"I didn't know it is so cold here!" VS "I didn't know it was so cold here!"

[B45]

"I didn't know it is so cold here!" VS "I didn't know it was so cold here!"

Right after I got to Moscow, I say this:

"I didn't know it is so cold here!" VS

"I didn't know it was so cold here!"

Are both okay?

 

[SoothingDave]

Re: "I didn't know it is so cold here!" VS "I didn't know it was so cold here!"

I would use "was."

 

[B45]

Re: "I didn't know it is so cold here!" VS "I didn't know it was so cold here!"

I would use "was."

But would "is" be incorrect if it's still cold?

 

[bhaisahab]

Re: "I didn't know it is so cold here!" VS "I didn't know it was so cold here!"

But would "is" be incorrect if it's still cold?

No.

 

[B45]

Re: "I didn't know it is so cold here!" VS "I didn't know it was so cold here!"

No.

So, what's the point of having grammar rules if both is and was are ok? I don't get it.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Re: "I didn't know it is so cold here!" VS "I didn't know it was so cold here!"

I don't understand the problem. It was cold in Moscow before you landed. It is cold now. Your choice.

 

[emsr2d2]

Re: "I didn't know it is so cold here!" VS "I didn't know it was so cold here!"

Having grammar rules doesn't mean that we only have one correct way of saying things.

 

[Tdol]

Re: "I didn't know it is so cold here!" VS "I didn't know it was so cold here!"

So, what's the point of having grammar rules if both is and was are ok? I don't get it.

Think of grammar rules as signposts or a map rather than laws. They attempt to synthesise patterns and structures that are common and widely regarded as acceptable by the speech community. However, languages are complex and cannot always be reduced to simple patterns. We have grammar rules because they can help us, but that doesn't mean that everything slavishly follows them in all circumstances. The only thing we have to describe language is language itself, so it will always be an imperfect picture. As language is constantly changing, what may be true today will not necessarily be true in the future. We have rules to try to make sense of language, but they are not absolute and often fail to account for all possible usage.