Use past or present tense for lasting fact
I'm writing a story in present tense. One sentence is a little tricky for me, and I don't know if I should use past or present tense:
Present tense
The tree was so massive, that it even withholds the strongest storms.
Past tense
The tree was so massive, that it even withheld the strongest storms.
I am not quite sure because it is a fact that could still last today, but the whole story is written in past tense.
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First of all, "withheld" means "held something back from," as in "she withheld the cookies from her child" or "he withheld the information from Congress." So it doesn't mean "hold up to" a big storm. The word you want is "survive."
Second, Alex almost has it right in his second example. You have a few options in the past tense:
The tree was so massive it could have survived the strongest storm. ("The strongest storm" has happened, but we don't know whether the tree was exposed to it. If it was, then clearly it survived.)
The tree was so massive it could survive the strongest storm. (Hypothetical: "The strongest storm" hasn't happened. We project that the tree could survive it.)
In present tense:
The tree is so massive it could survive the strongest storm. (Hypothetical again. Even if we are in the present, the strongest storm is in the future.)
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Your sentences aren't in the present tense. This would be present tense:
The tree is so massive it even withheld the strongest storm.
Now, regarding your past-tense sentences:
The tree was so massive it even withheld the strongest storm. (Not lasting fact)
The tree was so massive it could have withhold the strongest storm. (Lasting fact)
So yes, lasting facts should be written in the present tense (aside of few exceptions).
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/14176. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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