1)When reporting a story written in the past,<~~This doesn't make sense to me. How do you report on something that has already been written? can I use the simple present (present perfect)? Simple present and present perfect are not the same thing. Please clarify.
Example: the narrator had always been fond of pets. He had had pets at home since he was a child. The tenses here are past perfect; note the auxiliary verb "had."
Changes: The narrator has always been fond of pets. He has had pets at home since he was a child???? The tenses here are present perfect, not simple present; note the auxiliary verb "has."
2) He continued having pets at home even after getting married. His favourite pet was a black cat, Pluto, that preferred his wife, though. Pluto was a beautiful, big, cat. He was intelligent and followed his master everywhere, even through the streets. This reads fine; all the tenses are simple past.
3) After some years though, the narrator’s personality because of alcohol addiction. "because of" and "due to" are not synonyms (except in slang maybe!). http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/plague.htm See #7.
4) One night he cut out one of the cat’s eyes from its socket. The cat recovered, but always tried to avoid its master after that.
5)Even though the socket of his lost eye felt awful, the cat didn’t seem to be suffering any longer. One morning the narrator hanged the cat from a tree near his house.
Thank you very much. Couldyou check these other sentences,please?
1)When reporting a story written in the past, can I use the simple present (present perfect)?
Example: the narrator had always been fond of pets. He had had pets at home since he was a child.
Changes: The narrator has always been fond of pets. He has had pets at home since he was a child????
2) He continued having pets at home even after getting married. His favourite pet was a black cat, Pluto, that preferred his wife, though. Pluto was a beautiful, big, cat. He was intelligent and followed his master everywhere, even through the streets.
3) After some years though, the narrator’s personality because of (due to) alcohol addiction.
4) One night he cut out one of the cat’s eyes from its socket (OR cut the cat’s eye out of his socket??). The cat recovered but always tried to avoid its master after that.
5)Even though the socket of his lost eye was awful, the cat didn’t seem to be suffering any longer. One morning the narrator hanged the cat with a rope from a tree near his house (he hanged him on the branch of a tree?).
1 answer
10 answers