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ely_baby, who wants to know: When writing mostly in the present tense, what tense should be used for events in the past? pinkeuphoria1.livejournal.comwhymzycal.livejournal.comakasha_lilian asks, "How do you conjugate 'to party' in the past tense?"mab-browne.livejournal.comchomiji
sosaith asks, "When someone is dead or something doesn't exist anymore, should you ever use the present tense to describe them?"
The answer is "it depends." Let's get down to the particulars with the cast of Rosemary Sutcliff's YA historical novel The Eagle of the Ninth - or, if you prefer, the cast of "The Eagle" (2011). ( Dead and/or gone - but not forgotten! )
green-grrl.livejournal.comskroberts did a really great job of describing the grammatical difference between lie, which never takes an object, and lay, which always takes an object, in the original lie/lay post. Here are a few more tips for remembering the difference, with some help from our friends from Due South. whymzycal.livejournal.comsaavikam77 asks, Is there any real difference between the full and contracted past tense forms of certain verbs (burned/burnt, leaped/leapt, etc.)? Are there particular situations in which it's not okay to use the contracted form?mendax.livejournal.comavidrosette wants to know: When a verb has both an irregular past tense form and a regular one, such as shone/shined or dove/dived, are the words interchangeable or are there rules that govern when each form should be used? Is contemporary English usage leaning more toward the regular forms?momebie.livejournal.comkatilara and supercheesegirlverilyverity.livejournal.comearth2skye asks: How is the verb “would” used in conditionals and habitual tenses in the context of a narrative in the past tense?supercheesegirl.livejournal.commelayneseahawk.livejournal.comtheemdash for help with examples.)
green-grrl.livejournal.comroadrunner1896 asks When is it correct to use got vs. gotten?superhero-specs.livejournal.comearth2skye asked: When is the past perfect tense used?skroberts
ninetydegrees
