Is the phrase, "It's a reminder of what's to come," correct?

[Saul Goodman]

A reminder is from the past. How can it also be from the future?

[JGale]

Meanwhile back at the Ranch...

[cmatthes]

Is all this nonsense like "The Shape of Things to Come" from nearly 50 years ago?

[stobro]

Nothing can change the shape of things to come.

 

[Saul Goodman]

22 hours ago, cmatthes said:

Is all this nonsense like "The Shape of Things to Come" from nearly 50 years ago?

 

20 hours ago, stobro said:

Nothing can change the shape of things to come.

 

The absolute best. This is why I have tinnitus.

 

[Dr. Bear]

On 7/25/2026 at 12:42 PM, LucSulla said:

One of my favorite abstruse English oddities has to do with why the plural "were" in a phrase like, "As it were, he's still not coming," is grammatically correct, as it were. 

Because the phrase “as it were“ is in the subjunctive or conditional mood, not in the past tense.

Moods are to tenses as modes are to scales…kinda sorta. 
 

 

[mathman]

1 hour ago, Dr. Bear said:

Because the phrase “as it were“ is in the subjunctive or conditional mood, not in the past tense.

Moods are to tenses as modes are to scales…kinda sorta. 
 

 

Now for some useless information: