Choose the appropriate verb tense - Choose appropriate verb forms, tenses, and moods - Grammar

Rules for writers, Tenth edition - Diana Hacker, Nancy Sommers 2021

Choose the appropriate verb tense
Choose appropriate verb forms, tenses, and moods
Grammar

Tenses indicate the time of an action in relation to the time of the speaking or writing about that action.

The most common problem with tenses, shifting confusingly from one tense to another, is discussed in section 13. Other problems with tenses are detailed in this section, after the following survey of tenses.

Survey of tenses

Tenses are classified as present, past, and future, with simple, perfect, and progressive forms for each.

Simple tenses (base form or -s form)

For general facts, states of being, and habitual actions

SIMPLE PRESENT SINGULAR


PLURAL


I

walk, ride, am

we

walk, ride, are

you

walk, ride, are

you

walk, ride, are

he/she/it

walks, rides, is

they

walk, ride, are

SIMPLE PAST SINGULAR


PLURAL


I

walked, rode, was

we

walked, rode, were

you

walked, rode, were

you

walked, rode, were

he/she/it

walked, rode, was

they

walked, rode, were

SIMPLE FUTURE




I, you, he/she/it, we, they

will walk, ride, be

Perfect tenses (a form of have plus past participle)

For actions that were or will be completed at the time of another action

PRESENT PERFECT


I, you, we, they

have walked, ridden, been

he/she/it

has walked, ridden, been

PAST PERFECT


I, you, he/she/it, we, they

had walked, ridden, been

FUTURE PERFECT


I, you, he/she/it, we, they

will have walked, ridden, been

Progressive forms (a form of have plus present participle)

For actions in progress

PRESENT PROGRESSIVE


I

am walking, riding, being

he/she/it

is walking, riding, being

you, we, they

are walking, riding, being

PAST PROGRESSIVE


I, he/she/it

was walking, riding, being

you, we, they

were walking, riding, being

FUTURE PROGRESSIVE


I, you, he/she/it, we, they

will be walking, riding, being

PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE


I, you, we, they

have been walking, riding, being

he/she/it

has been walking, riding, being

PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE


I, you, he/she/it, we, they

had been walking, riding, being

FUTURE PERFECT PROGRESSIVE


I, you, he/she/it, we, they

will have been walking, riding, being

NOTE: The progressive forms are not normally used with certain verbs, such as believe, know, and seem.

FOR MULTILINGUAL WRITERS

see 28a for more specific examples of verb tenses that can be challenging for multilingual writers.

Special uses of the present tense

Use the present tense when expressing general truths, when writing about literature, and when quoting, summarizing, or paraphrasing an author’s views.

General truths or scientific principles should appear in the present tense unless such principles have been disproved.

Image

Image

When writing about a work of literature, you may be tempted to use the past tense. The convention, however, is to describe fictional events in the present tense.

Image

Image

When you are quoting, summarizing, or paraphrasing the author of a nonliterary work, use present-tense verbs such as writes, reports, asserts, and so on to introduce the source. This convention is usually followed even when the author is dead (unless a date or the context specifies the time of writing).

Image

Image

EXCEPTION: When you are documenting a paper with the APA (American Psychological Association) style of in-text citations, use past tense verbs such as argued or present perfect verbs such as has argued to introduce the source. (See also 61c.)

The past perfect tense

The past perfect tense (had plus past participle) is used for an action already completed by the time of another past action or for an action already completed at some specific past time.

✵ Everyone had spoken by the time I arrived.

✵ I pleaded my case, but Paula had made up her mind.

Writers sometimes use the simple past tense when they should use the past perfect.

Image

Image

Some writers overuse the past perfect tense. Do not use the past perfect if two past actions occurred at the same time.

Image

Image

Sequence of tenses with infinitives and participles

An infinitive is the base form of a verb preceded by to. (See 49b.) Use the present infinitive to show action at the same time as or later than the action of the verb in the sentence.

Image

Image

Use the perfect form of an infinitive (to have followed by the past participle) for an action occurring earlier than that of the verb in the sentence.

Image

Image

Like the tense of an infinitive, the tense of a participle is governed by the tense of the sentence’s verb. Use the present participle (ending in -ing) for an action occurring at the same time as that of the sentence’s verb.

Hiking the Appalachian Trail, we spotted many wildflowers.

Use the past participle (such as given or helped) or the present perfect participle (having plus the past participle) for an action occurring before that of the verb.

Discovered off the coast of Florida, the Spanish galleon yielded many treasures.

Having worked her way through college, Lee graduated debt-free.