserted by rule and doesn't have any meaning or reference to time. – John Lawler Jan 30 '22 at 14:59
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2Does this answer your question? "He didn't know where New Jersey was" – Edwin Ashworth Jan 30 '22 at 15:28
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"Was" sounds more natural, as the sentence is about the past. Using "is" may make it sound like you still possess the knowledge, but if that's what you want to emphasize you should more explicit, e.g. "I know how to respect women, it's the only thing my father taught me."
John Zwinck
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Both are correct.
The only thing my father taught me how to respect women.
My father taught me in the past. '' is the past form of 'is'. '' can be used.
The only thing my father taught me how to respect women.
My father taught me in the past. I am telling you in the present. '' can be used.
