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I'm having trouble with _past tense + noun_.

For example "弟の **言うこと** を聞いたばかりにひどい目にあった" Or "この教授はしゃべるのが速すぎて、誰も **言っていること**
を理解出来なかった"

Why is used 言うこと instead of 言ったこと / 言っている instead of 言っていた?

In this sentence is used past tense with a noun "あかりは自分で **書いた絵** を見せてくれた"
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2020-06-12T15:34:04.257
77967
2020-06-18T07:26:45.677
2020-06-12T15:47:41.737
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usage past
Question about past tense with noun
Your first example is special. 言うこと is almost an idiom (I'm sure it is except
I don't find it in dictionaries) that should be understood as "(one's) words"
rather than what it looks like. Thus 弟の言うことを聞いた is "I listened to my brother's
words", or in English, even "I listened to my brother". If you said
弟の言ったことを聞いたばかりに～, it'd mean that you are focusing to the specific content he
said at that time, rather than using the idiomatic phrase above.

The remaining two are easy when you know Japanese has so-called "relative
tense", that is, the time marking in a subordinate clause is usually relative
to that of main clause.

> 誰も言っていることを理解できなかった _no one could understand what s/he **said (was saying)**_  
>  誰も言っていたことを理解できなかった _no one could understand what s/he **had said (been
> saying)**_
>
> あかりは自分で描いた絵を見せてくれた _Akari showed me the picture she **had drawn**_  
>  あかりは自分で描く絵を見せてくれた _Akari showed me the picture she **would draw**_

Of course in English, you can say "Akari showed me the picture she drew" for
that context too, but I hope you understand the fact behind: she finished
drawing before she showed me.
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2020-06-13T04:18:58.993
77984
2020-06-18T07:26:45.677
2020-06-18T07:26:45.677
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answer