I'm finding it difficult to figure this one out. Is the word "now" appropiate in this phrase (Past tense)?: "He had inculcated in him the values that any father would want for his son, and now that education would cost him his life" (Rough translation, I'm just interested in the use of "now").
The word 'now' has always tripped me up when writing past tense narrative (doesn't matter with dialogue) in the same way 'yesterday' and 'tomorrow' do. I always want to look for alternatives, but it's not always that easy. With your example, I'd be inclined to go with something like: "He had inculcated in him the values that any father would want for his son. Little did he know that education would cost him his life"
