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Sequence of tenses : The Student and the Rose (2) (en modif

    HOW TO USE TENSES CORRECTLY IN TEXTS.(2)

Be careful ! Such a title obviously announces all kinds or traps ... Once again, you won't only have to use 'the right tenses', but also the right voice or form (active or passive), to pay attention to the context, to the sequence of tenses and also to the form of the speech which is used (direct or reported), so as to make the necessary adjustments !

This part is the sequel of Part 1.The story is logical, the text and the tenses must be coherent. Take advantage of all the clues which are given to you, the milestones which are indicated, the words playing the role of time-markers (which are given or just alluded to). All these elements will help you find THE RIGHT verbal form!

   THE STUDENT AND THE ROSE  (Part 2 )

Here, we are still in the universe of fairy-tales ... The young Student in Love had planned to go to the Prince's Ball, and to bring his beloved Lady the supremely romantic present  : a red rose.

He loved her and would like to build a future with her. Unfortunately, in the wonderful garden where he was crying passionately, there were no such roses : There were yellow roses, white roses for sure, multitudes of flowers of different colours... but no red roses !

Among the animals of the garden, a nightingale decided to help him and did her best to find a solution ... in vain ! But the white rose-tree restored hope ...
 

Are you ready to go on ? Think well ...

 This story was adapted from The Nightingale and the Rose by Oscar Wilde.

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(... continued)
The worried nightingale had asked the rose-tree : 'Is there a way for me to have a red rose ?' The tree had answered : 'THERE'S A WAY !' and the nightingale was quite puzzlinghad being quite puzzledwas been quite puzzledwas quite puzzledI don't know. What could it be ? She listened ....

Such a way to get a rose made youcould make youcould you make youhas made youcan make youI don't know think twice before using it ... It was both cruel and horrible : The gentle nightingale should sing her sweetest song all night long : That was good ! Yet, in the meantime, she must presshad to presshad been pressinghad pressedmust have pressedI don't know her breast (sa gorge) against one of the thorns (épines) of the rose-tree, till it piercedwas piercedwas piercinghad piercedI don't know her heart !
The blood in her heart was so crimson that it has colouredhad been allowed to colourwould colourhad to colourI don't know the rose red before the end of the night ... If she stopped singing before the necessary time, because of her pain, the rose ought not to become redwon't become redshouldn't become redwouldn't become redI don't know, but light pink ! Not a rose for a Beloved Lady !
At that point, the sweet nightingale faced a terrible dilemma : 'Either the Student can'tcannotwouldn't be ableshouldn't be allowedI don't know to dance with his Beloved Lady, or he could, but the generous nightingale would sacrifice her life for that event ... Was it worth it ? Life was sweet and pleasant in the huge garden, like Paradise ...' Yet, she will not hesitatehasn't hesitateddidn't hesitatehadn't hesitateI don't know for a long time ...
Leaning on the thorn, she was starting to sing's starting singing've started singingstarted singingI don't know the story of a new, beginning Love, tender and young ... Then, she sang of passion and strong feelings, then of surrender, harmony and complicity ... Finally, a little before daybreak, she still sungwas still singingstill sanghad still beeen singingI don't know about Love : a Love stronger than death, and which would outlivewill outliveoutlivesoutlivedhad outlivedI don't know death itself ... The nightingale's song was both beautiful and harrowing ... and the rose was finally bright crimson at sunrise. Alas ! Just a detail I should mention ... the Nightingale was then lying, dead ...
The following morning, the Student caught sight of the reddest rose he was ever seeingwill see everwould ever seeever sawhad ever seenI don't know. He didn't try to find an explanation for this sudden apparition overnight ... Nothing mattered to him but the red rose !

(to be continued ...)