Answers

Why do English speakers mix present and past tense?

A PhraseMix reader asked this interesting question:

I have realized that some people use present tense mixed with past tense while talking about past events. For instance, check out the following statement:

I wouldn't say the man lied to his surbordinates yesterday. However, it is...

How should I use "I hope" and "I wish"?

If you want to use "I hope" and "I wish" correctly, you just need to memorize these two phrases:

I hope I can...

I wish I could...

You may be wondering: why do English speakers use the present tense for "hope" and the past tense for "wish"?

The secret...

Why do you use "them" to talk about just one person?

I've made a choice in how I write explanations in PhraseMix which is a little controversial. Sometimes PhraseMix readers ask me about it, like this question: 

This subject ("You've made plans to visit a friend that you haven't seen for a while. You tell them:") says "You tell them"....

What's the difference between "problem", "trouble", and "issue"?

The words "problem", "trouble", and "issue" are very close in meaning. What's the difference bewtween them? The answer is quite complicated, actually! Let's look at the meaning of each word and some of the ways that they're used:

The meanings of "problem", "trouble", and...

How do you use 'can' and 'could' correctly?

A PhraseMix reader asked this:

Please tell me which verbs can be used with "could"? In the present past as well as future...?

"Can" and "Could" are tricky because you can use them for a few different purposes, and the rules are different for each version.

"Can" and "Could" for ability

You can...