Verbs
Shifts in verb tense can be challenging errors to find, since they often sound fine while you proofread. When you cast an essay in the present tense, you need to remain consistent throughout. However, you likely will need to describe actions that occurred in the past or began in the past and are still ongoing in the present. To troubleshoot successfully, first review the tenses and then check your verbs to ensure proper form. This handout serves as a guide for the process.
Present Tense
Use the present tense when writing narratives in which you want the action to seem immediate. Remember that if you begin an essay or narrative in present tense, you must be consistent.
Simple present is derived from the infinitive form (ex., to know).
To indicate habitual actions (often includes time marker: usually, every day, etc.):
Every August, the hummingbirds begin their migration to Mexico.
To indicate general truths:
The earth maintains an elliptical orbit of the sun.
To describe current action (usually in a narrative passage):
Harris asks the committee members for their input.
To reference an author’s ideas or language in academic and analytical writing:
Johnson argues that stricter guidelines are needed for offshore drilling.
Present progressive: (am/is/are + verb + -ing)
To signify ongoing action:
They are revising the guidelines for ethical hiring practices.
Present perfect: (have/has + past participle)
Action begun in the past and continuing into the present:
I have studied Shakespeare’s sonnets all my life.
Action begun in the past and recently completed:
Sara has researched climate change agreements for her term paper project.
Present perfect progressive: (have/has + been + verb + -ing)
To indicate length of time action has been underway:
Wallace has been working here since 1998.
Past Tense
Most narratives are written in the past tense, as are many essays dealing events rather than ideas. Learning past tense forms will help you to maintain consistency and to recognize errors in shift.
Simple past is created by changing the verb’s vowel or ending (-ed, -t).
To indicate completed actions or occurrences:
Ben stayed home. Ann meant to revise her paper. The professor gave a quiz.
Irregular verbs have past tense forms that follow no rule and simply must be learned by reviewing a handbook or consulting a dictionary:
bring/brought, lie/lay, sell/sold, etc.
Past perfect: (had + past participle)
To indicate an action completed before another past event:
When I arrived at the meeting, the secretary had called the roll.
Past progressive: (was/were + verb + -ing)
To indicate an ongoing action at a specified time in the past:
When Jim called the meeting to order, the members were arguing about rules.
Past perfect progressive: (had + been + verb + -ing)
Indicates past ongoing action and a point in time when a specific past event occurred or when the ongoing action ended. Description of the ongoing action may include duration.
They had been camping alone for two weeks when the bear attacked.
Until this semester, he had been commuting from Tulsa for two years.
Future Tense
Future tense is used to indicate actions not yet underway, in a variety of circumstances described below.
Simple future: (will + simple present verb)
To indicate actions that have not yet occurred:
The reporter will interview Jones on television tomorrow.
Simple future alternatives:
(am/is/are + going to + simple present verb)
The reporter is going to interview Jones tomorrow.
(simple present verb + future adverb of time)
The reporter interviews Jones tomorrow.
(present progressive verb + future adverb of time)
The reporter is interviewing Jones tomorrow.
Future progressive: (will + be + verb + -ing)
To indicate an ongoing action that will happen in the future:
Wilson will be interviewing applicants on Thursday.
Future perfect: (will + have + past participle)
To indicate an action that will be completed by a future point in time:
By the time Wilson finishes his interviews, the auditor will have returned.
Future perfect progressive: (will + have + been + verb + -ing)
To mark progress or completion of an ongoing action at a future point in time:
By next Thursday, the auditor will have been working here for two months.
Auxiliary and Modal Verbs
The auxiliary verbs work in combination with main verbs to help indicate time and other meanings.
Forms of be and have
| Auxiliary | Example | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
|
be + -ing |
The students are writing papers. |
shows ongoing action |
|
have/has + past participle |
John has worked on his essay since last Friday. |
shows action starting in the past that is ongoing |
|
will + have + past participle |
Sue will have written ten pages by Monday. |
shows action to be completed at a future time |
Forms of do (did, does)
| Auxiliary | Example | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
|
to post a question |
How do you like your composition class? |
inquires regarding action or feeling |
|
to negate a main verb |
John did not write a proper introduction. |
shows action not completed |
|
to emphasize a main verb |
Sue does work hard on all her papers. |
emphasizes habitual action |
Modals work in combination with main verbs and auxiliaries to indicate a wide variety
of meanings, including ability, possibility, intention, permission or request, and
obligation.
Ability (can, could, be able to)
| Example | Purpose |
|---|---|
|
The professor can explain concepts clearly. |
shows ability to perform action |
|
Sometimes, the class could grasp complex ideas. |
shows ability to perform action |
|
John is able to help his fellow students with grammar. |
shows ability to perform action |
Possibility (may, might, could, may/might/could have + past participle)
| Example | Purpose |
|---|---|
|
Some students could fail the assignment. |
shows possibility of the action’s occurrence |
|
Some students may/might fail the assignment. |
shows possibility of the action’s occurrence |
|
Sally may have failed the assignment. |
shows possibility of the action’s occurrence |
Intention (will, shall, would)
| Example | Purpose |
|---|---|
|
Sally will appeal her grade. |
emphasizes subject’s intention to perform an action |
|
Shall we meet to discuss our drafts? |
inquires regarding listener’s willingness to perform an action |
|
John would have helped Sally. |
shows subject’s past intention to perform an action |
Permission (can, may, could)
| Example | Purpose |
|---|---|
|
The students may select their own topics. |
shows subject’s permission to perform an action |
|
Ben can write about space exploration. |
shows subject’s permission to perform an action |
|
Last semester, the students could write personal essays. |
shows subject’s permission to perform an action |
Request (can, could, would)
| Example | Purpose |
|---|---|
|
Can you show me how to find sources in the database? |
asks listener to perform an action |
|
Could/Would you ask the professor for an extension? |
asks listener to perform an action |
Obligation (must, has to, be supposed to)
| Example | Purpose |
|---|---|
|
The students must include proper citations in their papers. |
shows subject’s obligation to perform an action |
|
John has to finish his rough draft tomorrow. |
shows subject’s obligation to perform an action |
Troubleshooting Tense Shifts
The following section outlines common verb tense errors and explains how to make corrections.
An analytical essay cast in the present tense accidentally slips into using the past tense verbs used by the source. This error is especially common when analyzing literature.
Incorrect
At the beginning of Anna Karenina, Oblonsky’s unfaithfulness is revealed. His wife, Dolly, is furious over his affair with the French governess. Oblonsky's sister, Anna, soon arrived and persuaded Dolly to forgive him.
Correct
Changing the bolded verbs to present tense corrects the errors and maintains consistency:
At the beginning of Anna Karenina, Oblonsky’s unfaithfulness is revealed. His wife, Dolly, is furious over his affair with the French governess. Oblonsky's sister, Anna, soon arrives and persuades Dolly to forgive him.
When reporting in the past tense, the student writer slips into the present tense. The error is easy to commit because many of us make this shift while speaking.
Incorrect
Younger adults aged 18-24 were recruited for the experiment. Participants were compensated with a $25 bookstore gift certificate. We begin by having all participants sign a consent form, and then participants are told the purpose and procedures of the experiment.
Correct
To maintain consistency, the present tense verbs must be changed to past tense:
Younger adults aged 18-24 were recruited for the experiment. Participants were compensated with a $25 bookstore gift certificate. We began by having all participants sign a consent form, and then participants were told the purpose and procedures of the experiment.
When a sentence contains a specific reference point in time (often a prepositional phrase beginning with by), use the past or perfect tense.
Incorrect
While we briefed the subjects on the experiment, our assistants prepare the lab environment.
Correct
When the actions are concurrent, the verbs tenses must be consistent. The briefing and the preparing occur at the same time, in the past, so both verbs should be past tense:
While we briefed the subjects on the experiment, our assistants prepared the lab environment.
By October, all of the hummingbirds will migrate to Mexico.
“By October” marks a specific point in the future. The action of migrating, also in the future, will have occurred before October. Instead of the future tense, the future perfect tense is used:
By October, all of the hummingbirds will have migrated to Mexico.
When writing about general truths, such as laws of nature, geographical facts, and maxims or proverbs, use the present tense, even in a past tense essay.
Incorrect
In 1543, Copernicus discovered the earth orbited the sun.
Correct
Since the earth’s orbit of the sun is an astronomical phenomenon, an event that occurs today as it has for millions of years, change the verb to the present tense:
In 1543, Copernicus discovered the earth orbits the sun.
Use the proper sequence of tenses with participles. Participle tense is determined by the verb tense in the predicate of the main clause.
Incorrect
The present perfect participle is used to indicate action occurring before the time expressed by the main verb.
Predicting a victory for the incumbent, the pollster was surprised by the vote.
Correct
The prediction occurred before the surprise, so the present perfect is required:
Having predicted a victory for the incumbent, the pollster was surprised by the vote.
The present participle is used to indicate action occurring at the same time as the main verb.
Having sought shelter from the media, the pollster retreated to his office.
The seeking shelter and the retreating to the office occur at the same time, so the present participle is required:
Seeking shelter from the media, the pollster retreated to his office.
Use the proper sequence of tenses with infinitives.
Incorrect
The present infinitive is the verb’s simple form preceded by the word to (to write). Present infinitive is used to indicate action that occurs at the same time as or later than the action indicated by the main verb.
The pollster would have liked to have explained his methods before the broadcast aired.
Correct
The action expressed in the infinitive (explain), occurred at the same time or later than the action in the main verb (like): the action actually didn’t occur but the pollster wanted it to! He wanted to explain himself, all the way up to the time the broadcast aired. The proper tense is the present infinitive:
The pollster would have liked to explain his methods before the broadcast aired.
The perfect infinitive is the verb’s past participle preceded by to have (to have written). The perfect infinitive is used to indicate action that occurs before the action indicated by the main verb.
The candidate would have liked to have campaigned in all fifty states.
If the writer means to say that today, as the candidate reflects on the campaign, he wishes he had campaigned in all fifty states, then the main verb should be present, and the infinitive perfect because it indicates past action (or a desire to have performed that action):
The candidate would like to have campaigned in all fifty states.
Use the proper sequence of tense in conditional sentences, which have a subordinate clause and a main clause. A specific verb tense is required for each. The chart that follows should help you to understand the various conditions and required tenses.
| Condition | Subordinate Clause Verb | Main Clause Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speculation - possible in present | past | would/could/might + simple verb form | If the pollster appeared before the media, they would question his projections. |
| Speculation - possible in past | past perfect | would/could/might + have + past participle | If the pollster has used different methods, he might have predicted the winner. |
| Speculation - potential | were | would/could/might + simple verb form | If the pollster were more accessible, we could understand more clearly how he erred. |
| Speculation - possible in future | present + time marker | may/might/could/should + simple verb | If the pollster grants an interview tomorrow, we might learn more. |
| Speculation - impossible in present | past perfect | would/could/might + present perfect | If Robert Kennedy had lived, he might have advanced civil rights legislation. |
| Prediction | present | future | Unless the pollster makes changes, his reputation will be compromised. |
| Cause & Effect | present | present | When the polls close in many states, the cable stations begin projecting winners. |
| Cause & Effect | past | past | When the proposition legalizing marijuana failed, many voters expressed surprise. |
Past participle
The past participle is used to form several verb tenses covered in Part One of this handout. It also functions as an adjective modifying nouns and pronouns (ex., The secretary filed all reviewed applications). The past participle of many verbs is formed by combining the simple verb form with -d or –ed. Irregular verbs do not follow the pattern, and their participial forms must be learned. The chart below shows the forms of a few common regular and irregular verbs.
| Simple Form | Past Tense | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| help | helped | helped |
| review | reviewed | reviewed |
| hear | heard | heard |
| bet | bet | bet |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| drink | drank | drunk |
| see | saw | seen |
Works Consulted
Batko, Ann. When Bad Grammar Happens to Good People: How to Avoid Common Errors in English. Franklin Lakes, NJ:
Career Press, 2009. Print.
Lunsford, Andrea A. The St. Martin’s Handbook. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2015. Print.