Can we use both past and present tenses in a novel?
In present-day prose it is seen as incorrect to be inconsistent with the tense you use, so, within reason, authors stick with one. However, in Classical (Ancient Greek and Roman) texts, authors would often write mostly in past tense then switch to present tense when they wanted to make a scene more vivid. This was initially confusing to translate, but once I got used to it I found that it was quite effective. Sadly, most English translations of these texts have “corrected” this change in tenses, and in Ancient Greek and Latin courses students are encouraged to stick to one tense in their translations.So, most people will tell you to stick to one tense unless you’re dealing with flashbacks/background info or something. However, I would not be opposed to fluidity of tense making a comeback, and I’m sure that other Classics enthusiasts and free-thinkers would agree.
What is the past tense of the word ‘read’?
The past tense of read is read. But it’s pronounced as the color red.I will read this today.I read it yesterday.