Using Present Tense in a Story About the Past. Beck and Call. Tie-Dye Trees.
Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
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The Historical Present in English Narratives
Shiffrin noticed a couple of facts that make the historical present possible in english narratives. David kestenbaum did the orientation part of baker's story and use the historical present in 17 % of those verbs. Each verb is understood to refer to an action that happened right after the previous one, regardless of tense. Since verb tense isn't needed for showing event timing, it can be used to heighten the drama of some part of the action.
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