I am watching Breaking Bad on my computer, a somewhat "dated" TV series. Now I am at senson 4, the 10th episode, when Mr white is there talking to his son about his childhood memories of his father's death.
I suddenly noticed that he was using the present tense, like "there lying is my father", "he is all twisted up", "my mon, she puts me on her lap..so I can get a good look at him", "I can't even be sure that he knows who I am", etc.
My question is, is it grammatically normal or acceptable to use the present tense while telling a story (I mean, not only fairy tales, but also ture past events) in the past? Why doesn't Mr White use the past tense then? Isn't tense important in speaking daily English?
P.S. I then heard Mr White said in this very same story, "this rattling sound, like if you were shaking an empty spray-paint can——like there was nothing in him", right after using the present tense. How could that shift happen?
Best Answer
As @snailboat said in comments:
Most stories are set in the past, and as such are properly spoken in past tense. However, speaking of the past in present tense can indicate that the speaker's recollection is so vivid that the speaker almost feels transported back to the moment of the events. Speaking in present tense is also common trick in storytelling to a create greater sense of immediacy for the listener, in hopes that the listener will imagine the events in present tense, as if the listener were a witness to the events as they are happening.