Proper English: 'is' vs. 'was'

[Widder, SASS #59054]

Your dad is deceased.    An acquaintance meets you and ask:

What IS your dad's name?

or.....

What WAS you dad's name?

 

Do you reply:

1.  My dad's name WAS (example only)  John Smith

or.....

2.  My dad's name IS John Smith.

 

Thanks

 

..........Widder

 

[Rye Miles #13621]

I would say IS whether he’s dead or alive it’s still his name and always will be. 

[John Kloehr]

Dad has passed. His name WAS John Smith. That is the answer to wither question. The questioner might ask "IS" if he does not know of the passing.

 

On a separate note, is the Alpo influence spreading? I had a question which made me think of him, and now you post this one.

[Blackwater 53393]

I’m not sure!!  If I’m dead and buried and someone asks “who’s in that grave?” do you tell ‘em “that’s Blackwater” ??

[John Kloehr]

13 minutes ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I would say IS whether he’s dead or alive it’s still his name and always will be. 

George Washington WAS the first president of the United States. The first president of the United States WAS George Washington. The president of the United States from 1789 to 1797 WAS George Washington.

 

Does not sound right to ask:

Who IS the first president of the United States? Who IS the president of the United States from 1789 to 1797?

 

Can say my dad IS deceased. If he WAS deceased, that would also be strange. And while George Washington WAS the first president of the United States, he can not be replaced by a new first president. Nobody else IS the next first president.

2 minutes ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

I’m not sure!!  If I’m dead and buried and someone asks “who’s in that grave?” do you tell ‘em “that’s Blackwater” ??

Yes, this works. It is present tense. George Washington is buried at Mount Vernon.

[Blackwater 53393]

Who’s tense??  I’m completely relaxed!!! 😎

[Rip Snorter]

An intense conversation obviously!

[Widder, SASS #59054]

I have been having some bad dreams.  So..... I went to the doctor.

 

I explained that in one dream, I was a Tent.

In another dream, I was a Wigwam.

 

The doctor said....."There's nothing wrong with you.  You're just two tents. (tense)".

 

..........Widder

 

 

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

9 minutes ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

I have been having some bad dreams.  So..... I went to the doctor.

 

I explained that in one dream, I was a Tent.

In another dream, I was a Wigwam.

 

The doctor said....."There's nothing wrong with you.  You're just two tents. (tense)".

 

..........Widder

 

 

PLZ,  take all your medications on schedule.  

[Rye Miles #13621]

45 minutes ago, John Kloehr said:

George Washington WAS the first president of the United States. The first president of the United States WAS George Washington. The president of the United States from 1789 to 1797 WAS George Washington.

 

Does not sound right to ask:

Who IS the first president of the United States? Who IS the president of the United States from 1789 to 1797?

 

Can say my dad IS deceased. If he WAS deceased, that would also be strange. And while George Washington WAS the first president of the United States, he can not be replaced by a new first president. Nobody else IS the next first president.

Yes, this works. It is present tense. George Washington is buried at Mount Vernon.

If someone asked what my dad’s name is or was I would still say” His name is Sam”. Maybe it’s weird but that’s what I would say.

[Creeker, SASS #43022]

My Father is passed.

His name was Daniel.

 

As to the body within a grave - that WAS  my Father; it is no longer as it WAS only the flesh he wore upon this plane.

As he no longer resides upon this plane - he WAS; no longer is.

[Cypress Sun]

1 hour ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

Your dad is deceased.    An acquaintance meets you and ask:

What IS your dad's name?

or.....

What WAS you dad's name?

 

Do you reply:

1.  My dad's name WAS (example only)  John Smith

or.....

2.  My dad's name IS John Smith.

 

Thanks

 

..........Widder

 

 

My dad's name WAS John Smith. 

 

 

[Eyesa Horg]

In general I'd go with "is" if my Dad was still alive. But "was" as he is deceased. 

[Rye Miles #13621]

1 hour ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

If someone asked what my dad’s name is or was I would still say” His name is Sam”. Maybe it’s weird but that’s what I would say.

Well I was never good at English, I cut the class all the time. You guys is right it IS if he’s alive and WAS if he’s not alive. 

[Pat Riot]

Was

[Widder, SASS #59054]

I'm no English master.  It WAS, and still IS, my worse subject (math and history were my best).

 

Anyhow, I figured WAS signified the past and IS signified present 

 

So in essence, my dad's name, regardless of living or dead, IS .........................

 

Once deceased, I guess it could be conceived that he WAS my dad.  BUT, he IS still my dad.

 

Maybe that's why English was never my forte.

 

..........Widder

 

[Rip Snorter]

On a serious note, the dead in my family are gone and fondly remembered.  Past tense.  I did  major in English Comp and Speech.

[Alpo]

So if my father, who died in 1998 - his name is Ed, does that mean that my grandfather, who died in 1932 - his name is also Ed (Daddy was a junior)? And my great-grandfather, who died in 1917 - his name is Steven?

 

How far y'all gonna go back with this?

[watab kid]

7 hours ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

Your dad is deceased.    An acquaintance meets you and ask:

What IS your dad's name?

or.....

What WAS you dad's name?

 

Do you reply:

1.  My dad's name WAS (example only)  John Smith

or.....

2.  My dad's name IS John Smith.

 

Thanks

 

..........Widder

 

if disceased im saying "WAS" and i do it was Richard Waite Smith , mine was supposed to be john but they thought better and made it micheal john - i was named after my folks best friend  , John Galloway 

 

proper english is not all that difficult , but then these days who uses it ? im certain the english might squabble over what is "propper english" but as a collector of english military weapons i can say the slang is more difficult in both of our forms of english 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

13 hours ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I would say IS whether he’s dead or alive it’s still his name and always will be. 

 

13 hours ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I would say IS whether he’s dead or alive it’s still his name and always will be. 

I totally agree.  He's still Thomas Alva Taylor dead or alive.

[Pat Riot]

Okay. I am ready for the day. I now have a headache. 
 

see y’all later… 

 

Riding my bike to the range to kill paper and bang steel. 

[Tyrel Cody]

37 minutes ago, Pat Riot said:

Okay. I am ready for the day. I now have a headache. 
 

see y’all later… 

 

Riding my bike to the range to kill paper and bang steel. 

Report back later and let us know how it was.

[Widder, SASS #59054]

Christmas WAS Dec 25th.

 

Christmas IS on Dec 25th.

 

Christmas IS Dec 25th.

 

..........Widder.  (I know, bad example)

 

 

[Tennessee williams]

IS...

  We name a person, i.e. body. We don't name their life or spirit or essence. Therefore they do not need their life, spirit, or essence to retain that name. For instance, when you want to know where someone's burial plot is, you don't go to to the cemetery and ask "where'd y'all put the body formerly known as Widder"? You ask "where'd y'all plant Widder?"

  Regardless of status, that bag of meat, bones, etc will remain named. To say "their name WAS" means that it isn't anymore. 

 

Coming soon to CSI Tennessee....

Nobody can identify a body because it has no name anymore.

 

 

[Captain Bill Burt]

When speaking factually, his name was Tom Burt. He was an attorney.

 

When speaking spiritually his name is Tom Burt. He is my father.

[Pat Riot]

6 hours ago, Tyrel Cody said:

Report back later and let us know how it was.

It was great! Beautiful day at the range. Sunny, 80, light breeze, I had the range to myself except for when the owner showed up to shoot his new Browning lever gun in .218 Bee. What a cool little round. I had never seen one before. He let me shoot it. I shot 3 rounds and had 2 hits at 100 yards on a 10” plate with iron sights. 
Now, of course, I want one. 
I dialed in the little 1-4 power scope I put on my PC Carbine. 17 rounds in 2-3” groups at 50 yards doing quick fire. (1 round under a second until mag empty) Not shabby. 
 

I did some ammo testing with my new Sig Sauers and I think now I have 3 different loads these guns like. 
 

Only problem I had was a darn near dropped my bike leaving the range. There’s a steep gravel road hill and going down on a street bike can be a bit hair raising. I was rolling down in 1st gear using the rear brake when I hit a stone about 3” in diameter and my front end jiggled then slid to the right. I countered but made the mistake of tapping the front brake and Whoa Nelly it was on. 3 seconds of gymnastics keeping me and the bike upright but I did it. Whew! That was close! 

[Widder, SASS #59054]

Glad you IS O.K.

 

..........Widder

 

[Pat Riot]

9 minutes ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

Glad you IS O.K.

 

..........Widder

 

I is. 

[Rye Miles #13621]

The problem with language is my dad, even though he passed way in 1992 is still Sam! He will always ways be Sam. So I  have to say my dad’s name WAS Sam because he’s deceased? Crazy 🤪 

[Widder, SASS #59054]

Rye,  you are correct.

He IS your Dad.   He will always be your dad.  Even after you're deceased, Sam IS your dad's name.

He IS Sam.

 

..........Widder

 

 

 

[Stump Water]

38 minutes ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

He IS Sam.

 

Sam he am.  

 

Ham?

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

8 hours ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

Christmas WAS Dec 25th.

 

Christmas IS on Dec 25th.

 

Christmas IS Dec 25th.

 

..........Widder.  (I know, bad example)

 

 

You don't have to apologize.  Many of us don't think of you as a bad example.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Proper English is "tis" or "twas".