1. Verb Tense
Keeping tense consistent

2. Simple Tenses
 A tense is a verb form that shows
the time of an action or condition.
Verbs have 3 simple tenses:
 Present Tense
 Past Tense
 Future Tense

3. Examples
The car door opens easily.
 The present tense shows that the action or
condition occurs now.
The car door opened, and the man stepped out.
 The past tense shows that the action or
condition occurred in the past.
The car door will open, and I will jump out.
 The future tense shows that the action or
condition will occur.

4. Progressive Forms
 A progressive form of a verb expresses an
action or condition in progress.
 Progressive forms of the three simple tenses
are used to show that actions or conditions
were, are, or will be in progress.

5. Examples
 You are writing notes. Present Progressive
 You were reading. Past Progressive
 You will be cheering. Future progressive

6. Present Perfect
 The present perfect tense places an action or
condition in a stretch of time leading up to the
present.
Many people have rafted here.
 People have rafted here at unspecified times
before the present.

7. Past Perfect
 The past perfect tense places an action or
condition before another past action or
condition.
After the guide had straightened the raft, we
entered the rapids.
 The straightening happened before the entering.

8. Tense Shift
 Once you begin a sentence with a particular
verb tense, maintain that tense as long as you
are referring to the same period of time.
 Switching tense without a valid reason creates
a problem known as a tense shift.

9. Now You Try!
 Fix the sentence below:
 When we arrived, we are upset to
learn we have missed the party.

10. Corrected Sentence
 When we arrived, we were upset to
learn that we had missed the party.

11.  At the beginning of Anna Karenina,
Oblonsky is introduced as an
unfaithful husband. His wife, Dolly,
was furious because of his affair
with the French governess.
Oblonsky's sister, Anna, soon
arrived and persuaded Dolly to
forgive him.

12. Can Inconsistent Verb
Tense Ever Be Correct?
 The answer is yes
 When there is a shift in time frame
different verb tenses can be used
 For example:
 When shifting from general description
to a specific occasion

13. Example of Mixed
Verb Tense
 Huck Finn is a clever boy who
doesn’t like to follow the rules, and
as a result, he often gets into
trouble. On one occasion, he
escaped from Pap’s cabin and ran
away to avoid civilization.