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Things That Annoy Me In Fanfics: PART 2
When the words "I'd", "He'd", "She'd", and "They'd" are used so much as the beginning of every sentence in mostly 1st POV.
So lemme give you a quick grammar lesson. While words like "I'd" do mean "I had", they also tend to mean, "I would". So its used in both past tense and future tense. But typically, sounds more hypothetical than past tense. So whenever you start a sentence with words like that to explain what a character actually did, it doesn't make any sense because that's a hypothetical phrase. Saying something like:
"I'd have done the dishes like always." Sounds more hypothetical compared to, "I had done the dishes like always."
I'd, She'd, He'd, and They'd makes more sense in context such as this:
"I'd be in so much trouble!"
Not:
"I'd let out small gasps."
Yes:
"If that happened, I'd kick your ass."
Not:
"He decided to make me angry. So I'd began to kick his ass."
It may be a stylistic thing, sure. But, words like I'd are better used for hypotheticals rather than actual events that occured. Its grammatically correct and makes more sense to read. At least for someone like me. Whenever I have to read sentences like that, my brain immediately thinks its hypothetical until it uses a word to make it current tense. Like, wait what? This is happening now? Not just a lil hypothetical or foreshadowing to later events?
So.. Yeah. Using these words in your story is fine, just use them sparingly and to describe hypotheticals or for foreshadowing.