AboutRobert D`Angelo Expertise I am a copy editor who has more than 20 years experience in editing newspaper and magazine articles. Much of my career has been spent editing sports copy, but I also am capable of editing non-sports and technical copy.I am an avid sports trivia fan, and a collector of baseball cards. Another hobby I enjoy is genealogy. I believe I have some experience in all three of those areas.
Experience I have been a sports reporter and/or copy editor since 1979. Worked as both in Stuart, Fla., from 1980 to 1988, serving as assistant sports editor from 1984 to 1988. Have been a sports copy editor at The Tampa Tribune since 1988. I also have edited magazines in the areas of golf, auto racing, soccer, and information technology.
Received a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Florida in 1979.
Was a 12-time winner from 1982 through 1988 in Florida Sports Writers Association writing and design contests. I served as president of the Florida Sports Writers Association in 1989-90, and served as first vice president (1988-89) and second vice president (1987-88).
Question I remember high school teachers stressing that the verb tense within a paragraph should be consistent--and, preferably, within an entire essay.
I'm transitioning from (dull) scholarly writing to popular online web format. Basically I want people to read what I say. But I don't want to lose all credibility by being too vague or imprecise.
I know about writing in the present tense and the inverted pyramid.
But let's say I'm talking about Freud's theories. Sometimes it seems a bit forced to say "Freud believes..." when he's been dead for some time.
But if I say "Freud believed" then I have to make the entire paragraph past tense, which gets boring.
I'd appreciate your opinion on how to resolve this.
Answer Hi,
I talked with several of my colleagues, and we decided that since your high school teachers are probably referred to in the past tense now, it is not an issue to them and shouldn't be for you.
All kidding aside, while writing in the active voice is preferable, there are times when using the past tense is appropriate. I think that with online writing, it is OK to break from traditional style and mix tenses if you are forced to do so. After all, you are trying to communicate, and trying to do it clearly. It makes no sense to stumble over phrases just to maintain parallelism. It's a radical shift from traditional English, but it can make for effective communication online.
We can write, "Lincoln believed that all men are created equal," and in the same paragraph note that "equality is an issue that still resonates today." See, past tense, present tense. To write the second half of that sentence to match the first half would come off stilted, and probably silly.
I believe that online writing embraces a less formal and more conversational writing style, so without being illiterate, it is acceptable to write as one would speak. We have a whole generation of kids who get most of their information online, as opposed to newspapers and TV. Short, punchy and familiar beats traditional, drawn out writing.
Hope that helps. It's just my opinion, and my old English teacher might shoot me too, but as long as we are writing in complete sentences, I think it is safe to evolve to this style of writing. Message me back if you need follow-up.
