Forum:Present tense
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MoS forums - Present tense
Many set articles currently use the past tense in their introductory paragraph, such as "123 Blobby Car was a set released in 1950...", but this isn't how I think it should be. The sets are still existent, so there is no need to refer to them in the past tense. There may be some instances where sets should be referred to in the past tense though, such as "This set was only released in the United States". I think the Manual of Style should specify when past/present tenses should be used on articles. Any other ideas when past/present should be used? --ToaMeiko (talk) 20:46, 11 January 2014 (UTC)
- Full support, for the same reasons you stated. -LFY1547 20:48, 11 January 2014 (UTC)
- I'm positive this was agreed on before. I think present tense for everything unless it refers to a real life date/event that has passed or will occur. BrickfilmNut (talk) 20:55, 11 January 2014 (UTC)
- I think the most recent consensus was past for background, present for everything else (with obvious exceptions- 1234 is a set that was released in 2001) NovaHawk 18:46, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
- Sites like Wikipedia seem to use present tense for fictional events, however. BrickfilmNut (talk) 18:48, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
- I still think that ongoing conditions under the background heading should be written in present tense, especially for current themes with stories that don't really have an ending (Hero Factory, Super Heroes, Friends, Legends of Chima, and Ninjago are the ones I can think of. Kai wasn't a ninja, since the story is still being told, he is a ninja). Berrybrick (talk) 19:54, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
- I'm still for past tense for backgrounds. For example, is Luke Skywalker alive or dead? He hasn't died in LEGO form, but he's dead as of 130ABY in the (current) SW universe. Same goes for many other SW characters, and from what I can decipher, Marvel/DC characters. Also, just from a grammar point of view, all of the things have happened already- eg, Lloyd became the Gold Ninja. As for whether to consider them as alive (Yoda is a Jedi) or dead (Yoda was a Jedi), I'd say dead for licensed characters because the LEGO universe is a crazy mixed-up place, whereas the licensed universes are more organised as to when people have died. For non-licensed, I'd also say past, becuase it's just so much easier and if we have it done one way, there won't be any confusion as to what tense to write in between different characters (some non-licensed characters have died I think) and between themes (deciding for theme would get even more confusing than these discussions about tense are currently) NovaHawk 01:02, 16 January 2014 (UTC)
