Hi! Alexander,   
      
   In a message to All you wrote:   
      
    ak> in chapter 4 of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" I read:   
      
    ak> -----Beginning of the citation-----   
    ak>     Harry followed his gaze up the carefully tended front path and   
    ak> felt his heart sink. The front door was hanging off its hinges.   
    ak> -----The end of the citation-----   
      
    ak> Why sink -- not sank?   
      
   It's probably a tense thing.  It has to sink at least once for him to be able   
   to say at a later time that it sank.  :)   
      
   Cheers,   
   Paul.   
      
   ... Thesaurus: ancient reptile with an excellent vocabulary.   
   --- Paul's Win98SE VirtualBox   
    * Origin: Quinn's Post - Maryborough, Queensland, OZ (3:640/384)