Verb Tense Consistency

Verbs convey What happened: the action of a sentence Who completed the action (whether the verb appears in first, second, or third person, and whether it is single or plural) When it happened: using verb tenses

It is important to Establish an overall tense for each piece of writing Only switch tenses when there is a change in the time frame For example: You might use present tense for the overall essay, but a flashback requires using the past tense.

Examples in shifts… Necessary shift in tense: They loved horseback riding as kids, but do not ride at all now that they are older. “They” used to enjoy horseback riding, but not now, the change from “then” to “now” requires a shift in tense

Examples of shifts… Unnecessary shift: She stomped her foot, shook her fist, and throws a tantrum. The first two actions appear to be in the past (stomped and shook) The third action seems to be in present tense (throws)

Verb Tense Consistency is important To express an accurate timeline of events in your writing Necessary shifts help the reader understand a shift in time took place in the writing Unnecessary shifts confuse the reader as to what happened and when it happened.

Keep in mind Most papers will require at least one or two necessary tense shifts When unsure what tense to use, isolate the event and decide when it happened and assign a tense accordingly

For the most part Use Past Tense for narrated or past events, completed studies or research trials, and arguments made in scientific writing Use Present Tense for facts, habitual actions, your own ideas in your writing, discussing events in movies and literature Future Tense is reserved for actions that can or will occur