Can I use past tense in third-person narrative?
Like being the first child of her family, she had the burden of ...
Yes. You can use any tense in a third-person narrative.
It seems to me that you are writing a descriptive essay, ather than narrative. Narratives tell stories. Check this site.
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As far as I know, you can. You might want to see what Ms. Sue or another person says.
The essay is supposed to be about yourself in the perspective of someone you know. Is that narrative?
Ohh -- That changes things.
You're supposed to write about something that happened to you from the point of view of someone else.
So I can only use he and she and stuff.
Right.
Thanks so much :)
You're welcome.
Yes, you can definitely use past tense in a third-person narrative. Using past tense is a common way to recount events that have already happened. It allows the reader to understand that the events being described occurred in the past.
To use past tense in a third-person narrative, you can simply describe the events and actions that have already taken place using past tense verbs. For example, in your sentence, you used the past tense verb "had" to indicate that she already carried the burden in the past.
Here's an example of a complete sentence using past tense in a third-person narrative:
"Being the first child of her family, she had the burden of responsibility on her shoulders from a young age."
Keep in mind that consistency is important in writing, so once you establish the use of past tense, try to maintain it throughout your narrative unless there's a specific reason to switch to another tense.