VOA日常语法2023--Present Tense in 'We Didn’t Start the Fire'

Present Tense in 'We Didn’t Start the Fire'

The band Fallout Boy recently released a version of the song, We Didn't Start the Fire. The song was first released in 1989 by the singer/songwriter Billy Joel.

Joel's song was about notable events and people in the United States and throughout the world from the years 1948, when Joel was born, to 1989.

More than 30 years have passed since then. Now, Fallout Boy remade the song to include events from 1989 to 2023. Joel's song was in chronological¹ order, meaning the events are presented in the order in which they took place. Fallout Boy's version is not chronological.

Another difference between the two is Fallout Boy's remake uses more full sentences. Both songs are mainly lists of people, places and events that many Americans are likely to remember.

In today's Everyday Grammar, we will explore some of the different ways that the present tense is used in the song and some additional grammar points.

Words in This Story

habit – n. something a person does regularly in a repeated way

consonant² – n. a speech sound (such as /p/, /d/, or /s/) that is made by partly or completely stopping the flow of air breathed out from the mouth

extinct – adj. describing a species that no longer exists

informal – adj. suited for ordinary or everyday use

contraction³ –n. a shortened form of a word

passive voice – n. a way of writing or speaking that uses passive verbs where the subject receives the action of a verb

impeach⁴ – v. to charge (a public official) with a crime done while in office

transitive verb – n. a verb that takes a direct object

refer to –v. (phrasal) to talk about or mention something

dramatic – adj. striking in appearance or effect

1 chronological   

adj.按年月顺序排列的，年代学的

参考例句：

• The paintings are exhibited in chronological sequence.这些画是按创作的时间顺序展出的。
• Give me the dates in chronological order.把日期按年月顺序给我。

2 consonant   

n.辅音；adj.[音]符合的

参考例句：

• The quality of this suit isn't quite consonant with its price.这套衣服的质量和价钱不相称。
• These are common consonant clusters at the beginning of words.这些单词的开头有相同辅音组合。

3 contraction   

n.缩略词，缩写式，害病

参考例句：

• The contraction of this muscle raises the lower arm.肌肉的收缩使前臂抬起。
• The forces of expansion are balanced by forces of contraction.扩张力和收缩力相互平衡。

4 impeach   

v.弹劾；检举

参考例句：

• We must impeach the judge for taking bribes.我们一定要检举法官收受贿赂。
• The committee decided to impeach the President.委员会决定弹劾总统。