Why is it OK to mix past and present tense in this way?

Question

hello! I’m writing about the use of past and present tense in fiction and I’ve been reading a book written in past tense. This is the first paragraph, and I’ve noticed the writer has used both past and present tense. It sounds grammatically correct to me, but I think you could also write it purely in past tense as well. I’m just wondering, is it ok to combine past and present tense in this way? And if it is grammatically correct, why is it correct? I have included the excerpt in question below. The first example is how it is written in the book (past and present combined) and the second example is where I’ve rewritten it all in past tense. Again, I think the first example probably is grammatically correct, just need a solid answer as the why it’s grammatically correct! Thanks so much!

“She ran without thinking, without direction, desperation driving her deep into the fields. The endless rows of corn were an oppressive labyrinth, ripe heads bowing above her, snagging her hair. Blades whipped her palms as she thrashed through the towering stalks, not looking back. She stumbled on rutted ground, dry soil crumbling beneath her…”

“She ran without thinking, without direction, desperation drove her deep into the fields. The endless rows of corn were an oppressive labyrinth, ripe heads bowed above her and snagged her hair. Blades whipped her palms as she thrashed through the towering stalks, not looking back. She stumbled on rutted ground, dry soil crumbled beneath her…”

Answer 1

Confusingly, it is OK to use present tense when you're speaking about the past. ;)

It's a narrative device called the historic present or the dramatic present. The passage you've quoted is a great example! Note how it brings the past alive in the present moment.

Much more engaging than reading about something as though it's dusted and done. Even though it's in the past, it makes you feel like anything can happen next.

It can be tricky to pull off, though. You can see how skillfully this writer mixes the past and present tenses, even within the same sentence. Not for amateurs! =))

Answer 2

Anna, both forms of that excerpt are grammatically correct. The use of past continuous tense conveys a more lively image for the reader, which pulls you into the story as if you are experiencing it. The verbs you highlighted in bold are in past continuous form.

Examples:

"The endless rows of corn were an oppressive labyrinth, ripe heads bowing above her, snagging her hair."

The verb bow can be rewritten like so:

Past Continuous

The ripe heads were bowing.

Other forms of the verb:

Past Simple: bowed

Future Continuous: will be bowing

This sentence from the excerpt you shared has many elements to break down if you want further elaboration.

If you need to know more, grammarly has a guide on verb tense:

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/verb-tenses/