Talking About the Past in the Present Tense

Do you ever catch yourself talking about past events in the present tense? Linguists call it the ?historical present,? and although it may sound like a verbal tic?or, less generously, an affectation?it?s actually an organic part of the way we tell tales. Dickens knew it. Charlotte Bront? mastered it. And Seinfeld staffer Larry Charles wrote what may be the most textbookexample of it. Listen as Bob Garfield and I discuss the much-maligned, oft-abused narrative technique that, when used judiciously, adds oomph to our stories.

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