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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
Confused Tenses
Hi,
Need some help here. I am still confused about these two tenses.
I often hear that people use present tense while knowing that the event is already happened. Like "Ben tells me that you're a writer as well." Shouldn't you say "Ben told me that you're a writer as well."
Or when people talking about something that already happened or in the past but they're using present tense. Like "So, he chases the guys and kills it on the spot."
I don't know how to tell the difference, I mean, when I really have to use the past tense to tell my story or when to use the present tense.
Help me understan. Thank you.
P
Need some help here. I am still confused about these two tenses.
I often hear that people use present tense while knowing that the event is already happened. Like "Ben tells me that you're a writer as well." Shouldn't you say "Ben told me that you're a writer as well."
Or when people talking about something that already happened or in the past but they're using present tense. Like "So, he chases the guys and kills it on the spot."
I don't know how to tell the difference, I mean, when I really have to use the past tense to tell my story or when to use the present tense.
Help me understan. Thank you.
P
Top answer
I often hear that people use present tense while knowing that the event is already happened. " -- You can use 'told' also, but this is a common conversational style. It is called narrative or historical present.
- I often hear that people use present tense while knowing that the event is already happened.
- " -- You can use 'told' also, but this is a common conversational style.
- It is called narrative or historical present.
- Or when people talking about something that already happened or in the past but they're using present tense.
- " - - As above.
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1 Answers
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I often hear that people use present tense while knowing that the event is already happened. Like "Ben tells me that you're a writer as well." -- You can use 'told' also, but this is a common conversational style. It is called narrative or historical present.
Or when people talking about something that already happened or in the past but they're using present tense. Like "So, he
Or when people talking about something that already happened or in the past but they're using present tense. Like "So, he
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