Final answer:
The correct answer to the student's question is B. You should use the past tense, not the present tense to describe historical events, such as those in an essay about Napoleon. Present tense is commonly used for stating facts, discussing ideas, and describing fictional narratives, while maintaining consistency is crucial.
Step-by-step explanation:
You asked whether you should use the present tense to do all of the following except: A. to state facts. B. to describe the events leading to a major turning point in your essay on Napoleon. C. to discuss your own ideas or those expressed by another person. D. to describe what happens in a literary work, movie, or other fictional narrative. The answer is B. While it is common to use the present tense to discuss facts, ideas, or fictional narratives, when writing historical essays, the past tense is typically used to describe events, as they have already occurred. This helps to maintain verb tense consistency and ensure clarity for the reader.
In narrative writing, personal experience stories can be either in the past or present tense. However, when discussing literature, the literary present tense is commonly employed. This makes it seem as though the events in the literary work are occurring in the present. When discussing an artist or author, even if they discussed past events or are no longer living, the present tense is also used. Nonetheless, it is critical to maintain tense consistency, only changing tenses when there is a clear shift in the timeline of events being discussed.
In your specific case, describing historical events leading to a turning point, such as those in an essay about Napoleon, would generally be done in the past tense. This differentiates real, past occurrences from fictional or analytical discussions which typically use the present tense. Proofreading for verb tense consistency is an essential part of the revision process to avoid confusing the reader and to uphold the logical structure of your essay.