This blog entry is brought to you by 'pluperfect'. 'Pluperfect':
the blooper of past perfect storytelling. (Seriously, I hate that word. It sounds like a blooper in the English
lexicon that should be excluded from the dictionary.)
I follow a writing blog that discusses several factors in
creative writing. Among these topics is
tense and how it is used in narrative.
Overall, the blog was a great read, but there was one thing that sent
shivers of discontent down my spine, and it was in this one sentence: "There are three basic tenses in
English: future, present and
past." Several grammarians, as well
as linguists, would argue that there is something wrong with this
proposition. I used to think it was
true. However, I soon discovered its
flawed logic thanks to my English grammar professor at university:
