It depends on the tone and mood you want to create. Present tense can make the story feel more immediate and immersive, while past tense is often used for a more traditional storytelling approach.
Yes. It could be used to create a sense of timelessness or to draw attention to specific moments. However, it needs to be used sparingly and with a clear purpose to avoid disrupting the overall past tense narrative.
The marker of the present perfect tense is already or has already passed, indicating that the action has continued from a certain time in the past until now. For example:
- She had already walked for an hour.
- He had learned a foreign language before.
The marker of the past perfect tense is used to indicate that the action has been completed before a certain time in the past. For example:
He had been learning a foreign language for a year.
- She had been walking for an hour and five minutes.
It should be noted that the past perfect tense is usually used to indicate actions that have been completed before a certain time in the past, while the present perfect tense is used to indicate actions that are currently being done.
Present tense can come into play in past tense fiction when it's essential to give a sense of timelessness or universality to a particular experience. Sometimes, authors use it to break the traditional narrative flow and add a unique flavor to the story.
Symbol words: am is is was has been have been will be will have had was had been are were had been are
Simple present tense:
- The Present Continuous Tense:am/is/are doing
- Present Perfect Tense:has/has been doing
Future tense:
- Future Continuous Tense:will/will have been doing
- Future Perfect Tense:will have/had been done
Simple Past Tense:
- Past Continuous Tense:was/was doing
- Past Perfect Tense:has/has been doing
The difference between the simple present tense and the simple future tense:
- The simple present tense is used to describe actions or states that are currently happening. The simple future tense is used to describe actions or states that may happen in the future.
- The simple past tense is used to describe an action or state that has happened in the past. The difference between the simple present tense and the simple future tense is similar to the past tense.
- The present continuous tense and the present perfect tense are both used to describe an ongoing action or state, but the former is usually used for an action that has not happened in the past while the latter is used for an action that has been completed before a certain point in the past.
Simple Future Perfect Tense: will have been done
- It means that actions that have been completed before a certain point in time in the future will continue to happen but have nothing to do with the present.
Well, both can work. Present tense can add a sense of urgency, but past tense often gives a more straightforward narrative flow. It really comes down to the style and effect you want to create.
The present tense has the advantage of making the story feel very current and fresh. When a writer uses it, such as 'She jumps on the stage and starts to sing', it gives the impression that this could be happening right now. It can also be used to break away from the more common past - tense narrative style. In addition, it can be used to create a more immersive experience for the reader. The reader is more likely to feel like they are part of the action rather than just hearing about something that has already happened in the past. Whereas past tense, while reliable and traditional, doesn't always have that same 'in - the - moment' allure.
Well, in fiction, present tense can make the story seem more urgent. Imagine a story starting with 'I open the box and there's a strange noise.' It's immediate. Past tense is more common in traditional stories, like 'I opened the box and there was a strange noise.' Present tense is great for creating a sense of intimacy between the reader and the story, as if the reader is experiencing it at the same time as the character. Past tense, though, is good for when you want to tell a story that has a sense of having already been completed, and you can give more background and context as it's being told from a later perspective.
The present perfect tense is marked with have/has, and the past tense is marked with had. For example:
- I have finished my homework
- She had gone to the store before she came back home
Note that the present perfect tense and the simple past tense are different in grammar. The present perfect tense focuses on actions that have been completed before a certain point in the past while the simple past tense focuses on actions that have taken place before a certain point in the past.