present tense

Definition

A grammatical tense whose principal function is to locate a situation or event in the present time.

Example Sentences

• "Animals—lions and zebras and beautiful snakes—live vividly in the present tense, in a bright unconsciousness of time. That is their innocence and their limitation. Humans carry with them their experiences, their pasts; men and women work with a knowledge of consequences and, doing so, impose order on the chaotic present and project consequences into the future."

Related Words