Dialogue, prose, pace & style · Core
Past tense
Also called: past-tense prose
ELI5
Writing that describes events as having already happened.
Used in conversation
“Can we make the past tense clearer in the next draft?”
Pitch context
You may encounter “Past tense” in story, structure & screenplay conversations or materials.
Why it matters: Helps describe how a story works on the page and how its dramatic parts fit together.
Connected terms
- Future tenseComputed from definition language and shared taxonomy. This indicates proximity, not synonymy.
- Present tenseComputed from definition language and shared taxonomy. This indicates proximity, not synonymy.
Sources & evidence · 4
Supporting source families. This entry is an editorial synthesis rather than a quotation from one canonical glossary.
- Screen Australia — What is a Synopsis? An Outline? A Treatment?Supporting source family · institutional · checked 2026-08-14
- Screen Australia — Story Documents: DramaSupporting source family · institutional · checked 2026-08-14
- ScreenSkills — Online Learning Glossary and Job ProfilesSupporting source family · institutional · checked 2026-08-14
- pitch.dog — Pitch Dictionary Deep Research SynthesisSupporting source family · practitioner · checked 2026-08-14