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Q&A Is it correct to write "should/could/must be" in past tense narrative?

Example in my own writing: Kazumi didn't reply to her boyfriend---or rather ex-boyfriend's---message. Instead, she stayed at Burger King, reanalyzing Kouta's abandonment over a coffee. No, ...

2 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by alex‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T07:09:27Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/30821
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar alex‭ · 2019-12-08T07:09:27Z (almost 5 years ago)
Example in my own writing:

> Kazumi didn't reply to her boyfriend---or rather ex-boyfriend's---message. Instead, she stayed at Burger King, reanalyzing Kouta's abandonment over a coffee. No, starting a new life **couldn't be** the whole reason. Kouta **should be** cooking a bigger plan. Or a more rotten one.

Is this correct? Or I should use **couldn't have been** and **should've been** instead?

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2017-10-16T02:40:42Z (about 7 years ago)
Original score: 2