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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Present simple, why?

There's this guy and he was telling what happened in the past. So, here we go: She dated John when she was 15. She gets pregnant, and ends up at the doctor's office of John's brother.

Why did he use present simple? THANKS! I really appreciate your help. You guys rock!
  

Top answer

You'll see this quite often in narratives. It presumably makes the story more immediate and more interesting.

— Ivanhr

  • You'll see this quite often in narratives.
  • It presumably makes the story more immediate and more interesting.
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6 Answers
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You'll see this quite often in narratives. It presumably makes the story more immediate and more interesting.
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He wasn't telling what happens in a book or a movie. Could he have used past simple? I'm fairly certain he could have.
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It's the historical present.
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Here's another situation. He was watching his brother bonding with a guy who was a couple of hours before that his enemy.
And the moment that guy left he said: Isn't that nice? Stefan joins a team makes a friend.


Would past simple make sense in such cases?
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Anonymous,
I am not sure if you are the same Anon who has been posting similar questions. You need to realize, when a native is making a narrative, he is expressing from his perspective, meaning "the vision in his mind". So it is POSSIBLE that present tense is used to narrate historical events, But, it should be consistent. What you posted didn't have the consistency. It started with past tens
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AnonymousWould past simple make sense in such cases?
Yes.
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