You know how the joke begins: “A guy walks into a bar…” But wait, for you to know the punch line, this has to be past tense. So wouldn’t it be, “A guy walked into a bar…?” It could be. But usually it ...

Some writers like to use the present tense to tell a story in order to give the impression that it is happening right now. In fiction writing the present tense can create a dramatic effect and make ...

English tenses represent one of the most fundamental aspects of achieving fluency in the language. These grammatical structures enable speakers to convey precise temporal relationships, indicating ...

A doctor friend tells a story that illustrates why it's important to understand verb tenses. A patient whose first language is not English is asked about quitting smoking. He says, "I try. I don't ...

Like newspaper headlines and personal anecdotes (So I’m walking down the street yesterday, and this guy comes up to me and he says …), sportscasting has a special affinity for the present tense. But ...