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Some of those are contextual, but "ought to be done" is certainly future tense, it's referring to a future activity. It's a pretty apt example for future passiv
by Cpoll 3y ago
Some of those are contextual, but "ought to be done" is certainly future tense, it's referring to a future activity. It's a pretty apt example for future passive, juxtaposing the future active "will be done."
Or at least that's how I reason it. English is rather hard to analyze sometimes.
- HKH2 3y ago'something ought to be done' is also contrasted with 'something is done'. It's no different to 'should' in that regard. "I am having a party next week." That's a present continuous sentence referring to a future activity. Some argue that English doesn't even have a future tense. For these things it certainly is lacking, along with German it seems.
- Cpoll 3y ago> "I am having a party next week." That's a present continuous sentence referring to a future activity. What about "I will have a party next week" or "there will be a party next week"? > Some argue that English doesn't even have a future tense. I learned this as: There's no language feature that denotes future tense (like a suffix), but it's done via grammar (and context). I have to acknowledge that I'm not the right person to be debating this. Like most native speakers, my grasp of the rules often boils down to whether something "sounds" right.
- drBonkers 3y ago> 'something ought to be done' is also contrasted with 'something is done'. It's no different to 'should' in that regard. Ought and should express objective and subjective opinion respectively.
- LudwigNagasena 3y agoGrammatically, it is present tense. Semantically, it is future time. And, for kicks, etymologically, it is past tense (owe - ought).