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Maelstrom Posted 11 years ago
Vocabulary
Tiny question about tense of time
If I were to describe a stipuation where the protagonist was "assuming" a hypothesizes situation in a time that had not happened yet when he spoke about it but is actually a past incident, should I use future tense or regular tense?
For example, "He panicked at the thought of it, what WILL he do if that really happens?"
The incident referred to as "that" is already a past incident for the reader but for the protagonist it hadnt happened yet, so is the tense of time here acceptable??
Thanks!
For example, "He panicked at the thought of it, what WILL he do if that really happens?"
The incident referred to as "that" is already a past incident for the reader but for the protagonist it hadnt happened yet, so is the tense of time here acceptable??
Thanks!
Top answer
English tenses aren't equipped to handle time travel. If your reader knows that the event has already happened, but for your protagonist, the event has yet to happen, you'll need narrative to make your protagonist's thoughts clear.
- English tenses aren't equipped to handle time travel.
- If your reader knows that the event has already happened, but for your protagonist, the event has yet to happen, you'll need narrative to make your protagonist's thoughts clear.
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2 Answers
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English tenses aren't equipped to handle time travel. If your reader knows that the event has already happened, but for your protagonist, the event has yet to happen, you'll need narrative to make your protagonist's thoughts clear.
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maelstromFor example, "He panicked at the thought of it, what WILL he do if that really happens?"This is what you need:
Yusei panicked at the thought of it. (Yusei thinks) What would Yuki do if that really happens? (different person for "he")
Yusei panicked at the thought of it. (Yusei thinks) What would I do if that really happen
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