A Pragma-Stylistic Study of Using the Present Tense in Narratives

It is normally known that '' literary language '' is different from '' ordinary language '' . that is , it is full of deviation , while, prat,(1977:80) maintains that '' ordinary language '' is accompanied by ordinary rules , and outlines the work of grice (1975 )illocution-conditions which language users assume to be in effect. in this study , the present tense is not referred to as an indication to the moment of speaking or action . rather , in narratives , it signals that this genre is '' unmediated '' . as such , the present tense is heavily used by writers , regardless of the time being , to signify that a text can be read at any time. moreover, it can be noted , that the shift from the past to the simple present tense offers readers an opportunity to think seriously of what is being said . it, thus,invites thought and suspense . as far as the writer is concerned , it seems that the writer resorts to the simple present tense just to comment , highlight and criticize some incidents or events within the story.