Consistent Verb Tense
Jared Aragona
Consistent Verb Tense: Keep verb tense consistent throughout a piece of writing. Avoid shifting from one verb tense to another unless there is a good reason for the tense shift.
Do not shift from past to present without cause:
As we worked on the presentation, Joe tells an amusing anecdote.
Correct:
As we worked on the presentation, Joe told an amusing anecdote.
(Now the tense is consistent in the past).
Do not shift from present to past without cause:
Coco and Joe walked to the library. When they arrive, she mentioned to him that she was changing her major.
Correct:
Coco and Joe walk to the library. When they arrive, she mentions that she is changing her major.
Do not shift from future to past without cause:
Incorrect:
By the time Sara turns eighteen, she learned that money management is important.
Correct:
By the time Sara turns eighteen, she will learn that money management is important.
Stay consistent with the chronological cues you provide:
Inconsistent:
Twenty years from now, Carlo and his brothers are successful developers. Just yesterday, I see them driving in a nice truck. You should see the way everyone looks at them at the grocery store.
Consistent:
Twenty years from now, Carlo and his brothers will be successful developers. Just yesterday, I saw them driving in a nice truck. You should see the way everyone looked at them at the grocery store.
Inconsistent:
We learned how, back in 1975, gentrification is changing the neighborhood.
Consistent:
We learned how, back in 1975, gentrification changed the neighborhood.
The MLCKRB (Master List Code Key and Rule Book): An English Grammar & Style Handbook by Jared Aragona, CC BY 4.0