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Victorycountry Posted 21 years ago
Grammar
talking about movies
Hi,
When talking about movies, is it natural to talk about the story in past tense?
For example, if there are two main characters in a movie, and I want to say about it, do I say it in past tense like "There were two main characters in the movie, and one was a man and the other was a woman.
Thanks in advance.
When talking about movies, is it natural to talk about the story in past tense?
For example, if there are two main characters in a movie, and I want to say about it, do I say it in past tense like "There were two main characters in the movie, and one was a man and the other was a woman.
Thanks in advance.
Top answer
Yes, it's natural. But such telling, at least in conversation, is also commonly heard in the present tense--"There are these two characters. "
- Yes, it's natural.
- But such telling, at least in conversation, is also commonly heard in the present tense--"There are these two characters.
- "
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3 Answers
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Yes, it's natural. But such telling, at least in conversation, is also commonly heard in the present tense--"There are these two characters. One is a man, and the other is a talking dog, and they're on this road trip where they meet up with ..."
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DavkettYes, it's natural. But such telling, at least in conversation, is also commonly heard in the present tense--"There are these two characters. One is a man, and the other is a talking dog, and they're on this road trip where they meet up with ..."Right! But in formal writing it is important to be consistent.
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Consistency, yes. My example-- which admittedly was conversational writing, not formal writing-- did, however, show consistency in the use of present tense. You can find that many movie reviewers (formal writing) use the present tense.
Historical writing, on the other hand, stipulates the consistent use of the past tense. In fact, that was the substance of the very first question I pos
Historical writing, on the other hand, stipulates the consistent use of the past tense. In fact, that was the substance of the very first question I pos
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