How to Use present tense in a Sentence

present tense

noun
  • He was talked about in the present tense, not the past.
    Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Sep. 2022
  • Stephanie still talks about Shawn in the present tense.
    Jr Sullivan, Field & Stream, 23 Dec. 2020
  • But the present tense of the film is also rich in its own right.
    K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 3 July 2021
  • Verb tense refers to the past or present tense of a sentence.
    Carmine Gallo, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2023
  • Sam and Bucky seem to go out of their way not to talk about Steve in the present tense.
    Chris Smith, BGR, 2 Apr. 2021
  • Many people here still speak of Mueller in the present tense.
    Katie Bain, Billboard, 16 Sep. 2021
  • George sometimes still talks about his wife in the present tense.
    Patrick Connolly, orlandosentinel.com, 19 Oct. 2020
  • To watch those scenes in 2021 is to have history speak in the present tense.
    Manuel Betancourt, Vulture, 7 June 2021
  • Then in Falcon, the script went out of its way not to address Steve Rogers in the present tense.
    Chris Smith, BGR, 28 June 2021
  • But the narrative keeps circling back to the present tense of the story.
    Cressida Leyshon, The New Yorker, 29 Nov. 2021
  • These are all actions done in the present tense, scrambling to meet present needs.
    Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, 24 June 2020
  • Karrant has changed the lyrics from past to present tense — the better to look ahead to the future, rather than back at the past.
    David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 June 2021
  • Cutler doesn’t look back so much as try to tell Belushi’s story in a present tense.
    Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2020
  • Kennedy argued that the use of present tense in state law opened the door for releasing the records after death.
    Laura A. Bischoff, The Enquirer, 26 Apr. 2022
  • The movie screenwriters changed it to present tense for more suspense.
    Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2021
  • Also note that last year’s entries were in present tense.
    Washington Post, 5 Dec. 2019
  • The case: Fifteen years have passed since 19-year-old Justin Moore died, but his mother still talks about him in the present tense.
    Amber Hunt, The Enquirer, 18 Sep. 2020
  • The idea for the book definitely came from the conditions of our present tense.
    Michele Filgate, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2022
  • Like both versions, the Invite entries should be in present tense.
    Washington Post, 2 Dec. 2021
  • The movie unfolds in present tense and the music has to consider that always.
    Paul Grein, Billboard, 24 Jan. 2020
  • When discussed in the present tense, ebooks means Amazon Kindle ebooks.
    Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2021
  • Everyone talked about Bill Graham in the present tense.
    Rachel Kushner, Vogue, 27 Apr. 2018
  • Nowadays, Diana Ross' name seems to be spoken more in hindsight than in the present tense.
    Chris Malone, Billboard, 19 Dec. 2017
  • But how the letter handles the present tense is the most vivid transformation.
    New York Times, 7 June 2022
  • The short story glances on the protagonist’s past; the movie begins there, as present tense.
    Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, 9 Dec. 2021
  • The movie never settles on a mood or a rhythm for the flashback/present tense seesawing.
    Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, 24 May 2018
  • One reads his narrative, mostly in the present tense, as if watching a film.
    Washington Post, 19 Nov. 2021
  • The book’s use of present tense rushes us along on the leading edge of her experience.
    Priscilla Gilman, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Sep. 2022
  • League still struggles to wrap his head around the tragedy and refers to Wright in the present tense before correcting himself.
    Dallas News, 4 Oct. 2022
  • Writing in the present tense, Scurati immerses us in the hurly-burly of politics on the ground.
    Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'present tense.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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