GRM-008 Hard constraint layer: sentence

Sequence of tenses

IF a dependent clause is temporally related to a governing clause, THEN select tense and aspect that express the intended ordering ELSE do not normalize automatically.

Why the rule exists

Tense and aspect encode whether events precede, overlap, or follow one another.

Condition

The rule fires when this evaluates true. Paths marked below must be present in the fact base; the engine reports the rest rather than guessing them.

ALL
- sentence.main_clause.time exists
- sentence.dependent_clause.time_relation exists

Facts this rule reads

Fact paths read by GRM-008 and whether the analyser derives them
Path	Source
`sentence.main_clause.time`	You supply it
`sentence.dependent_clause.time_relation`	You supply it

Then

align — target sentence.dependent_clause.tense_aspect, value from sentence.dependent_clause.time_relation

Else

retain — target current_text, No triggering condition is present.

LAKA

Smallest sufficient intervention

Yes

Primary axes

Sources

English Grammar in Use — Raymond Murphy
Self-study explanations and practice for core English grammar.
Practical English Usage — Michael Swan
Advanced grammar and usage reference for learners and teachers.

The raw rule record

Verbatim from 07-core-grammar-rules.json. Also available at /v1/rules/GRM-008.

{
  "id": "GRM-008",
  "name": "Sequence of tenses",
  "domain": "grammar",
  "layer": "sentence",
  "strength": "hard_constraint",
  "human_logic": "IF a dependent clause is temporally related to a governing clause, THEN select tense and aspect that express the intended ordering ELSE do not normalize automatically.",
  "when": {
    "all": [
      {
        "path": "sentence.main_clause.time",
        "operator": "exists"
      },
      {
        "path": "sentence.dependent_clause.time_relation",
        "operator": "exists"
      }
    ]
  },
  "then": [
    {
      "action": "align",
      "target": "sentence.dependent_clause.tense_aspect",
      "value_from": "sentence.dependent_clause.time_relation"
    }
  ],
  "else": [
    {
      "action": "retain",
      "target": "current_text",
      "reason": "No triggering condition is present."
    }
  ],
  "unless": [],
  "because": "Tense and aspect encode whether events precede, overlap, or follow one another.",
  "diagnostics": [],
  "examples": {},
  "source_ids": [
    "BK-004",
    "BK-010"
  ],
  "laka": {
    "smallest_sufficient_intervention": true,
    "primary_axes": [
      "scope",
      "depth",
      "magnitude",
      "reversibility"
    ]
  }
}