I learned that we need to use past tense to express something that has already happened, but I read a lot of stories which do not follow the rule. for example, story says: he goes to the king instead of he went to the king.
"where is the princess" says the king instead of said the king.
why do english people say in this way when they tell stories. this is a big question to me.
what kind of tense shall we use? present tense or past tense?
thank you very much!!!
Very good question. Maybe this is the answer, I said.
Some people write better than others!
A play may use present tense.
Read, read, and read some more to see what style or styles you like.
As a general rule use the same tense.
Read some internet articles on past, present, and future tense.
AlexKMG,Thank you very much, the article you suggested is very helpful !
AlexKMG,Thank you very much, the article you suggested is very helpful !
AlexKMG,Thank you very much, the article you suggested is very helpful !
AlexKMG,Thank you very much, the article you suggested is very helpful !
@xiashengli:
In a [written] story, there are usually many different tenses being used. Depending on what happens, or the characters trying to do.
Just that a story is set in the past doesn't mean you need to use the past tense.
The example you posted is a switch between a narrative "He goes to the king" and a dialog [monolog/speech] "where is the princess".
You could also write the narrative in the past tense but I assume (I don't know the whole text) that the author used the present tense to bring more suspense (speed) and warp us into that particular scene.
It's indicating that something important in the story is happening/ will happen.
Usually writers switch to the present tense to guide the reader into actions, or the 'spoken word'. While the past is used more to describe the scene, situations, and previous events.
You can try to find a very exciting scene in a book and just translate the sentences into the past tense and you would see they would be slow, boring and dull.
In English, you can use the present tense in what is known as "historical present narrative." It still occurs in the past, but it makes the reader feel closer to the action.
If YOU are telling a the story, it can all be in past tense. However, as soon as you use reported speech or a narrative, any tense can be used.
