Past, Present and Future

Some problem I have recently encountered is when to speak in the past tense and when to speak in the present tense. For example today I was reviewing a sentence in my rhetoric analysis and I was told to put it in the present tense because I am referring to a document. Well I questioned this rule and decided to look it up.

So here is the rule, use present tense to state facts, to refer to perpetual or habitual actions, and to discuss your own ideas or those expressed by an author in a particular work. Also use present tense to describe action in a literary work, movie, or other fictional narrative. Occasionally, for dramatic effect, you may wish to narrate an event in present tense as though it were happening now. If you do, use present tense consistently throughout the narrative, making shifts only where appropriate.

For more information go to http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_tensec.html