Verb tense consistency means that all of the verbs within the sentence, or passage, are in the same tense. This is important, so that it is clear to the reader, when the action has happened. If the verbs are in the past tense, we know that the action has already happened. If the verbs are in the present tense, we know that the action is happening right now. If the verbs are in the future tense, the action has not yet happened.

When the tense is not consistent the reader can become confused about when an event took place. It can be tricky to maintain tense consistency since, we often start telling a story that happened in the past, and then shift to the present tense, in the middle of the story, like this:

Yesterday I walked down the street and I saw a huge dog. The dog was walking all by itself and I wondered where it’s owner was. Suddenly the dog starts running towards me at full speed. It’s running so fast that I don’t have time to think, so I jump behind a mail box and watched it run right past me.

Notice that the verbs in the first two sentences are in past tense. The third sentence shifts into present tense. The fourth sentence starts out in present tense and then shifts to past tense. This kind of unnecessary tense shifting can be confusing to the reader.

We do this when we talk because we want our listener to feel as if they were right there with us having that experience. Nevertheless, it is important not to do this in writing, so that the reader doesn’t become confused. The trick is to pick a tense and stick with it. When writing about something that happened yesterday stick with the past tense. When writing about something that is happening right now stick with the present tense, and when writing about something that will happen in the future stick with the future tense.

Here is that same story in consistent past tense:

Yesterday I walked down the street and I saw a huge dog. The dog was walking all by itself and I wondered where its owner was. Suddenly the dog started running towards me at full speed. It was running so fast that I didn’t have time to think, so I jumped behind a mail box and watched it run right past me.

Notice how much clearer that passage is with all of the verbs in past tense. 

Here it is again in present tense: 

I walk down the street and I see a huge dog. The dog is walking all by itself and I wonder where its owner is. Suddenly the dog starts running towards me at full speed. It’s running so fast that I don’t have time to think, so I jump behind a mail box, and watch it run right past me.

Please note that it is difficult to maintain consistent present tense. It is also rare that consistent present tense is needed since it is unusual to write about something while it’s actually happening.

Here’s a link to a lesson on verb tense consistency. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/601/04/

Here is a link to several verb tense consistency exercises. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/exercises/2/22

Watch this video for an interactive verb tense consistency lesson.

Photo: Dave-R-on-Flickr (Creative Commons)

STATEGY: All of the verbs below indicate continued action. Notice all of these verbal phrases include a conjugated “to be” verb.

1. I’m going to buy my sister a new jacket.
2. She is going to be happy.
3. Her friends are going to be jealous.
4. Rocco and his friends will be watching the playoffs for the next three weeks.
5. They were watching the playoffs when the scandal broke.

In the first sentence (I’m going to buy my sister a new jacket), the purchase hasn’t happened yet but the intention, the goal to buy a jacket, has.  The second sentence shows present progressive for “she”.  The third sentence shows present progressive for “they.” As soon as the coat is purchased, the sentence will change to “I bought my sister a new jacket.” (Simple past)

The fourth sentence indicates an action that will continue into the future.  Rocco and his friends will keep watching the playoffs for three weeks.  After the play-offs are finished, “Rocco and his friends watched the playoffs for the next three weeks.

TYPICAL ERRORS: A common writing error is to omit the necessary “to be” before the “-ing” form of the verb.  An example of this mistake is: I going to buy my sister a new jacket.” Or, “Her friends going to be jealous.”

Another mistake is to incorrectly conjugate the “to be” of this tense.  An example of this mistake using the fourth sentence is: “Rocco and his friends be watching the play-offs for the next three weeks.” Or, “They be watching the playoffs when the scandal broke.”

This first post on grammar deals with verbs, an aspect of English grammar that challenges many new students.  Recently, in tutoring sessions, we discussed “progressive” tenses, but before we even got this, we discussed the types of verbs:

1. Action verbs
2. Linking Verbs
3. Auxilliary or “helping” verbs

Before verbs can be fully understood, writers must know that verbs must “agree” with the subject and also show “tense” or time.  A verb is a necessary component of a “clause.”

1.  An action verb is what many writers think of first when they think “verb”: to run, to jump, to laugh, to write, to conjugate, to abdicate, to obfuscate.  The list continues.
Example: Action verbs capture and demand the reader’s attention.

2.  A linking verb “links” a subject of the sentence with description. Common linking verbs are “to be” verbs, to seem,  to appear. This list is a sample of the most common.

Example: Linking verbs are useful.  Though they seem humble, they are necessary in the English language.

2.  Auxiliary or helping verbs are parts of verbal phrases (they work with other verbs) to form a clustered verb.  Common helping verbs are could, would, shall, should, and have.

Example: We could not express our ideas well without helping verbs.