Using Present Tense to Describe Past Events

This might sound confusing for you where to use present tense and where to use past tense. Its not hard to see why this is.


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Describe general truth facts habits or feelings.

. To tell about an activity or event that began in the past and is now over just recently completed or over When there is no mention of time. In some situations we use past tenses to describe the present. The sentences are describing some currect things not the past.

In the narrative past there will similarly be occasions to refer to events that happened in the past relative to the current moment of the narrative or that will happen in the future. 11 hours agoDL English Teacher should I stick to past tense when I describe a past event. To describe an event that began in the past and is continuing into the future.

When you look at a photograph you are in a sense transported to the moment in time at which it was taken so its natural to use the. The present perfect continuous tense also known as the present perfect progressive tense shows that something started in the past and is continuing at the present time. Hi I am from Japan.

The reporting of past events using the present tense invites the listener or reader directly into the scene. Your example is fine. Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson go camping.

Remember when it is about todays visit you are describing a completed event or a past event. On the other hand if its still true that the girl is named Stephanie wouldnt she want to use the present tense. In narratives the historical present may be used to create an effect of immediacy.

Consider that photo captions use the present tense almost exclusively no matter how old the picture is. I noticed that when native speakers described a past event they sometimes jumbled past present tense and simple present tense together which is confusing. The present perfect tense is used for past events when the exact time is not mentioned either because it is not known or it is not important.

Would as the past tense of will. The answer is that past forms do not always have a past meaning. Describe events in the past.

Here we have given some tips which can help you. This device is called the historical present or dramatic present or narrative present. For example My cat catches lots of mice This refers to the past my cat in the past has caught lots of mice.

The present perfect continuous is formed using the construction hashave been and the present participle root -ing. This use of the present simple is called the historical present. It is important to make use of the right tense.

In English grammar the historical present is the use of a verb phrase in the present tense to refer to an event that took place in the past. MultipleChoice_MTYzMTU Present perfect and past simple 2. And in either the narrative past or the narrative present there are statements that are describe.

Therefore I use catches. On the one hand she wants to use the past tense because the other verb in the sentence is in the past tense and she doesnt want to switch tenses needlessly. Just consider these quotes from book and record reviews.

GapFillTyping_MTYzMTc The future in the past. But if we say when something happened we use the past simple. These are also described using the appropriate verb tense.

Read again the explanation and exercises. You may use present tense to describe something in the past which is still currently true. However you may not be making use of just a past tense to describe everything.

Present perfect and past simple 1. The emphasis is on the fact that the events happened before the time of speaking. This is called the narrative present.

This technique uses a verb phrase in the present tense am eating have just eaten while narrating an event that occurred in the past. When we talk about the future from a time in the past we use. My cat will probably continue catching mice.

It is is also frequently heard in jokes and informal conversation. This is often the idiomatic way to refer to recorded media including the printed word. RMS Titanic leaves the docks at Southampton on her maiden voyage to New York in this 1912 photo.

As an example instead of. The present simple tense is used in narratives for purposes of dramatisation to express past events. It can signal an important event it can add clarity to storytelling and it is used for drama in journalistic writing and newspaper headlines.

This has been explained in the lesson Bond of Love Beehive page no121. Describe something happening now. And then Bob said to her Sorry Im not going saying.

Answer 1 of 7. However I expect this should continue. Also called the historic present dramatic present and narrative present.

They Used to Make the Best Milkshakes. We sometimes use the present tense to describe past events. You watched past tense the movie because that event happened yesterday but the movie talks present tense because the movie as a recording will continue to talk to others.

The war in Europe comes to an end. We use present continuous tense to. Ive been to China.

What is Historical Present. Learn more about Uses of Tenses here in detail with examples. Ive seen that film before.

If you decide to terminate the contract this year the money you would receive would be smaller than if you continued to invest until 2015. Why they use present tense in the first part of each sentence but use past tense in the 2nd part of each sentence. Summaries of historical events.

Present Perfect Tense is used to describe events which have already been completed in the past or recently which also is a past in the real sense but which have a direct connection with or impact on the present time or place. Change the following narration given in the past tense using the present form and rewrite in the box provided. And then Bob says to her Sorry Im not going.

When writing about literature it is called the literary present. Theres a particular colloquial usage of the present tense in recounting past events that has a shade of meaning that Ive been unable to put my finger on. He thought he would buy one the next day.

Now here are the clear differences between the usage of these two tenses.


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What Is The Present Tense With Examples The Present Tense Predominantly Describes A Current Event Or Stat Grammar Lessons Present Perfect Tenses Grammar


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