Tenses

Question 1

Which Tense to Use?

Answer 1

● The majority of your essay will need to be written in the present simple tense, since you will often need to give opinions (“I believe taxes are good”)
and state facts/position (“Punishing children does not work”)
● However, be careful to realise when other tenses are required
● In general, don’t change the tenses half way through the sentence unless the timing of an action requires it
○ Let’s explore this concept in a bit more detail…

Question 2

When NOT to Change the Tense

Answer 2

Do no change the tense when there is NO time change for the action
**Incorrect: **During the lecture, Jane stood up (Past Tense) and drops (Present Tense) her phone.

**Correct: **During the lecture, Jane stood up and dropped her phone.

Question 3

When to Change the Tense

Answer 3

Change the tense only when there is a need to do so

● Usually, the timing of the actions within a sentence will dictate when the tense must be changed

Correct: When Jane comes here, we will go to the movies.
1st action will happen in the future
2nd action will happen in the future

Correct: Sam reached for the apple after he had already eaten two oranges.
2nd action happened in the past
1st action happened before the past action