Verb tense agreement

1. Verb
Tense Agreement
Jacqueline Manley
Jamin Seegrist

2. General Tenses
• Past- Action happened and is over
• Present- Action goes on now
• Future- Action will happen

3. General Guidelines
• Do not shift from one tense to another if the time frame for each
action is the same.
• CONSISTANCY
• You wan consistency in verb agreement not only through sentences, but the
paragraph
• When you’re talking about the same event (or group of events), make
sure you stick to a single general tense—past, present, or future.

4. EXAMPLE
• During the movie, Sam stood up and then drops his popcorn.

5. INCORRECT
• During the movie, Sam stood up and then drops his popcorn.
Past tense Present tense

6. CORRECT
• During the movie, Sam stood up and then dropped his popcorn.
OR
• During the movie, Sam stands up and then drops his popcorn.

7. EDITING STRATAGIES
1. Go through your draft and circle all verbs
1. Check for consistency
2. Make a timeline of your verbs
1. (past, present, future)
3. Make changes to the tenses of the verbs if necessary

8. FIX THE SENTENCE
• Yesterday we went to the park and are playing on the swings when
we heard a loud pop and the cops show up telling us to leave because
there is a gas leak.

9. STEP 1: CIRCLE ALL VERBS
• The instructor explains the diagram to students who asked questions
during the lecture.

10. STEP 2: MAKE A TIMELINE OF YOUR VERBS
PAST
asked
PRESENT
explains
FUTURE

11. STEP 3: MAKE NECESSARY CHANGES
PRESENT
Explains
PAST
Explained
PAST
Asked

12. CORRECT SENTENCE:
• The instructor explained the diagram to students who asked
questions during the lecture.

13. AND THAT IS VERB TENSE
AGREEMENT