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Consistency in Verb Form

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Tense Consistency• use of the same tense throughout a

piece of writing

• Most writings are organized in either

the simple present, the simple past,

or the simple future tense.

• Changes in verb tense may helpreaders or listeners understand the

temporal relationships among variousnarrated events.

• Unnecessary or inconsistent shifts intense can cause confusion.

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Some Rules to Remember• In sentences with more than one verb, it is

important to keep the time sequence

consistent.

• When showing a sequence of events, do not

shift tenses unnecessarily.

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Some Rules to Remember• Do not shift from one tense to another if the

time frame for each action or state is the

same.

• Do shift tense to indicate a change in time

frame from one action or state to another.

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A sentence with a compound verb should

generally have both verbs in the same

tense.PAST

• Incorrect: The receptionist sat at his

PRESENTdesk and ignores my question. 

PAST

•Correct: The receptionist sat at his

PAST

desk and ignored my question.•  

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You should also not shift tenses

unnecessarily from one sentence to

another.PAST

• Incorrect: The actor collapsed on

PRESENTstage. Then he sits up.

PAST

• Correct: The actor collapsed onPAST

stage. Then he sat up.

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Sometimes, it will be necessary to

shift tenses. Only the meaning can tell

you for sure when you must shift

tenses.

PRESENT PRESENT

• Incorrect: If we have time, we visit

our relatives.

PRESENT FUTURE

• Correct: If we have time, we will visitour relatives.

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Quiz

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For numbers 1-7, write the correct form of the

second verb.

1) I walk into the room and find no one there.

2) He got mad at the salesman and tells him to

leave.

3) Beethoven wrote some of his best music

after he becomes deaf.

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For numbers 1-7, write the correct form of the

second verb.

4) As soon as the operation was over, I visit him.

5) Romeo caught a glimpse of Juliet and will

become smitten right away.

6) It has been several years since I last see my

grandfather.

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For numbers 1-7, write the correct form of the

second verb.

7) If Kyru will do his best, he won the first prize.

Fill in the blanks.

Most writings are organized in either the8)_______ _______, the 9)_______ _______, or

the 10)_______ _______ tense.

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• Prentice Hall GRAMMAR AND COMPOSITION byForlini, G. et. al.

• Linking the World through English IV Student’s

Textbook by Ignacio-Paez, D. et. al.• www.daltonstate.edu/esl/Verb_Form_Errors.ppt 

Sources: