Just as you need to worry about articles whenever you use nouns, you need to worry about the verb tense whenever you use a verb in a sentence. The reason is that English has many different tense expressions, and choosing the correct one can be challenging if you don't know the tense rules. There are many rules and exceptions, so the best way to learn them is by examining mistakes in tense use.
12 tense expressions
Before jumping into tense mistakes, let's first review the tense expressions. How many tense expressions are possible in English? If you answered 12, you're right! These are the 12 tense expressions:
there are 3 simple tense expressions: present simple , past simple, future simple (will + verb infinitive)
there are 3 progressive (or continuous) tense expressions: present progressive, past progressive, and future progressive
there are 3 perfect tense expressions: present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect
and there are 3 progressive perfect tense expressions: present progressive perfect, past progressive perfect, and future progressive perfect
The reason for these many tense expressions is that English tense expressions are made up of both tense and aspect. Tense refers to time relative to the moment of speaking. Like most languages, English has three tenses: past, present, and future. However, English grammar on tense also requires us to consider whether an event is entirely completed or continuing. This way of considering time is called aspect. English has two aspects: progressive and perfect.
The progressive aspect, formed with the "be" verb and the present participle, emphasizes the ongoing nature of an event. For example, "I am writing" indicates that the action of writing is happening right now. I think the progressive tense is pretty intuitive.
The perfect aspect, formed with "have" and the past participle, highlights the completion of an event. For example, "I have written" indicates that the writing is finished. Because of this ability to show completion, the perfect tenses can also indicate a relationship between two different events in time, like two past events where one past event was completed before another past event, or two future events where one future event will be completed before another future event.
Simple and perfect tenses
To understand the relationship between simple and perfect tenses, let's visualize them on a timeline. Imagine simple past, present, and future as distinct points on this line, each representing a specific moment. In this timeline, the year 2024 is our present point, 1984 lies in the past, and 2048 lies in the future. To describe an event that occurred before 1984, we use the past perfect tense. Take this sentence: "I had written a novel before 1984." Here, "had written" emphasizes that the writing was completed before the reference point of 1984.
The present perfect tense is used when we discuss a past event with some relevance to the present. This bridge to the present makes the present perfect different from the simple past. While both deal with past events, the simple past merely reports what happened, while the present perfect highlights the enduring connection to the present.
For example, consider these sentences:
"I wrote a novel in 1984." This sentence simply states the fact of writing a novel in that specific year.
"I have written a novel since 1984." This implies a continuous relationship with writing, potentially suggesting ongoing writing projects or ongoing experience as a writer. Depending on the context, it could even suggest "I finished writing a novel" with the start date being 1984.
The future perfect tense is used to express an action that will be completed before another future point. Look at this sentence: "I will have written a novel by 2048." Here, "will have written" indicates that the writing will be finished before the year 2048, conveying an intention or expectation of completion.
By understanding these relationships between events on the timeline, you can choose the correct tense expression to convey your meaning accurately. The key principle is this:
When discussing events across different timeframes, you need to shift tenses to reflect the sequence and relationships between events.
However, when the time frame remains the same, you need to stick to one tense.
Tense mistakes
Tense shift required
With this brief summary of simple and perfect tense expressions, let’s consider some examples with tense mistakes. Consider this sentence.
(Incorrect) In the past, most Americans want big cars, but now many drive small ones.
The sentence has two different timeframes, one past and one present, so this is the correct tense:
(Correct) In the past, most Americans wanted big cars, but now many drive small ones. (past and present)
(Incorrect) Scientists studied the rings of Saturn ever since Galileo discovered them.
"Since" indicates that studying continues to the present, requiring the present perfect.
(Correct) Scientists have studied the rings of Saturn ever since Galileo discovered them. (present perfect with “since”)
(Incorrect) I will see the film by next month.
Seeing the film happens before another future event, next month, so it needs to be in the future perfect form.
(Correct) I will have seen the film by next month. (future perfect with a future-indicating phrase)
(Incorrect) When I received the award, I realized how much my coach helped me, and since then, I wrote a book about him.
All four verbs (received, realized, helped, wrote) are expressed with simple past. However, not all four events are in the same timeframe. Receiving the award is a past point in time, so a simple past is appropriate. Realizing happened at the same time frame as receiving the award, so it is also correct to use the simple past. However, the coach's actions happened before the award, so they should be in the past perfect. Also, “since” indicates that the past situation is still relevant to the present, so we need to use the present perfect tense. So, this is the correct verb tense use:
(Correct) When I received the award, I realized how much my coach had helped me, and since then, I have written a book about him.
This sentence contains three past events occurring at different times, requiring simple past, past perfect, present perfect tenses. Here is a similar example that you should try:
(Incorrect) Until the end of June, the summer was dry, but in July, it rained a few times, and since August, it got dry again.
Can you fix the sentence by yourself? The dry summer occurred first, then it rained. So, the event describing the dry summer should be in the past perfect, and “since” indicates the connection to the present, so we need the present perfect.
(Correct) Until the end of June, the summer had been dry, but in July, it rained a few times, and since August, it has gotten dry again.
Faulty tense shift
In the previous examples tense shift was necessary since the events are in different time frames. On the other hand, When the time frame remains the same, we should stick to one tense to ensure clarity.
Different time frames → tense shift required
Same time frame → no-shift of tense required
Let's look at some sentences with faulty tense switches. Consider this sentence.
(Incorrect) During the rehearsal, she danced and sings.
This sentence mixes past and present in the same time frame. we need to choose one time frame consistently
(Correct) During the rehearsal, she danced and sang. (Past tense throughout)
(Correct) During the rehearsal, she dances and sings. (present tense throughout)
(Incorrect) I intend to finish the work, but the phone rang.
This sentence mixes present and past in the same time frame. The following is correct.
(Correct) I intended to finish the work, but the phone rang. (Past tense throughout)
(Incorrect) I will stop working on my speech and went to the movies.
This sentence mixes the future and past in the same time frame. The following is correct.
(Correct) I will stop working on my speech and (will) go to the movies. (Future tense throughout)
(Incorrect) I studied because I want to improve my grades.
This sentence mixes past and present in the same time frame. The following is correct.
(Correct) I studied because I wanted to improve my grades. (Both clauses past tense)
(Correct) I study because I want to improve my grades. (Both clauses present tense)