Post by Radrook Admin on May 18, 2021 8:24:33 GMT -5
Staying within the same tense
Tense in writing, or English grammar, refers to time. This could be the present, past, or future and they are indicated in the following way:
A story happens within one of these time-frames. Now, when a short story starts in the present, past or future tense, the reader expects it to remain within that framework unless there are flashbacks or some speculations about the future. For example, if the story starts with the verb am, then the rest, when describing action of the protagonist, should follow that pattern. Unfortunately, we often find that a writer shifts from past tense to present tense repeatedly throughout the story. Let me give you an example,.
" I am walking down a dark road while the sun was dipping below the horizon. I keep hearing strange sounds from the surrounding forest but I was too scared to investigate. There is a sudden growl that almost causes me to run, but I decided not to since that might cause whatever beast is roaring to chase me. I continue on as my heart pounds in my chest and my knees buckled from fright."
Obviously, this constant shifting from present to past, is very distracting. It causes the reader to constantly pause and wonder why the writer is shifting tenses in that totally arbitrary, and annoying way. It also indicates that the writer has not properly studied his craft, since such a flaw is basic. But even worse, it totally ruins the story by making the description an impossibility. After all, we are either in the present or in the past, but not in the two places at once. Even if it is a time travelling sci-fi story, the protagonist is still described as taking action in his surrounding present which might be our past since we are looking at things from his standpoint. In order to remain consistent, the viewpoint must remain consistent.
"I am entering the time machine and I began feeling uneasy." [Tense discrepancy unless it continues in the present tense and doesn't shift back and forth as the previous example did. ]
"I was once shaving my beard and I just cut myself with the blade." [shift from past to present]
Present: is are, am, has been, have been
Past: were, was, had been
Future: will be, will have been
A story happens within one of these time-frames. Now, when a short story starts in the present, past or future tense, the reader expects it to remain within that framework unless there are flashbacks or some speculations about the future. For example, if the story starts with the verb am, then the rest, when describing action of the protagonist, should follow that pattern. Unfortunately, we often find that a writer shifts from past tense to present tense repeatedly throughout the story. Let me give you an example,.
" I am walking down a dark road while the sun was dipping below the horizon. I keep hearing strange sounds from the surrounding forest but I was too scared to investigate. There is a sudden growl that almost causes me to run, but I decided not to since that might cause whatever beast is roaring to chase me. I continue on as my heart pounds in my chest and my knees buckled from fright."
Obviously, this constant shifting from present to past, is very distracting. It causes the reader to constantly pause and wonder why the writer is shifting tenses in that totally arbitrary, and annoying way. It also indicates that the writer has not properly studied his craft, since such a flaw is basic. But even worse, it totally ruins the story by making the description an impossibility. After all, we are either in the present or in the past, but not in the two places at once. Even if it is a time travelling sci-fi story, the protagonist is still described as taking action in his surrounding present which might be our past since we are looking at things from his standpoint. In order to remain consistent, the viewpoint must remain consistent.
"I am entering the time machine and I began feeling uneasy." [Tense discrepancy unless it continues in the present tense and doesn't shift back and forth as the previous example did. ]
"I was once shaving my beard and I just cut myself with the blade." [shift from past to present]
Verb Tense Consistency