Definition:
The use of a verb phrase in the present tense to refer to an event that took place in the past. In narratives, the historic present may be used to create an effect of immediacy. See also: The Historic Present in Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt.
Examples and Observations:
- "A horse walks into a bar. The bartender asks, 'Hey, why the long face?'"
- "Verbs in the 'historic present' describe something that happened in the past. The present tense is used because the facts are listed as a summary, and the present tense provides a sense of urgency. This historic present tense is also found in news bulletins. The announcer may say at the start, 'Fire hits a city centre building, the government defends the new minister, and in football City United lose.'"
("Language Notes," BBC World Service) - "Well Mr. Churchill says, Mr. Churchill says
We gotta fight the bloody battle to the very end."
(Ray Davies, "Mr. Churchill Says," Arthur, by the Kinks, 1969) - "When the reference point of the narration is not the present moment but some point in the past, we have the 'historical present,' in which a writer tries to parachute the reader into the midst of an unfolding story (Genevieve lies awake in bed. A floorboard creaks . . .). The historical present is also often used in the setup of a joke, as in A guy walks into a bar with a duck on his head . . . Though the you-are-there illusion forced by the historical present can be an effective narrative device, it can also feel manipulative. Recently a Canadian columnist complained about a CBC Radio news program that seemed to him to overuse the present tense, as in 'UN forces open fire on protesters.' The director explained to him that the show is supposed to sound 'less analytic, less reflective' and 'more dynamic, more hot' than the flagship nightly news show."
(Steven Pinker, The Stuff of Thought. Viking, 2007)
Also Known As: historical present, dramatic present
