Search results for 'tag:Present tenses tag:Literature' matching tags 'Present tenses' and 'Literature'

Re: âThere is always a toastâ or âthere was always a toastâ?

Clive — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:11:51 GMT

Hi,

There is a passage in my English textbook. In this passage there are two sentences with the simple present tense, in which I think the simple past tense should be used, and they are the following:

1. âthere is always a toastâ

2. âMany parties, social and political discussions and family gatherings take place hereâ

In order to show the context of the two sentences, the whole passage has been copied below with the two sentences in question italicized (the two sentences are also in bold type together with the title of the passage)

A Russian Experience

It was almost midnight, yet the streets were bathed in a soft, shimmering light. The sun had just gone down and twilight would soon give way to night. We were strolling along the Nevsky Prospekt, a wide avenue stretching four kilometres and filled with people, music and street entertainers. This was St Petersburg in August and it seemed the city was out to celebrate the long summer nights. We had just left the home of newly found Russian friends and after a wonderful traditional dinner decided to have some exercise before going to bed.

ãIt has always been my dream to visit St Petersburg. Absorbed by Russian history since childhood, I wanted to see it all for myself. Now, thanks to Perestroika, tourists are welcomed into Russia and St Petersburg with its rich, cultural history is a popular choice.

ãWe flew in from Stockholm and from the air immediately noticed a well-planned city with apartment blocks built in semi-circles with central courtyards and gardens. Not only did this seem practical, but the idea behind the design was to shelter residents from the fierce winter winds. The city was built by European architects in the 18th and 19th centuries and remains one of Europe's most beautiful cities. Straddling the wide River Neva, the city is made up of almost 50 islands connected by some 310 bridges. No wonder the sight of elegant buildings along the canals reminded me of Paris, Amsterdam and Venice.

ãI hadn't met many Russian people but I had an intense love for their country and traditions and was passionate about art and literature. Russian writers such as Pushkin, Tolstoy, and Dostoevsky reach the very soul of ordinary Russians, and this I find intriguing. It was no different when I finally found myself in Russia. People were openly friendly and eager to discuss any aspect of their lives in their beloved Motherland. No matter how bad the economy, somehow these people have the ability to see the positive aspects of their lives, whatever their circumstances. We met an attractive woman from Moscow, and we fast became friends and it was she who invited us into the home of some dear friends of hers.

ãThe apartment block was in an elegant area of St Petersburg and was probably a palace in the past but now converted into apartments of four floors. The entrance through a narrow hallway was dark and dull and there was an old fashioned lift on the ground floor with steel folding gates that clanged shut, after which the lift moved very slowly upwards. It was quicker to walk up the staircase.

ãOur host, Yuri Petrochenkov, himself an artist, warmly greeted us at the door. He was tall with gray hair pulled into a tail. His open, friendly manner and twinkling eyes showed a sense of humor and his English with a thick accent made him an entertaining host. Nelly, his wife, spoke little English but understood a great deal more.
ãWe were ushered into their main room, which served as a living-room, dining room and TV area. There was an air of intimacy in the room, as though it was the core part of this family. Many parties, social and political discussions and family gatherings take place here.They did, and they still do. The present tense suggests that this visit was not long ago, and that the same custom of toasts exists 'today', ie at the time of writing. We were honored to be there and I felt ashamed that I had absolutely no Russian language to attempt to communicate in. Why is it that people of the English-speaking world take for granted that the rest of the world should speak English? I had always meant to learn Russian and had enrolled for courses in the past but they never started because of lack of numbers.

ãOur meal was a feast in itself. We weren't offered wine, just vodka in little shot glasses and before drinking there is always a toast. Here, it seems to be a similar idea to the above, but I'd prefer the simple past here myself. Another interpretation is that the writer is trying to make the reader feel that he is present at the meal, but in that case I'd use present tense for the whole sentence, and maybe even the whole paragraph or the whole narrative. Some nine vodkas later, Yuri was in fine form and had found a drinking partner in my husband!

ãWandering along the river, we agreed that not only had we found new friends, but we had just spent probably the most enjoyable experience of our trip to Russia. This is what travel is all about - to get to the heart and soul of the people and to try to understand and experience a little of what makes others tick

Best wishes, Clive

âThere is always a toastâ or âthere was always a toastâ?

Liveinsea — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:58:49 GMT

There is a passage in my English textbook. In this passage there are two sentences with the simple present tense, in which I think the simple past tense should be used, and they are the following:

1. âthere is always a toastâ

2. âMany parties, social and political discussions and family gatherings take place hereâ

A Russian Experience

ãOur host, Yuri Petrochenkov, himself an artist, warmly greeted us at the door. He was tall with gray hair pulled into a tail. His open, friendly manner and twinkling eyes showed a sense of humor and his English with a thick accent made him an entertaining host. Nelly, his wife, spoke little English but understood a great deal more.
ãWe were ushered into their main room, which served as a living-room, dining room and TV area. There was an air of intimacy in the room, as though it was the core part of this family. Many parties, social and political discussions and family gatherings take place here. We were honored to be there and I felt ashamed that I had absolutely no Russian language to attempt to communicate in. Why is it that people of the English-speaking world take for granted that the rest of the world should speak English? I had always meant to learn Russian and had enrolled for courses in the past but they never started because of lack of numbers.

ãOur meal was a feast in itself. We weren't offered wine, just vodka in little shot glasses and before drinking there is always a toast. Some nine vodkas later, Yuri was in fine form and had found a drinking partner in my husband!

revision/thought on my final paper would be greatly appreciated. thank you.

Anonymous — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 06:04:17 GMT

The paper is in MLA format and I had some trouble keeping it in present tense, block quoting a speech from poetry, and siting the poetry inside the paragraphs themselves help would be very very appreciated. sorry its so long. also I dont know if i like my closing statement, should I add more or take a more traditional approach to it?
thank you,
frantic senior.

   (already corrected)Throughout time there has been a constant struggle between light and dark, good and evil, heaven and hell. This everlasting conflict is depicted most famously in Beowulf, a timeless Old English epic poem written in the Anglo-Saxon time period between 449 and 1066. The original creator is unknown, but was first composed by Christian monks after years of paganistic oral illustration. In Anglo-Saxon culture, along with literature, one not only had to be a strong, intelligent, and brave warrior but also show devout loyalty to his brethren. Beowulf embodies the quintessential Anglo-Saxon hero. He sails the seas to a neighboring country to gain fame by defending and defeating seemingly impossible super-natural forces, while showing his unparalleled god-like strength.(already corrected)

    Beowulfâs super-human strength compares to no other of his time. Several points throughout the story Beowulf Displays such strength that one can hardly believe heâs a mortal man. Beowulf exhibits this incomprehensible strength when he is clashing with Grendel. While leaning up on one arm he locks on to Grendelâs flaying limb and violently heaves, yanking so hard he tears skin, muscle, and bone clean off Grendelâs shoulder (âGrendel,â lines 265-270). Once again, in the heat of battle with Grendels revenge thirsty mother, Beowulf exhibits this spectacular brawn when he spots âa [massive] heavy swordâ¦/hanging on the wallâ¦/so heavy no mortal man could lift [it]â(âGrendelâs Mother,â lines 215-220). He snatches the sword off the wall like it was an ordinary feat and brings it crashing down upon the evil she wolfâs neck, slicing it clean off.

Almost equivalent to his mind numbing strength is his wisdom and intelligence that far surpasses his young age. Before making the journey over seas to Herot the young hero has to first ask for recourse from the elders. With zero hesitation the elders agreed with his request to gain fame by defending his fatherâs allied domain and the slaying of evil demonic monsters. Later in Beowulfâs life, at an old age of 60, heâs informed of a dragon pillaging his countryside in search of an appropriated item. Beowulf feels such a substantial amount of guilt that he feels he must act on behalf of his compatriots. Beowulf believes that anything that goes askew in his country or to his countrymen is his responsibility. âHe accus[es] himself of breaking gods lawâ(âDeathâ lines 17-18) and that he has brought âThe Almightyâs anger down upon his peopleâ(âDeathâ lines 19-20). The old stout king, humbled by many years of a war torn life, suits up for his last confrontation.

One of the most important qualities of this Anglo-Saxon hero is his exceptional bravery, exclusively in the face of eminent death. Early in his life Beowulf is portrayed as slightly over confident. When he arrives in the court of Hrothgar and he declares:

âGrendel is no braver, no stronger than I am! I could kill him with my sword; I shall not, easy as it would be. This fiend is a bold and famous fighter, but his claws and teeth scratching at my shield, his clumsy fists beating at my sword blade, would be helpless. I will meet him with my hands empty-unless his heart fails him, seeing a soldier waiting

weaponless, unafraid. Let God in His wisdom extend His hand where

He wills, reward whom He chooses!â(âGrendelâ lines 133-143).

After successfully fulfilling his prophecy, Beowulf hunts down the wicked mother of the forlorn beast whom he had just slain. He finds himself and his men at a pool swarming with serpents and water beasts yet he throws on his hauberk and dives through the serpents. Pushing his way towards the essence of all-evil with only a vest of chain mail to protect him.

Beowulf, still today, stands as a record of values and customs from an unrefined and heroic time. It embodies the message: "Do your utmost to gain a good name and fame because, after death, itâs all of you that can remain in this world. It is the courage to strive for this, not success, that ultimately and eternally enshrines a true hero in legend."

Re: tense in literature

Mister Micawber — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 05:24:39 GMT

I think when we write an essay about literature, we use 'present tense' no matter if the literature itself is in past tense

Not at all.
And you are not creating reported speech when writing an essay; you are narrating the story.

Do your example this way:

Ben always remembers his glory in high school: he was a such popular student. Teachers loved him. However, now he is not well-liked by his boss or co-workers.

Having said that, all possible combinations of tenses are probably possible in the course telling about a story in an essay.

tense in literature

MIA6 — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 03:33:28 GMT

I think when we write an essay about literature, we use 'present tense' no matter if the literature itself is in past tense. But for example, "Ben suddenly recalled his high school life. When he was in the ninth grade, he was very popular. But now, he was not. He was such an ordinary man. No one would notice him." Then, if I want to say his past, should I use past tense to make a contrast with present tense, so that reader will understand which is Ben's past life, and which is his present? Let's say: Ben always remembers his glory in high school, he was/is a such popular student. Teachers loved him/love him. However, now he is not well-liked by his boss or co-workers.

Thanks for help.

Re: when your writing as a fourth person

Vorpar — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 20:37:03 GMT

Answer the questions based on their tense.

When we write about literature or films, we write in the present tense (an exception would be if we are including some kind of chronology.)

1. Alexander tames Bucephalas by...

2. The first piece of advice given is...

3. Demosthenes, during the battle of Greece,...

4. The leadership of the Greek army choose to marry the women of Persia because...

Re: help with exercise

Chariot — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 09:27:29 GMT

Thank you, Nona de Brit.

The blue answers are my alternatives. I have two questions about these exercises.

1. If you visit the Lincoln Memorial, you will see a giant statue of Lincoln _dominating_/which/that dominates_ (dominate) the center of the Memorial.

2. The Washington Monument _was built_/is built_ (build) in honor of George Washington, the first president of the United States.

3.. Abraham Lincoln's famous speeches _were engraved_/ are engraved (engrave) on the interior walls of the Lincoln Memorial.

4. The Oval Office, _situated_/which is situated_ (situate) in the White House, is the office of the President of the United States.

5. Amelia Earhart was the first woman _to fly_/that/who flew_ (fly) solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

6. Ernest Hemingway was a famous American writer who _won_/winning_ (win) the 1954 Nobel Prize for literature.

8. Queen Victoria _was_/is_ (be) the first sovereign to reside in Buckingham Palace.

Are the blue answers correct? Thanks for your help.

a. In 1, 4, both participles and relative clauses work. Can I conclude that participles and relative clauses are interchangeable when it comes to modifying a noun? Irregardless of the tense in the main clause and the relative clause? In 6, I meant to remove "who" and write the sentence as this:" 6. Ernest Hemingway was a famous American writer winning_ (win) the 1954 Nobel Prize for literature."

b. In 2, both answers are correct. I understand that "were engraved" means an action, which took place in the past, and "are engraved" describes the condition of the monument. In 5 and 8, I thought the sentence states a fact which do not change and should be expressed in the present tense. Could you explain to me why the correct answers are in the past tense.

c. Sentences 5, 8: infintives are used following the noun, not relative clauses. Is it because the noun is modified by "the first"?

I feel confused with these modifier issues, they are very confusing. If there is a rule governing/that governs the modifiers, I'd be very happy to hear about it.

Re: Native-speaker intuition.

Cool Breeze — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 08:36:44 GMT

Englishuser wrote:
A non-native speaker who has immersed himself or herself with highbrow literature written in a foreign language could very well have a more vivid vocabulary and a better knowledge of the grammar of the language than the average native speaker. At least as far as the 'standard version' of the language is concerned.

Englishuser

Hi Englishuser

I agree, learning the grammar of a language can be relatively easy for a person who is familiar with the grammatical structures of his native language. As far as I am concerned, English grammar was a piece of cake for me even though it differs considerably from Finnish grammar. It was easy because there is so little of it; an English word has very few forms: write, writes, writing, wrote, written. That's all there is written as single words. Of course has written, having written etc. exist in addition to the five basic forms.

However, in Finnish, for instance, you need six forms just to say something affirmative in the present tense, a different inflection for every person (I, you, he, we, you, they). You need another six forms to ask a question etc. Nouns have more than a hundred forms and an adjective has hundreds of inflected forms. Some English people have said to me they don't belive me when I say that. That's because they think the languages they may have some knowledge of, usually German or French, are as complicated in structure as a language can be. They know of nothing else.

What is difficult about English are the countless idioms and spelling.

By the way, when I am abroad I try not to sound British or American even though I have been told that I am able to mimic the American accent quite well. Finland was never a major country in world politics or colonization and I often get good service just because people don't really know anything about my country. They have no preconceived notions.

I was once having a drink in a hotel bar in New Orleans. The man sitting next to me asked me: "Where do you come from?" I said: "Finland." He said: "Which state is it in?" So I got wise and a couple of days later when a fiftyish woman asked me the same question, I said: "I'm from Europe." Her face lit up: "That's marvelous! I've got relatives in the same country."

Cheers
CB

Re: How to talk about TV shows

Lazarus — Wed, 28 Sep 2005 17:58:02 GMT

When speaking about literature, film, etc., you should use the present tense, as that story is forever ongoing.

Re: subjunctive or not?

davkett — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 01:11:40 GMT

This is not strictly what you are asking, Taka, but there would not be much question about the present tense here:

(which is the way I would want to see it written in the first place)

No one would say of a work of music or literature that it is better than an earlier work just because it is later. A recent work by L. Berino is not, because of its modernity, better than Beethoven's Violin Concerto, and it would be just as hard to say that Brahms' Violin Concerto is better than Beethoven's.