Download Using Verb Tense

Using Verb Tense
By
Tyler Melton
Verbs and Tense
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Not only do verbs specify an action, but they also give information
about when an action has taken place.
Change verb tenses only when a change in time or ordering events.
When you are writing about an idea, stay with the same tense.
There are five main categories of verb tense. An understanding of
these simple tenses will improve ones ability to avoid unnecessary and
inappropriate change in tense.
 Present
 Present continuous
 Past
 Past participle
 future
The Present Tense
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The present tense shows that an action is taking place in the present but
does not specify when the action will end.
 Examples: When I open the door, my do barked.
 Corrected: When I open the door, my dog barks.
Other uses of the present tense.
 to describe universal truths: The boiling point of water is 100
degrees C.
 When commenting on another’s work, even though it has been
written in the past: In Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, the main
character is a bug.
This is the tense often preferred in scientific writing.
Present Continuous Tense
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The present continuous tense shows that something is
happening in the present and has a definite end.
 Example: The cooks are preparing the lunch, and the
servers waited on the tables.
 Corrected: The cooks are preparing the lunch, and the
servers are waiting on the tables.
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Indicator: verb+ing
Past Tense
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The past tense shows that something was completed in
the past.
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Example: When I arrived at class, my friend greets me.
Corrected: When I arrived at class, my friend greeted
me.
Indicator: verb+ed
Past Participle Tense
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The past participle tense shows that something was
completed in the past before another action. Usually, the
past participle and the past tense are used in the same
sentence
 Example: When we finally got to the party, our friends left.
 Corrected: When we finally got to the party, our friends had
left.
Indicator: had
Future Tense
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The future tense shows that something will happen in
the future.
 Example: We will go out to dinner tonight.
We will watch the movie.
Indicator: will + verb
Changing Tenses
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Do not shift from one tense to another if
the time frame for each action or is the
same.
Establish a primary tense for the majority
of the paper, and use occasional shifts to
other tenses to indicate changes in time
frame.
Grammar checkers have difficulty
spotting these types of mistakes.