But for that reason, the present tense can stand out. As the Editor’s Blog article points out, “Stories told using present-tense narration can be enticing because they’re different.

But ultimately it’s the same reason that the simple present is often used in jokes and stories. There’s a certain vividness to it that’s just lacking for more convoluted verb forms.

Language Vol. 22, No. 4, Oct. - Dec., 1946 The Uses of the Present Tense Forms in English This is the metadata section. Skip to content viewer section. The basic meaning of the simple present tense is ...