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ESL forum > Ask for help > verbs    

verbs



wizardchildsmile
Egypt

verbs
 
 hi every body i hope u r fine
i want  to ask you about the tenses  in other words?
 
when the writers use the past tense what does it mean?
 
 and why the writers sometimes use present?
 
why some writer like to writ in present perfect?
 
may u help me to answer this question?
 
note:
 
 it doesnt depend on situation  as in stories  we use the varity of verb forms  in thesis. i want konw why we use  many forms and whay does each form mean to the writer 
 
 

18 Jan 2010      





swissprof
Switzerland

Excuse-me but an English teacher shouldn �t write in this way, I am sorry but the spelling disturbs me and your question isn �t clear  !!!

18 Jan 2010     



volga
United States

Hi wizarchildsmile!

You �re asking a very good question and I don �t think I know the right answer, but this is what I think. Both present and past tenses are used for fiction writing. They are called present tense narrative and past tense narrative. Their use depends on writer �s style, purpose and audience. Normally, present tense is used for narration if the event was witnessed by the narrator and it is close to the present point of time. Compare the use of present tense in conversations when someone is describing an event they have just witnessed. Do you use present tense for this purpose in your native language?

You can read some more about this topic here:
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art51567.asp

You can also google �present and past for narration � and you will get more links.

To swissprof: I think as teachers we should be more tolerant to other people �s mistakes. I prefer teaching by example, not by pointing fingers.

Cheers to all!
Volga

18 Jan 2010