For example:
Who the hell eats instant noodles for breakfast?
Is it incorrect/weird to say:
Who the hell ate instant noodles for breakfast?
(Say, if you're writing in first-person past-tense narrative?)
If so, what's a better alternative?
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The words the hell are syntactically irrelevant to the issue being asked about here, and imho should be deleted. (That would be a "better alternative" :)– FumbleFingersCommented Jun 26, 2018 at 17:36
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1 Answer
The phrase "the hell X", if X is a verb, doesn't affect the decision of X's tense.
Simple present is often used to express habitual activities (i.e. you normally do X), in addition to narration.
Who the hell eats instant noodles for breakfast?
Someone might not have actually eaten any noodles (but we might be talking about someone we are watching eating noodles).
Who the hell ate instant noodles for breakfast?
This means someone ate some noodles yesterday.
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I think the last example needs to be more specific as to the past event. "Who the hell ate my/the instant noodles?" You can't really say "for breakfast" unless the time frame indicates that, since the action wasn't witnessed.– user3169Commented Jun 26, 2018 at 15:51
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It's possible, but a bit unusual, for "eating instant noodles for breakfast" as opposed to say, lunch or a snack, to be a significant event to someone in and of itself. Commented Jun 26, 2018 at 16:25
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1@user3169 yes you can: Lizzy yelled "Who the hell ate instant noodles for breakfast?" as she threw the empty pot in the dishwasher before recycling. Vs Lizzy gives Alice a strange look "You what? Who the hell eats instant noodles for breakfast?" these are obviously both very casual language examples– WendyGCommented Jun 26, 2018 at 16:29