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