TENSES
Tenses in academic writing
• If your English is weak, it won’t please you to
hear that good writing can make a significant
difference to your score in written
assignments. That’s because every idea is
communicated in words, and if the words are
sloppy, the idea will not emerge clearly. You
therefore have a responsibility to improve
your English while becoming skilled in your
subject area.
Tenses can be difficult
• One of the most difficult aspects of studying
English is to learn how to use tenses properly.
Many native English speakers struggle with
tenses, so don’t feel despondent. Practice makes
perfect.
• It is impossible to cover the topic of tenses in one
workshop, so what we have here is a brief
overview to remind you of some rules you might
have learnt before. Doing the exercises that
follow will be more useful to you.
Academic writing
• You might find that your academic writing
requires expertise in only a few tenses. It is
likely that you will write a lot using the
present simple tense and the past simple
tense.
• Present simple – “This thesis investigates the
claims of Prof. Warburton.”
• Past simple – “Napoleon won the battle.”
Tense forms not frequently used
Certain tenses are said not to be used frequently
in academia. Generally, academic writing is
based on research or theories that already exist,
have already happened, or refer to a current
event or view. This means that the various forms
of the future are less likely to be used in essays,
although they might be used in reports.
Future forms in brief
• Future forms include:
• - ‘going to' future: They are going to research
this next year.
• - future simple: They will research this next
year.
• - future continuous: They will be playing some
music by Mozart.
• - future perfect: At the end of August they will
have had over 150 rehearsals.
In the present tense
• The continuous/progressive forms are less common in
academic writing because they indicate something
temporary.
• - present continuous/progressive: They are researching
this now.
• - present perfect continuous/progressive: They have
been researching this for many years.
• - past perfect continuous/progressive: They had been
researching this for many years before they found any
significant results.
• - future perfect continuous/progressive: By 2025, they
will have been researching this for eleven years.
The past perfect form
• The past perfect situates one activity in the past before
another activity. It is sometimes used in academic
writing.
• - past perfect: They had researched this for many years
before they found any significant results.
• - past perfect continuous/progressive: They had been
researching this for many years before they found any
significant results.
• The difference between the past perfect and the past
perfect continuous is that the continuous form puts
more emphasis on the length of the activity.
Verb tenses when citing sources
• When you are reporting on research in the past, then a past tense is
mostly used.
e.g. According to the findings by Henderson (2008), all the interviewees
reported negative side effects from the drug.
•
However, in a literature review or a paragraph that is trying to stress that
certain ideas are still relevant, the present perfect tense may be used.
e.g. Even though linguists have argued that language learning is an
incremental process, young children have shown that risk taking and game
playing speed up the process (Chen 2009; Brown 2003).
•
• In addition, if research results are still meaningful then the present simple
is used.
e.g. The data collected from Green's (2004) research suggest that exposure
to stress reduces language fluency.(N.B. data can be either singular or
plural.)
•
A quick tour through some tenses
• Present continuous and present simple 1
• State verbs like attract, like, look, love and sound are used in the
present tense to indicate that a situation is temporary, or
happening at that time.
• Examples
• Sally stays with us quite often. The children love having her here.
• Sally’s with us at the moment. The children are loving having her
here.
• Some state words have different meanings when they describe
actions, not states. With their ‘state’ meanings they usually take
the present simple form. With their ‘action’ meanings, they may
take simple or continuous forms.
Examples
•
The app doesn’t appear to work on my
phone. > simple
• Carley Robb is currently appearing in a
musical. > continuous
• She often appears in musicals.
> continuous
• Can you imagine a more cheerful scene?
> simple
Mental state verbs
• With some verbs describing mental states (e.g. find, realise,
regret, think, understand) we can use the present continuous to
indicate that we have started to think about something.
•
• I regret that the company will have to be sold. > simple
• I’m regretting my decision to give her a job. >
Continuous
•
• He’s considering taking early retirement > continuous
• Some verbs like agree, believe, conclude, know and prefer usually
use the present simple tense:
• I believe you now.
Performatives
• We use the present simple with words which
describe the action they define:
• I suggest you park outside the city and get
the bus to the centre.
• We request that you read the terms and
conditions carefully before singing.
Other performatives
Acknowledge
confess
guarantee
promise
Admit
Congratulate
Name
Refuse
Advise
Declare
Order
Remind
Apologise
Deny
Permit
Request
beg
forbid
predict
Thank
warn
Some verbs used as performatives with the present simple in affirmative
(apologise, deny, guarantee, promise, suggest) have a similar meaning with
either the present simple or the past continuous in negative sentences.
I don’t deny taking the books but Miguel said it would be okay.
Modals
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Modals are often used with performatives to make what we say more tentative
or polite:
We would advise you to arrive two hours before the flight leaves.
I must beg you to keep this secret.
EXERCISE
Cross off the wrong answers
Dear Aunt Kylie
Thank you for your message. I (1) apologise / I’m apologising for not getting back
to you sooner, but I’ve been incredibly busy. When I went into nursing, you warned
me that it would be really hard work, but I (2) admit / I’m admitting that I didn’t
really believe you. Don’t get me wrong – I (3) don’t suggest / I’m not suggesting
that I’m not enjoying it. It’s incredibly rewarding, but I (4) now realise / I’m now
realising how hard the job is. When I get home I just eat (not very well, (5) I
confess / I’m confessing) and go straight to bed. It doesn’t help that the bus
journey to the hospital is so slow. I (6) consider / I’m considering buying a car,
which will make things easier, I hope.
Exercise continued
• And what about you? How (7) do you find / are
you finding living in a village after so many years
in the city? I (8) know / I’m knowing how difficult
it is for you to travel such a long way, but it would
be lovely if you could come and stay with me for
the weekend. I’ve got plenty of room in my flat. I
(9) don’t guarantee / I’m not guaranteeing to
cook as well as you do, but I (10) promise / I’m
promising to find time to show you around this
lovely old town.
• Hope to see you soon. Keep in touch.
• Love, Jacinta
Use of tenses
• The verb tenses you use in your lit review reveal more
to your reader than just the time frame. They can also
tell your reader:
• whose idea is being put forward (yours or someone
else’s)
• something about your attitude toward the ideas you
are reporting on (if you have attributed them to an
author/theorist)
• how general or specific your point/description is
• In brief, tenses are used in the following ways (note
that this is a simplified description of tense use):
The present tense
• The present tense is used for:
• a generalisation (in overviews, statements of main points, etc.) OR a
generally accepted scientific fact
• Example: "This thesis investigates the second approach."
• a statement made by you as a writer
• Example: "Non-standard applications such as CASE,
CAD/CAM are now emerging."
• a statement reporting the position of a writer and your support or
lack of support for this position
• Example: "Therefore, this sequential approach is impractical in the
real world where projects are typically large (Radice 1988) and the
activities from one stage may be carried out in parallel with the
activities of another stage."
The past tense
• The past tense is used to:
• describe the contents, findings, or conclusions of
past research. It emphasises the completed
nature of a past activity. It is often referred to as
the ‘reporting’ tense, and is traditionally used by
scholars to report all past findings, including even
very current research in some cases.
• Example: ‘This model was not popular in the
software industry until it was later refined by
Boehm (1976).’
The present perfect tense
• The present perfect tense is used to:
• indicate that research in the area is still continuing, or that
the research has immediate relevance today
• Example 1: "Several researchers have studied distributed
database design."
Example 2: "Fricke (1983) has illustrated that black liquor
shows three rheological behaviours."
• generalise about past literature
• Example: "Software has been tested manually for most of
the last four decades."
• present a view using an information-prominent citation
• Example: "The services that have been identified for the
future B-ISDN include [7] [77] [78]."
More than just for chronology
• Thus, you can use tenses to indicate more
than chronology. You can use the past tense in
reporting others' research to indicate that that
research is of secondary importance to your
current work. You can use the present
perfect to indicate that the research is of
more direct and primary importance. You can
use the present tense to indicate your general
position relative to reported research.
The present simple tense
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
We use the present simple tense for …
- A general principle
Talent shows usually allow people to demonstrate their creative abilities.
- Someone's opinion
Professor Graham thinks that talent shows are important.
- The results of an experiment
The judges' scores show that X is the clear winner.
- A habitual action in the present
People nearly always feel nervous before they perform on stage.
- A theory
Bobby Dylan's theory about talent contests is that one should not judge by
appearances.
- A claim
Bobby Dylan claims that talent shows are the best way for people to become
famous.
- A fact
Talent shows are exciting.
The past simple tense
• We use the past simple for …
• - What happened
There were two acts. Prince Wolfgang won the competition.
• - What happened in the past but is different now
In the past, shows were simpler.
• - Ideas that were held in the past but are no longer held
People thought that talent contests were bad.
• Used to is also used to compare the past to the present
• People used to win smaller prizes. [This implies that the
situation has changed.]
•
The present perfect tense
• We use the present perfect for:
• - Something that has changed over time
Recently, talent contests have become bigger
and more glamorous.
• - Recent research and its present impact
Recently, research has shown that such talent
contests can make people nervous.
Future tenses
• They will leave tomorrow. (prediction)
• They leave tomorrow. (formal)
• They are leaving tomorrow. (planned event;
arrangements already made)
• They are going to leave tomorrow. (planned event;
focuses on intention)
• They will be leaving tomorrow. (less definite; informal)
• They will have left before you arrive
tomorrow. (situates the event before another event)
Verb tenses when citing sources
•
•
•
When you are reporting on research in the past, then a past tense is mostly used.
e.g. According to the findings by Henderson (2008), all the interviewees reported
negative side effects from the drug.
However, in a literature review or a paragraph that is trying to stress that certain
ideas are still relevant, the present perfect tense may be used. e.g. Even though
linguists have argued that language learning is an incremental process, young
children have shown that risk taking and game playing speed up the process (Chen
2009; Brown 2003).
In addition, if research results are still meaningful then the present simple is used.
e.g. The data collected from Green's (2004) research suggest that exposure to
stress reduces language fluency.(N.B. data can be either singular or plural.)
Subject-verb agreement
• Subject / verb agreement
• Present simple. All the verb endings are the
same in regular verbs, except in the third
person singular (he/she/it). Verbs
after he/she/it add -s or -es.
e.g. He goes. She arranges. It depends on …
Subject-verb agreement cont.
I / you / we claim
/ they
He / she / it claims
research
deny
researches
denies
Verb forms
• Most verbs in the present simple add -s in the third person.
• -es is added to verbs ending in -o, -ch, -sh, -ss, -tch, -x and z.
• Verbs ending in a consonant + y (e.g. deny, rely) change
the y to an i and add -es.
• When there are several nouns, check which is the subject
of the verb to see how it agrees. The subject may not be
the word closest to the verb.
• e.g. The use of these procedures is recommended by the
university. (In this example, it is the word use which is the
subject.
• e.g. Recent discoveries in the area have led to an
improvement in treatment.
Verb forms continued
• Noun + noun = plural verb
• e.g. A girl and a dog were sitting on the library steps.
• Difficult cases
- The number of + singular verb. The number of cases is declining.
• - A number of + plural verb. A number of people are waiting for their
results.
• There is/There are
Turn the sentence round to see if you need there is or there are.
• e.g. There is an excellent article in this journal = An excellent
article is in this journal.
• e.g. There are some excellent articles in this journal = Some excellent
articles are in this journal.
Exercises on tenses
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Exercise A
One sentence in each pair is wrong. Correct it by replacing the past simple with the present
perfect [mostly, use ‘have’] of the italicised verb.
1. a Remember that after you signed the contract you won’t be able to change your mind.
b Carlo’s injury only became apparent after he signed to play for Real Madrid.
2. a As soon as I finished college I want to travel around Australia.
b I didn’t have time to check the essay. I handed it in as soon as I finished it.
3. a By the time Sarah got to work the meeting had finished.
b I’ll probably have finished breakfast by the time the children got up.
4. a I recognised her the moment I heard her laugh.
b I’ll tell you what time we’re coming the moment I heard from Emil.
Exercise B
Choose the more appropriate tense - present perfect or past simple – for the verbs in
brackets.
1. The rate of inflation …………. (drop) to 4.8%. It’s the first time in nearly two years that the
rate ………. (fall) below 5%.
2. The Victoria Hospital in Milltown …….. (close) to new patients after more cases of food
poisoning. Three elderly patients …….. (die) last week in the outbreak.
Exercises on tenses cont.
•
•
Exercise C
Use the same tense, either past simple or past continuous, in both spaces.
add – taste
•
•
go off – light
not listen – explain
push – run
not watch - dream
•
•
•
1. The smoke alarm ……….. when he ………… a candle underneath it.
2. I can’t remember how to answer this question. I must confess that I …….. while the
teacher ……… it to us.
3. She ………. more salt to the soup, and then it ………. much better.
4. Although the TV was on, I …………….. It. Instead I ……….. about my holidays.
5. She ……….. open the door and …….. Into the room.
•
•
•
•
Exercise D
If an italicised form of the verb is incorrect, change it.
1. I’d really been looking forward to a relaxing weekend. But early on Saturday, Mum
phoned to say that Dad had been taking ill.
Exercises on tenses cont.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Exercise E
Identify the correct options.
1. As Jonas was introduced to Mrs Lopez, he realised that he had met / met her before.
2. I thought it was the best film I had seen / saw in my life.
3. The boy told me that he had lost / lost his train ticket and didn’t know how he would get home.
4. At the conference, scientists reported that they had found / found a cure for malaria.
5. When I asked Maria about Jakub, she admitted that she hadn’t heard / didn’t hear from him for ages.
Exercise F
Complete each pair of sentences using the same verb. Use the present perfect in one sentence and the
present perfect continuous in the other. Use negative forms where appropriate.
give
read
stay
stop
1 a Martina Gonzalez ……… in a rented flat since returning to Buenos Aires.
b We ………. at this hotel a couple of times before.
2 a All day, the police ……… motorists to question them about the accident.
b Good, the noise ……… I can start concentrating on my work again.
3 a I ………… any of Dickens’ novels.
b I …………. this book on astrophysics for hours and I’m still only on page six.
4 a Dr Fletcher ………. the same lecture to students for the last ten years.
b Mr Sato ……….. nearly a million pounds to the charity this year.