Notice how putting that sentence in the past tense changes the time frame and ameaning of the action. The reason for this tense change is that I am thinking now-in the present time. I think my feelings may have been influenced by stereotypes of the Old South. Looking back, I think my feelings may have been influenced by stereotypes of the Old South.Īlthough this paragraph starts in the past tense, the phrase “Looking back” clearly shows the time frame of the action “think.” The tense change is perfectly acceptable without this phrase also:Īlthough it was only a four-hour ride from my home in Pennsylvania to my boyfriend's home in Virginia, I was terrified. For example, if the time frame of the action changes from past to present, the tense should change to indicate this:Īlthough it was only a four-hour ride from my home in Pennsylvania to my boyfriend's home in Virginia, I was terrified. Sometimes it is necessary to change tense. In this case, the tense is merely a matter of style it is your choice. Then the driver points to a white line painted on the road and says, “There's the Mason-Dixon line.” This is also an acceptable writing style, especially for an essay: However, I may choose to make my essay more immediate by placing the action in the present. Then the driver pointed to a white line painted on the road and said, “There's the Mason-Dixon line.” I can write my paper in the past tense, which is the style most people are used to reading in novels or short stories, as follows: English usually marks the sense of time with an adverb (for example: it is happening today or it happened yesterday.) When proofreading for unnecessary tense shifts, there are several questions to keep in mind: “When do I want to set this action?” and “Has the time period changed?” For example, I may be writing an essay about my experiences on a recent trip to Virginia and want to say that I saw the Mason-Dixon line for the first time. Tense is the grammatical word to describe the ending of a verb (usually -ed for past and -s for present). It is the unnecessary shifts in tense that sometimes cause awkwardness and should be avoided. However, sometimes a shift in tense is necessary to indicate a change in the timeframe of the action. Many students believe that tense changes should always be avoided.
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