Incorrect verb tense
Express your ideas clearly and accurately with these grammar guides.
A tense is the time in which something takes place. English has a past, present and future tense. Mixing the tense of verbs within a sentence can cause a lot of confusion to readers so be consistent and stick to the same tense.
Regular verbs
- An action or state of being in the present
- An action or state of being in the past
- An action or state of being in the future
- To form a regular past-tense or past-participle verb form, add -ed or -d to the end of a verb. You can avoid mistakes by understanding this basic pattern
Irregular verbs
The past tense of irregular verbs is not formed using the patterns that regular verbs follow. Study irregular verbs, which are the most common irregular verbs.
Tip
The best way to learn irregular verbs is to memorise them.
|
Simple Present |
Past |
Simple Present |
Past |
|
be |
was, were |
lose |
lost |
|
become |
became |
make |
made |
|
begin |
began |
mean |
meant |
|
blow |
blew |
meet |
met |
|
break |
broke |
pay |
paid |
|
bring |
brought |
put |
put |
|
build |
built |
quit |
quit |
|
burst |
burst |
read |
read |
|
buy |
bought |
ride |
rode |
|
catch |
caught |
ring |
rang
|
Maintaining consistent verb tense
Inconsistent tense:
The crowd starts cheering as Melina approached the finish line.
Consistent tense:
The crowd started cheering as Melina approached the finish line.
Consistent tense:
The crowd starts cheering as Melina approaches the finish line.
Correct verb form activity
Complete the following sentences by selecting the correct form of the verb in simple present, simple past, or simple future tense.
Activity
Tip
In some cases, clear communication will call for different tenses. Look at the following example:
When I was a teenager I wanted to be a firefighter, but now I am studying computer science.
If the time frame for each action or state is different, a tense shift is appropriate.
Inconsistent verb activity
Edit the following paragraph by correcting the inconsistent verb tense.
Tense shift
Watch this video to learn more about tense shifts.
1:38References
Attributions
