What’s Past is Past

Whatever happed to the past tense these days? Whenever I read or hear someone relate a story about past events, they always use the plural to state the past tense. Let me give an example: “A guy goes into a dentist’s office and says he needs to see the dentist. Just then the dentist comes in…” Well, you get the idea. This use of the plural to state the past has always puzzled and irked me. Why can’t people just say it correctly: “A guy went into a dentist’s office and said he needed to see the dentist. Just then the dentist came in…” I can just imagine the reaction of my old High School English teacher, Miss Purcell, if one of us would have used the plural to state the past tense in front of her! She was a strict old gal, but to this day, I always use proper English. Well, at least I got one thing out of High School other than perpetual detention. The wonders never cease!
~Mike~