I think it should have been written "turned", right?
It was one of those scheduled ten-minute meetings that turn into a two-hour meeting. [The New Yorker]
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1 Answer
I can understand why the present tense is confusing, but it is not wrong.
The phrase "that turn into a two-hour meeting" is a relative clause describing "one of those scheduled ten-minute meetings" in general. Since the concept of a meeting that lasts too long is not limited to the time in the past when this specific meeting occurred, the present tense is appropriate. Consider this rewording:
Do you know those scheduled ten-minute meetings that turn into two-hour meetings? This was one of those.
The past tense applies to this particular meeting, but the present tense applies to the description of these types of meetings in general.
However, the past tense could also work here. Either one is acceptable.
