Verb Tense Consistency
Name:
Period:
Verb tense is the form of the verb that indicates time. A verb’s tense not only identifies a
past, present, and future action or state but also indicates whether the action or state is
ongoing or complete. Verb tense consistency is necessary in order to show that all
actions or states occurring at the same time in a piece of writing are in the same tense.
DO NOT SHIFT TENSE in your writing unless you have reason to do so AND include a time clue.
Unnecessary
shift:
When Joel saw (past) the lion at the circus yesterday, he sits (present) right in front
of its cage and will start (future) to tease it.
Necessary shift: Alex hopes (present) that he will win (future) tonight’s lottery because last weekend
he lost (past) all of his rent money in Las Vegas. [time clues are in italics]
Problem Areas

Do not omit the endings in past or perfect tense verbs. If you are discussing an event that
occurred in the past, add the appropriate ending or make the appropriate change (add –d or –ed
to regular verbs; use the correct past or perfect tense for irregular verbs.)
(incorrect)
After the party last night, Mark thank Fiona for giving him a ride home.
They talked about the different appetizers they had eat.
(correct)
After the party last night, Mark thanked Fiona for giving him a ride home.
They talked about the different appetizers they had eaten.

Do not omit the –d ending in supposed to or used to.

Use present tense when discussing someone else’s writing. Use present tense when you write
about someone else’s writing—whether a work of non-fiction, fiction, or poetry—or when you
write about film. Don’t mistakenly shift to the past tense.
(incorrect)
In the article “Why I Won’t Buy My Sons Toy Guns,” Robert Shaffer claims
toys are teachers. He said that toy
guns will teach children to solve problems with violence.
(correct)
In the article “Why I Won’t Buy My Sons Toy Guns,” Robert Shaffer claims
toys are teachers. He says that toy guns will teach children to solve
problems with violence.
Adapted from MBurke2015
Proofreading for Verb Tense Shifts
Correct any errors in verb tense (verbs are bolded and italicized) in the following passage. Tip: Determine
the appropriate verb tense from the beginning of the passage. Then read carefully to make sure the tense is
maintained consistently. If the verb tense shifts, determine the reason and identify a relevant time clue.
Place an “X” over any verb tense shift error and re-write the corrected tense above the error.
Various factors combine to make a good public speaker. Above all, the speaker
knows her subject and believes that her remarks are important. Ignorance causes
profound embarrassment, for a knowledgeable audience quickly spots an uninformed
speaker bluffing her way. Second, the good speaker was articulate. This did not mean
resorting to pompous language, for inflated diction made one appear conceited rather
than intellectual. Nor did it mean using overly colloquial language; speakers who try so
hard to be trendy often appear moronic. Experienced speakers clipped their language of
such irritating interjections as “Okay,” and “You know what I mean?” Third, the good
speaker will recognize the value of brevity. Many an audience will be lost as the speaker
glories in the supposed euphony of her prose. The good speaker will stop when the
audience wishes her to continue. Fourth, a sense of humor proves invaluable. However,
an experienced speaker makes certain that she is actually funny. Few things embarrass a
speaker (or a writer, for that matter) more than jokes that fall flat. Finally, a good speaker
will present a suitable appearance; jeans and a loud shirt will offend an audience of
business people. Although many people will go to great lengths to avoid speaking
publicly—they find the experience excruciating—this valuable skill builds self-confidence
and increases career possibilities.
Adapted from MBurke2015
Proofreading for Verb Tense Shifts
Correct any errors in verb tense (verbs are bolded and italicized) in the following passage. Tip: Determine
the appropriate verb tense from the beginning of the passage. Then read carefully to make sure the tense is
maintained consistently. If the verb tense shifts, determine the reason and identify a relevant time clue.
Place an “X” over any verb tense shift error and re-write the corrected tense above the error.
Various factors combine to make a good public speaker. Above all, the speaker knows
her subject and believes that her remarks are important. Ignorance causes profound
embarrassment, for a knowledgeable audience quickly spots an uninformed speaker bluffing
her way. Second, the good speaker was[is] articulate. This did[does] not mean resorting to
pompous language, for inflated diction made[makes] one appear conceited rather than
erudite. Nor did[does] it mean using overly colloquial language; speakers who try so hard to
be trendy often appear moronic. Experienced speakers clipped[clip] their language of such
irritating interjections as “Okay,” and “You know what I mean?” Third, the good speaker will
recognize[recognizes] the value of brevity. Many an audience will be lost as the speaker
glories in the supposed euphony of her prose. The good speaker will stop[stops] when the
audience wishes her to continue. Fourth, a sense of humor proves invaluable. However, an
experienced speaker makes certain that she is actually funny. Few things embarrass a
speaker (or a writer, for that matter) more than jokes that fall flat. Finally, a good speaker
will present[presents] a suitable appearance; jeans and a loud shirt will offend an audience
of business people. Although many people will go[go] to great lengths to avoid speaking
publicly—they find the experience excruciating—this valuable skill builds self-confidence and
increases career possibilities.
Adapted from MBurke2015
Consistency of Tense
The following paragraphs should be consistently in the past tense. Read them carefully for tense shifts. On the corresponding
lines that follow, write C if the tense is correct, or write the correct form of the verb if it is incorrect.
Lightning struck our house, and I (A) run straight for cover. “Oh, no!” I (B) exclaim. The electricity (C)
had gone out! My parents (D) light candles, and we played a game by candlelight. We (E) know that lightning had
hit our telephone answering machine, because it (F) keeps playing the same message over and over. My younger
brother (G) asks me what lightning is. “Lightning is a big spark of electricity from a thundercloud,” I (H) tell him.
He (I) nods. I started to tell him about positive and negative charges creating lightning, but he (J) doesn’t
understand what (K) I’m talking about and (L) walks away. In the morning, we were all glad when the sun shone
and our phone (M) works again.
A. ________________________
H. _______________________
B. ________________________
I. ________________________
C. ________________________
J.________________________
D. ________________________
K._______________________
E. ________________________
L. _______________________
F. ________________________
M._______________________
G. ________________________
Across the water, I (A) saw the ripples. “I have to catch some fish,” I (B) say to myself. I threw my lure
near where I (C) see the ripples and reeled in the line. The fish (D) don’t seem interested. I saw more ripples and
(E) throw the line in the water again. “I have a strike!” I (F) shout to the trees around me. As I reeled in the line, a
beautiful trout (G) jumps out of the water and spit out the hook. Discouraged, I (H) go back to the house. Grandpa
was sitting at the kitchen table with a bowl of hot oatmeal for me. I (I) say, “Oh well, maybe tomorrow we’ll have
fresh trout for breakfast.”
A. ________________________
F. ________________________
B. ________________________
G.________________________
C. ________________________
H.________________________
D. ________________________
I.________________________
E. ________________________
Source: Elements of Writing