grammar - Using "would" when narrating a story in simple present





Why the use of 'would' in the following



When we tell a joke or narrate a story in simple present can we use 'would' in some cases? For example:



He goes up to this man and punches him in the face. The man looks straight into his eyes and tells him that he will take revenge


He goes up to this man and punches him in the face. The man looks straight into his eyes and tells him that he would take revenge




Answer



This is clearly related to your other question about would.


In this case I’d say that ‘will take revenge’ would be the more likely construction. That, I think, is because of the different nature of the two narratives. The story about Paul is clearly set in the past, in spite of the use of the present tense to make it sound more vivid. ‘Paul will later transfer . . .’ would have been possible, and even, perhaps, more consistent with the present tense, but the sense the reader has of the text being about past events makes would permissible.


In the case of a joke, the setting is less obviously in the past. In a sense it is timeless and it is this, I think, that makes will rather than would the more obvious choice.


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