Hi is “I’m just curious as to how they planned to play out the grotesque scene where Lennie killed Curley’s wife.” grammatically correct?
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any particular issues?– JMPCommented May 24, 2018 at 10:54
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the use of “planned”– Proximus19Commented May 24, 2018 at 10:56
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i’m also wondering whether “when” would be a better substitute for “where”– Proximus19Commented May 24, 2018 at 10:57
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"Where" is fine in this case.– Oliver MasonCommented May 24, 2018 at 11:02
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The mismatch in tense between "I'm" and "planned" strikes a discordant tone, though it's not necessarily "wrong".– Hot LicksCommented May 24, 2018 at 11:55
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1 Answer
Whether planned is in the appropriate tense depends on context. If, say, you have read the novel Of Mice and Men and are curious how the 1937 stage adaptation deals with the murder, then the simple past is appropriate. If, however, you had just bought tickets to the new production of the play starring James Franco, then you would likely use the present perfect: how they’ve planned. While one assumes the act of planning is complete before opening night, you have not yet seen the results, so the planning is an action that began in the past but for you, it is not complete until you see it on stage.
When discussing scenes depicted in plays, filmscripts, or books, almost all writers use a form of the literary present, which describes such events in the present tense. Prior time is indicated by the present perfect.
Perhaps the only significant departure from Shakespeare in Gounod's opera is in the final scene, where Romeo and Juliet are conscious together for long enough to share a final duet before both dying. BBC
When she continues to struggle, Lennie grows angry. He shakes her violently, telling her to keep quiet so that George doesn't hear her. Before he knows it, he has broken her neck. She lies dead on the hay. Study Guide, ch. 5, Of Mice and Men
One would expect, then, “the grotesque scene where Lennie kills Curley’s wife.”
