Tenses usage in news reports
This morning, I was reading a piece of news from NZ Herald, which is a New Zealand newspaper company.
The tenses in the following sentence have raised my interest.
The tourists at the centre of a storm after leaving rubbish on Takapuna Beach and abusing a local woman have spoken exclusively to the Herald.
Among their counter-claims, they say one of their children was assaulted at the beach and denied fleeing restaurants without paying for their meals.
When the news was written, the interview with the family should have been done. Why didn't the writer use past tense (an action happened in a particular time in the past) or present perfect(in case the time of the interview is not important)?
Top answer
LONG HIN LAM Among their counter-claims, they say one of their children was assaulted at the beach If the reporter had used the past tense, said, it would signify an event in the past that is completed, and may or may not be repeated in the future. The present tense is a universal time, that is, the tourists are making a claim that they would make again in the future, if they were asked.
- LONG HIN LAM Among their counter-claims, they say one of their children was assaulted at the beach If the reporter had used the past tense, said, it would signify an event in the past that is completed, and may or may not be repeated in the future.
- The present tense is a universal time, that is, the tourists are making a claim that they would make again in the future, if they were asked.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
LONG HIN LAMAmong their counter-claims, they say one of their children was assaulted at the beach
If the reporter had used the past tense, said, it would signify an event in the past that is completed, and may or may not be repeated in the future.
The present tense is a universal time, that is, the tourists are making a claim that they would make aga
0
Related Questions