[Grammar] Norway is located in northern europe.

[rock-onn]

I have read that english uses simple present tense for universal truth. please consider the sentence below.

Norway is located in northern europe.

Why it is using simple past tense while it is a universal truth? what did i miss here?

Thanks for the answers.

vipin

 

[Tdol]

Re: present tense rules

It is using the simple present - is. Located is a past participle, but here it is used as an adjective. Present and past participles can be used as adjectives, and they can also be used to refer to the past, present and future- the names are not ideal. The simple past would be Norway was located, which would be wrong as it hasn't changed its location in Europe.

 

[emsr2d2]

Re: present tense rules

I have read that English uses the simple present tense for universal truths. Please consider the sentence below.

Norway is located in northern Europe.

Why [STRIKE]it is using[/STRIKE] is the simple past tense used while it is a universal truth? What did I miss here?

Thanks for the answers.

[STRIKE]vipin[/STRIKE] Unnecessary

Please see my corrections above. It is important to follow these rules of written English:

- Start every sentence with a capital letter.
- End every sentence with one appropriate punctuation mark.
- Always capitalise the word "I" (first person singular).
- Always capitalise proper nouns (Norway, Europe, Microsoft etc).

The adjective "located" could be removed from the sentence with no change in meaning. "Norway is in northern Europe" is grammatical and actually more natural than the original. I'm sure that if you saw my version of the sentence you would have realised it uses the simple present.

 

[rock-onn]

Re: present tense rules

okay.

Thanks for both of you.

Great.

adjective can be in any tense, another rule i guess.

 

[emsr2d2]

Re: present tense rules

Okay.

Thanks [STRIKE]for[/STRIKE] to both of you.

Great.

An adjective can be in any tense. This is another rule, I guess.

First, see my corrections above. In post #3, I told you that you must start every sentence with a capital letter and always capitalise the word "I".

Adjectives do not have tenses. They never change, regardless of the tense used in the rest of the sentence.

It is brown.
It was brown.
It has been brown.
It will be brown.
It had been brown.

"Brown" is an adjective in that sentence.

As you now know, "located" is an adjective in your original sentence.

Norway is located in Europe.
Norway was located in Europe.
Norway will [always] be located in Europe.
Norway has always been located in Europe.

 

[Rover_KE]

Re: present tense rules

Please note that I have changed your thread title.

Extract from the Posting Guidelines:

'Thread titles should include all or part of the word/phrase being discussed.'

 

[rock-onn]

Re: present tense rules

Thanks to emsr2d2.

Please try to answer my another related doubt.

Is it wrong to say "Norway locates in northern Europe"?. If yes, why?

 

[emsr2d2]

Is it wrong to say "Norway locates in northern Europe"?. If yes, why?

Can anybody answer it?

It's wrong. "To locate" is a transitive verb so it needs an object, and it means "to find".

I located my phone under a tree.
He located the criminal hiding under a car.

In your example, Norway doesn't locate anything. "Norway is located in northern Europe" means "Norway is situated/positioned in Europe".

 

[GoesStation]

Re: present tense rules

A question mark is sufficient to end a sentence. Don't follow one with a period.

 

[rock-onn]

I have asked same question in another forum and i got a strange answer. I am copying and pasting it below.

It is a passive sentence. Located is a past participle and it is used as head verb here. I do not think that it is used as an adjective. IS is the primary auxiliary verb.

Letters are written.
Tea is exported.
These are examples of present simple tense. (passive voice)

What you guys say about the above stuff ?

 

[Matthew Wai]

I do not think that it is used as an adjective.

The above is wrong if the following is right.
'located
ADJECTIVE [NEVER BEFORE NOUN]'── quoted from www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/located

Letters are written.
Tea is exported.
These are examples of present simple tense. (passive voice)

'Written' and 'exported' are the main verbs.

 

[rock-onn]

I posted in 3 forums at same time. I am using these forums for first time and I dont know which ones are active. In other forums i got reply very late compared to here.

 

[rock-onn]

Letters are written.
Tea is exported.
These are examples of present simple tense. (passive voice)

Letters are written.
Tea is exported.

Are these sentences in simple present tense?

I am hearing this wonders for first time.

 

[rock-onn]

I searched in google for located and i found this link.

https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/19376-located-verb-or-adjective

I dont know whether another method exist to share a forum link here.

 

[Matthew Wai]

I posted in 3 forums at same time.

See below.

We recommend posting a question on one forum only initially. If you do not get a satisfactory answer from that forum and you feel that you have exhausted its possibilities, then of course trying a different forum might help. It is only courteous however, to tell the second forum that you have already asked the question on another forum and then give a precis of the answers you received there, along with an explanation of why you are now looking elsewhere.

 

[Tdol]

I posted in 3 forums at same time.

In future, please stagger posts in different forums. As many posters visit a number of places, it can wind them up. Get answers in one place, then try another. If the same person answering sees your post three times before lunch, they may be less positive. Thanks.