It wouldn’t be a Man Booker Prize shortlist without a controversy in the British press, but this year’s furor — launched by one-time Booker judge Philip Hensher — may strike some readers as a bit ...

Writers, over the last decade, have been waxing lyrical about the rise of the present tense in English fiction. But this morning I read something entirely new – for me, at least. I read a manuscript ...

“John Humphrys dislikes mint choc-chip ice-cream” is not a headline I can easily imagine reading, but you never know. The Today programme presenter has sent shockwaves through the chattering classes ...

A doctor friend tells a story that illustrates why it's important to understand verb tenses. A patient whose first language is not English is asked about quitting smoking. He says, "I try. I don't ...

What are past, present and future tenses? Past, present and future tense are used to show when something happens. The past tense tells us something has already happened. Yesterday, I played in the ...

From Hilary Mantel and David Mitchell to Goldsmith’s prize winner Kevin Barry, more and more writers are adopting this way of storytelling to bring immediacy and intimacy to their work It was ...