I just realized something...

[conuly]

Somebody on my friends list posted about 9/11. I typed up an entire comment about my experience then, and didn't realize until now that parts of it the historical present. My favorite parts. NOBODY uses the historical present, but it seems my natural storytelling rhythm, much though I try to avoid it.

Interesting.

Comments

[wodhaund.livejournal.com]

Present tense, how I love thee!

I think present tense seems to be the natural storytelling rhythm for most people. Especially listening to children. ("So then the monster is all RAAAAAH, and I'm like GRAAAARRRGH and he kicks me and I kick him back....") But it seems to get beaten out of us at an early age by literature.

Rather sad.

[rpeate.livejournal.com]

Tense shifts were my biggest problem in high school English composition. I mastered them with the help of Mister Peter LeMay.

[interactiveleaf.livejournal.com]

Gone With the Wind shifts tense seemingly randomly, sometimes in the middle of paragraphs. It's considered to be a classic work.

Go with your feeling, baybee.

[whatifoundthere.livejournal.com]

Gone With the Wind shifts tense seemingly randomly

So does the Gospel of Mark, and if that's not a classic work, I'm not sure what is.

Most modern Bible translations "clean up" the gospel's use of tenses to make it seem smoother, but I love the way the original sounds. Here is the Jesus Seminar's more accurate translation of Mark 9:2.

Six days later, Jesus takes Peter and James and John along and leads them off by themselves to a lofty mountain. He was transformed in front of them, and his clothes became an intensely brilliant white, whiter than any laundry on earth could make them...

[wodhaund.livejournal.com]

Present tense, how I love thee!

I think present tense seems to be the natural storytelling rhythm for most people. Especially listening to children. ("So then the monster is all RAAAAAH, and I'm like GRAAAARRRGH and he kicks me and I kick him back....") But it seems to get beaten out of us at an early age by literature.

Rather sad.

[rpeate.livejournal.com]

Tense shifts were my biggest problem in high school English composition. I mastered them with the help of Mister Peter LeMay.

[interactiveleaf.livejournal.com]

Gone With the Wind shifts tense seemingly randomly, sometimes in the middle of paragraphs. It's considered to be a classic work.

Go with your feeling, baybee.

[whatifoundthere.livejournal.com]

Gone With the Wind shifts tense seemingly randomly

So does the Gospel of Mark, and if that's not a classic work, I'm not sure what is.

Most modern Bible translations "clean up" the gospel's use of tenses to make it seem smoother, but I love the way the original sounds. Here is the Jesus Seminar's more accurate translation of Mark 9:2.

Six days later, Jesus takes Peter and James and John along and leads them off by themselves to a lofty mountain. He was transformed in front of them, and his clothes became an intensely brilliant white, whiter than any laundry on earth could make them...