tense

English grammar questions, answered by Alan

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Lone
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tense

Post by Lone »

Dear Alan,

I found the following paragraph in today's newspaper.

"The alert over a mysterious SARS-like virus should be extended to travelers from Britain, an infectious diseases doctor says."

Why the last word of the above sentence was "says" but not "said"? I think the simple past tense should be used instead as the action of saying had already been completed.

Thanks and I look forward to your explanation.

Lone
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Alan
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Re: tense

Post by Alan »

As when recounting the narrative of a book or film, the present tense is quite normal when reporting the views of writers, newspapers or other "authorities".
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