Simple present used for past events
Look! The waiter drops those plates.
We all know that this use of "simple present" is grammatically wrong, and the correct tense would be: is going to drop. That said, one of my students asked me, "If "drops" is wrong, then why do we have something like "John dies at 45" in news headlines?"
My first and, most probably, last response is that headlines are written that way, but in the context following the headline, the writer uses the past simple to refer to the death a person. As a matter of fact, headlines in particular use abbreviated language and present tense, probably to indicate immediacy, since news is new (or is supposed to be), even though, out of necessity, they are always reporting events that have happened in the recent past.
What do you think?
Thanks.
Top answer
Mr genuine the correct tense would be: is going to drop. No; it could be 'dropped' or 'has dropped'. " Because Headline English follows the practice of using present for past to create immediacy for the reader.
- Mr genuine the correct tense would be: is going to drop.
- No; it could be 'dropped' or 'has dropped'.
- " Because Headline English follows the practice of using present for past to create immediacy for the reader.
- Mr genuine but in the context following the headline, the writer uses the past simple t Yes, the journalist switches to the more reasonable verb form for his narrative.
- Mr genuine What do you think?
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Mr genuinethe correct tense would be: is going to drop.
No; it could be 'dropped' or 'has dropped'.
Mr genuineone of my students asked me, "If "drops" is wrong, then why do we have something like "John dies at 45" in news headlines?"
Because Headline English follows the practice of using present for past to create
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