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Thread: Past Tense vs. Present Tense in Alphanex entries

  1. #1
    Heather Hudson Fan First Flight

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    Default Past Tense vs. Present Tense in Alphanex entries

    I was just wondering if anyone had noticed that in some of the entries, the tenses are all screwed up. For example (NOT from Alphanex):

    The Abomination is recruited by Xeron the Star-Slayer to serve as the first mate aboard the starship Andromeda. After a battle with the Hulk, the Abomination fell from a near-Earth orbit and entered a coma-like state. The Abomination eventually wakes, and joins forces with General Thunderbolt Ross to fight the Hulk. He later turns on Ross, teaming with the Rhino to take over Hulkbuster base, but is knocked unconscious in a collision with the Rhino. The Abomination is revived by General Ross and Doc Samson, who wish him to capture the Hulk; however, he instead tricks the Hulk into an alliance and attempts to ransom the captured Kennedy Space Center. Eventually, the Abomination becomes an agent of the Galaxy Master, taking on the name "Ravager of Worlds". He was defeated by the Hulk, the Dark-Crawler, and Torgo, and abandoned in space.
    As you can see, the tense changes several times within the same entry.

    All entries should be entered in the past tense unless speaking about current or future events, like the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe does. For example:

    The woman who would become the Abominatrix was an employee of Jasper Keaton's savings and loan company. Following government deregulation of the S&L industry, Keaton made a large profit with short-term investments. He created a genetic research division which empowered two of his employees, creating the Abominatrix and Captain Rectitude. The Abominatrix was the product of a failed medical experiment (presumably using gamma rays, naturally) to control PMS. Instead, the experiment left her permanently in that condition. The current whereabouts of The Abominatrix are unknown; however, evidence exists that she resides in the desert of the American Southwest, not far from Gamma Base. Doc Samson is still looking for her. Should The Abominatrix ever receive a high enough dose of Midol, it is quite possible that she will revert to her normal, human form.
    Notice that the entry is in past tense yet still reverts to the present at the end without breaking proper tense. Just wanted to point out that we ought to be careful to maintain proper tense in these entries and fix entries which have not done so.

    - Smikes
    Jolson did it all first,
    Crosby jazzed it up,
    Sinatra perfected it.

  2. #2

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    =D>

    I totally agree. I have spent lots of time editing this type of correction, including in my own older writings. Very easy mistake to make if you aren't watching for it.

    BTW, welcome to the Alphanex team Smikes! I'd love to see it fire up a bit again, now that I'm back online

    Ben

  3. #3
    Heather Hudson Fan First Flight

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    Default

    Thanks, Ben. I think you've got a great thing going here. I'm very pleased to have found it and will be more than happy to help maintain it. Honestly, I am kinda obsessed over Alpha (I've now got Alpha Flight action figures and Heroclix littering my basement). Probably helps that it was my first real introduction to a dramatic storyline in comics; and I don't know why, but I always loved John Byrne's work as well— there are many artists out there who run circles around him in both detail and shadowing, but his simple, straightfoward style is very appealing, especially from a nostalgic point of view. Anyway, thanks for the welcome, and welcome back as well. I'll see you around.

    - Smikes
    Jolson did it all first,
    Crosby jazzed it up,
    Sinatra perfected it.

  4. #4
    Harvester of Sorrows Department H
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    Default

    Wait a second... Is this the same Smikes who on another thread took HappyCanuck to task for correcting grammar?

    Sorry.
    And, I do agree with you, in something like Alphanex it should be as grammatical as possible. Which is different to people's posts.

    Then again, I once critiqued a story where somebody managed, somehow, to change tense within the space of three words!

    - Le Messor
    "Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently."
    - Henry Ford

  5. #5

    Default

    the only thing that ranks higher then published grammar on this site is...continuity

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by mos_def
    the only thing that ranks higher then published grammar on this site is...continuity


    Daddy!!

    Mos Def said a bad word!!

    He said "Continuity"!!!

    (in the world of Alpha Flight, "Continuity" is the biggest form of profanity :P)
    Allan 'HappyCanuck' Crocker

    "Hey... Philosophers love wisdom, not mankind."
    - Stephen Pastis, Pearls Before Swine

  7. #7

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by mos_def
    you mean its profanity at Marvel
    Same thing, yeah.
    Allan 'HappyCanuck' Crocker

    "Hey... Philosophers love wisdom, not mankind."
    - Stephen Pastis, Pearls Before Swine

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