Tenses

Tenses can be very complicated. If your story is written in the past tense, then you need to stick to this tense the whole way through. If it is in the present, then stick to the present. Don’t jump from one to another. CHECK for this very common mistake.

He knocked on the door and I went to open it. He was standing there, smiling, with a bunch of flowers in his hand. He kisses me on the cheek before I can stop him. I took the flowers but I did not smile. I am angry.

The paragraph above is a mixture of tenses. The writer needs to choose either the past tense or the present tense. This is a personal decision. Read the paragraphs below. One is in the past tense and the other the present tense. Both are correct now as the tenses are the same. Which one do you prefer?

He knocked on the door and I went to open it. He was standing there, smiling, with a bunch of flowers in his hand. He kissed me on the cheek before I could stop him. I took the flowers but I did not smile. I was angry.

He knocks on the door and I go to open it. He is standing there, smiling, with a bunch of flowers in his hand. He kisses me on the cheek before I can stop him. I take the flowers but I do not smile. I am angry.

To remind you of more unusual past tense verbs:

PRESENT / PAST
am / was
are / were
is / was
can / could
will / would
has / had
have / had

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When writing a story or essay, it’s important that you keep your verb tenses consistent. This is to make the story easier to read and to keep the timeline of your story intact so that the reader doesn’t get confused.

Verb tense consistency refers to keeping the same tense throughout the same sentence. Generally, it is also best to choose one tense for your story and stick to it throughout. If you do change tenses during your story, this should be done for a good reason (like a flash back) and should be carried out with great care.

Can you spot the error?

• Zimkhitha finished her essay, tidies her room and went out for supper.

This sentence is incorrect because one of the verbs (tidies) is in present tense while the other two verbs (finished + went) are in past tense. Can you correct the sentence?

The correct version of this sentence reads as follows:

• Zimkhitha finished her essay, tidied her room and went out for supper.

Now all three verbs are in past tense, making the sentence much easier to understand.

Here’s another example, can you find the error?

• Yesterday we walk to school but later rode the bus home.

That’s right, because the sentence is referring to a past action, all verbs should be in past tense.

The correct version of this sentence reads as follows:

• Yesterday we walked to school but later rode the bus home.
Tenses can be quite tricky but with a little practice, you’ll have it waxed in no time. Remember to read over your work once you’ve finished as this can help you pick up any errors that you might have missed.