Idiomatic Tenses: Historic Present

Present tense for vivid storytelling.

Examples

• So he walks in and says...

Key rules

• Use present tense for past events in stories and jokes
• Used in headlines and commentary
• Gives vividness
• Do not mix with past tense randomly

Common mistakes

• Yesterday I am walking → Yesterday I walked / So I walk in, and he says...
• Napoleon invades Russia (headline)