On Thu, Apr 29, 2021 at 09:52:14PM -0700, Larry Hastings wrote:
>
>
> D'oh!  I have a second draft already.
>
>    Your NEWS entry should be written in the /present tense,/ and should
>    start with a verb:

Without a subject of the sentence, that's not present tense, it is the
imperative mood.


    "Fix buffalo.spam ..."

is a command or suggestion. The imperative is suitable for a list of
things which should be done, a TODO list, not a list of things which
have already been done.

https://grammar.collinsdictionary.com/easy-learning/the-imperative

When it comes to "the" present tense, there are (at least?) four, and
one looks superficially like the imperative, but they need a subject:


    # present simple tense
    "Larry fixes buffalo.spam ..."

    # present continuous tense
    "Larry is fixing buffalo.spam ..."

    # present perfect tense
    "Larry has fixed buffalo.spam ..."

    # present perfect continuous tense
    "Larry has been fixing buffalo.spam ..."


https://grammar.collinsdictionary.com/easy-learning/the-present-simple-tense


One might get away with an implicit "I" in the present simple tense:


    [I] fix buffalo.spam ...


and readers with a good understanding of English will probably be able
to infer the intention (tasks which have already been done, not tasks
still to be done) but those whose English skills are not as good will
probably struggle.

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