WRR

1
WRR 5Literary Present Tense

• By Mrs. Jones
• Sophomore English

2
What is Literary Present Tense?

• When summarizing the plot or subject matter of a
  work of literature OR referring to the writers
  relationship to his/her work, ALWAYS write using
  literary present tense.

3
What does this mean?

• This means that all verbs are written in the
  present tense as if they are happening NOW.
• Why? Because each time you open up a story, poem,
  or novel it is happening right now! It is
  timeless!
• Present tense is used because it deals with the
  author as a performing artist in the text, and he
  performs NOW when the text is read.

4
For example

• Incorrect
• In The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe wrote about a
  talking bird. This bird spoke to the main
  character and repeated the word nevermore.
• How would you fix this so it was using literary
  present tense?

5
For example

• Incorrect
• In The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe wrote about a
  talking bird. This bird spoke to the main
  character and repeated the word nevermore.
• Correct
• In The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe writes about a
  talking bird. This bird speaks to the main
  character and repeats the word nevermore.

6
Now see if you can fix these.

• Incorrect
• In the poem Casey at the Bat, the main
  character thought he was such a great baseball
  player that he got too cocky and lost the game
  for his team.

7
Now see if you can fix these.

• Incorrect
• In the poem Casey at the Bat, the main
  character thought he was such a great baseball
  player that he got too cocky and lost the game
  for his team.
• Correct
• In the poem Casey at the Bat, the main
  character thinks he is such a great baseball
  player that he gets too cocky and loses the game
  for his team.

8
Fix the following incorrect statement to reflect
literary present tense

• The poem showed how the little boy tried to get
  his fathers attention. The father was drunk and
  came home with knuckles battered, possibly from
  hard work or from barroom brawls. The boy loved
  his father even though he did not like the way
  his father treated him in the waltz they did in
  the house before bedtime.

9
Here is the correct way

• The poem shows not showed how the little boy
  tries not tried to get his fathers attention.
  The father is not was drunk and comes not
  came home with knuckles battered, possibly from
  hard work or from barroom brawls. The boy loves
  not loved his father even though he does not
  did not like the way his father treats not
  treated him in the waltz they do not did in
  the house before bedtime

10
Now see if you can fix these.

• Incorrect
• George Orwells novel Animal Farm was an allegory
  for the Russian Revolution. He wrote the novel to
  expose the Soviets injustices under communism.

11
Now see if you can fix these.

• Incorrect
• George Orwells novel Animal Farm was an allegory
  for the Russian Revolution. He wrote the novel to
  expose the Soviets injustices under communism.
• Correct
• George Orwells novel Animal Farm is an allegory
  for the Russian Revolution. He writes the novel
  to expose the Soviets injustices under communism.

12
Did you know?????

• A good writer NEVER uses second person in his/her
  formal writing? Second person is when a writer
  uses words such as you or your.

13
Did you know?????

• A good writer NEVER uses second person in his/her
  formal writing? Second person is when a writer
  uses words such as you or your.
• For example

14
Second Person writing

• Touch the Top of the World is a book you read as
  a freshman.

15
Second Person Writing

• Touch the Top of the World is a book you read as
  a freshman.
• Change this to third person

16
Second Person Writing

• Touch the Top of the World is a book you read as
  a freshman.
• Touch the Top of the World is a book some
  students read as a freshman.
• OR

17
Second Person writing

• Touch the Top of the World is a book you read as
  a freshman.
• Touch the Top of the World is a book some
  students read as a freshman.
• many people

18
Second Person writing

• Touch the Top of the World is a book you read as
  a freshman.
• Touch the Top of the World is a book some
  students read as a freshman.
• many people
• one might

19
Second Person writing

• Touch the Top of the World is a book you read as
  a freshman.
• Touch the Top of the World is a book some
  students read as a freshman.
• many people
• one might
• etc.

20
Did you know?????

• First person words like I or me are only used
  when you are writing about yourself such as, a
  personal reflection essay where you are being
  asked for an opinion or personal experience

21
Did you know?????

• First person words like I or me are only used
  when you are writing about yourself such as, a
  personal reflection essay where you are being
  asked for an opinion or personal experience
• For example

22
First person writing

• The most important lesson I learned in To Kill a
  Mockingbird was that I should not judge someone
  else before I know all of the facts.

23
First person writing

• The most important lesson I learned in To Kill a
  Mockingbird was that I should not judge someone
  else before I know all of the facts.
• So, how do you fix this?

24
First person writing

• The most important lesson I learned in To Kill a
  Mockingbird was that I should not judge someone
  else before I know all of the facts.
• Correct
• The most important lesson one might learn in To
  Kill a Mockingbird is that they should not judge
  someone else before they know all of the facts.

25
Did you know?????

• Third person (when you use words like he or
  they) is better.
• When writing a paragraph, or essay, about
  anything other than yourself, write in the third
  person using words like he, she, they, or
  one.

26
Did you know?????

• Third person (when you use words like he or
  they) is better.
• When writing a paragraph, or essay, about
  anything other than yourself, write in the third
  person using words like he, she, they, or
  one.
• For example

27
Third person writing

• When one reads The Odyssey by Homer, they are
  exposed to the wonders of mythological characters
  and supernatural beasts.

28
So please DO NOT write like this example in your
formal essay writing

• Do you ever want to just pick up and go on
  vacation?
• How would you fix this?

29
So please DO NOT write like this example in your
formal essay writing

• Do you ever want to just pick up and go on
  vacation? (wrong!!)
• Do people ever want to just pick up and go on
  vacation?
• Or first person would be correct if you were
  writing about yourself
• Do I ever just want to go on vacation?

30
Works Cited

• http//vc.ws.edu/ENGL1020/writing_about_literature
  /special_differences.htm