MSGID: 1:153/716.0 ecab7210   
   REPLY: 2:221/6.0 5ec58c22   
   CHRS: IBMPC 2   
   Hi, Anton!  Recently you wrote in a message to Dallas Hinton:   
      
   DH>  The writer is writing about events which have happened (past).   
   DH>  We have no idea what (if anything) has transpired since. In   
   DH>  any case, to suddenly shift from past to present would be quite   
   DH>  jarring to the reader. And also, the ring is (or seems to be   
   DH>  from this fragment) a very minor part of the story so who really   
   DH>  cares about it's current location? :-)   
      
   AS>  I see.   
      
      
              Okay.  I could add a story about some things a friend gave us after   
   his mother's death, but apparently you don't need it....  :-)   
      
      
      
   AS>  It reminds me of a dialog line from a British horror story,   
      
      
              Note to Alexander:  dialog(ue) reflects the way the characters in a   
   story would speak & can't necessarily be taken as a guide to proper usage.   
      
      
      
   AS>  where a woman excalims "I forgot he was vegeterinan!", when   
   AS>  she realies she has prepared no vegetaranian meal for her new   
   AS>  acquaintance, who, by all means, is vegetarian still.   
      
      
              If this woman thinks it's imperative that "forgot" agree with "was"   
   she may be adhering to a "rule" which native speakers break routinely, because   
   it doesn't make sense when e.g. somebody who claimed to be vegan or vegetarian   
   awhile ago may have changed their mind.  Dallas & I often see the latter.  :-Q   
      
      
      
      
   --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+   
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)   
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