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I'm So Tense!!
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I'm So Tense!! |
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Poet deVine
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-26
Posts 22612Hurricane Alley |
Would someone give me the definitions of the tenses? Present Past Future And can they be combined in one story? How do I know what is the best tense for my particular story? |
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wayoutwalt Member Elite
since 1999-06-22
Posts 4870TEXAS (it's all big) |
ouch- my head past tense as in before i read this post owie- present tense as i'm typing this right now no wait now just passed ok ok nnnnow durn that now passed too ummmmmm now...urgh YOWIEEEE- future tense contemplating it all |
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Poertree Senior Member
since 1999-11-05
Posts 1359UK |
er.....i would of course oblige Ms Devine except i'm goin' away for a wee break in sunny Scootland .....wow ...really must get on with my interesting packing and cleaning ......sorreeeee ~grin~ later p |
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Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
I'll hold off on the first question to let others get in here. As to #2 - DEFINITELY. (though I can't really explain why until we get some definitions...  #3 - In my op - as with anything else, it depends on you and your story! I think that a good story will incorporate at least two of the three.  Speak up people!!! Philip - that is not a valid excuse. Use your super-psionic powers to connect to the Internet and give some answers! And Walt - though you're being funny, you've got the basics!  |
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Severn Member Rara Avis
since 1999-07-17
Posts 7704 |
Definitions? I think that is best illustrated through examples: Present in the first person: I walk. I stop and the sky fills my vision. I am blinded by the blue. Third person: She walks. She stops and the sky etc. Past in the first person: I walked. I stopped and the sky filled my vision. I was blinded by the blue. and the same applies for the third. What marks the past tense is the suffix 'ed' - this is called 'regular' tense. 'Irregular' tense however uses informal verb indicators such as 'pt' as in kept and swept etc. (Was, ran, ate are other examples.) What is interesting about past test is that it is the most common form of expressing present tense, i.e the majority of novels use past tense and the reader understands the events as occuring in the present. Future tense is a tricky one because it doesn't have any formal suffix signifiers like both the present and past do. So - The sky will fill my/her vision is acceptable As is: The sky is going to fill my/her vision etc Can they be included in one story? I certianly think so... My reasons: You can do whatever you damn well want - it's YOUR story. (Here C snorts in derision and I'll warrant he'll be wanting to give me a lecture on semi-colon 'usage.' ) Within limits I add.... I still think you have to stick to some basic grammatical 'rules' in writing - but mixing up the tenses? Go for it... I think it can be very effective. Some writers use a mix to define characters... Others, through use of all tenses, take a character alternately through memory and premonition - creating an accurate sense of space and time. I've done it myself (re 'Hans') The best tense for a story... that's an unfair question!!! LOL...depends on the story...I work from mood and arty farty stylism when writing my 'modern' stories. K "He looked across the silky surface of the Severn... it was a famously difficult river with fierce tides..." From Jack Maggs |
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Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
"arty farty?" Anyone else? Jim, Philip... I know you can't completely agree with her? What is your favorite tense to use? Personally, I prefer past tense, because it feels much easier to write in. Sometimes though, I use present... though that's definitely a challenge! (and I'm a coward... I almost never use future tense!) |
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serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
I tend to write about the past in the present tense--a re-living of events, which can be very intense (no pun intended) emotionally. I find, however, that using first person can be extremely difficult, as the narrator has to always be present to relate the action. It is challenging to do without becoming tedious. Mixing the tenses? Hmm. I do it all the time...but I have to be careful with subject verb agreement, a problem area of mine. But I'm working on it. |
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jbouder Member Elite
since 1999-09-18
Posts 2534Whole Sort Of Genl Mish Mash |
Sharon: Dialogue is generally present tense and narrative is past. I have seen monologue written in past and present tense (depending on whether the narrator is describing or recalling). I don't think any one of these is an etched-in-stone rule but I do think it is more comfortable for the reader. Just an opinion. Mixing tenses in dialogue is somewhat common, btw ... an example: "Put on a shirt, will you Chris?" Jim pleaded to the half-dressed English Workshop moderator.  Later. Jim |
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Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
great. ex. am. ple. Jim.  |
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kitkat Senior Member
since 2000-01-11
Posts 878Nova Scotia |
Boy, do I wish I paid attention in English class now..Heck I just write what sounds good to me... |
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