2 Verb Tense Consistency.docx

2 Verb Tense Consistency.docx

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2VerbTenseConsistency

VerbTenseConsistency

Throughoutthisdocument,examplesentenceswithnonstandardorinconsistentusagehaveverbsinred.

ControllingShiftsinVerbTense

Writingofteninvolvestellingstories.Sometimeswenarrateastoryasourmainpurposeinwriting;sometimesweincludebriefanecdotesorhypotheticalscenariosasillustrationsorreferencepointsinanessay.Evenanessaythatdoesnotexplicitlytellastoryinvolvesimpliedtimeframesfortheactionsdiscussedandstatesdescribed.Changesinverbtensehelpreadersunderstandthetemporalrelationshipsamongvariousnarratedevents.Butunnecessaryorinconsistentshiftsintensecancauseconfusion.Generally,writersmaintainonetenseforthemaindiscourseandindicatechangesintimeframebychangingtenserelativetothatprimarytense,whichisusuallyeithersimplepastorsimplepresent.Evenapparentlynon-narrativewritingshouldemployverbtensesconsistentlyandclearly.

Generalguideline:

Donotshiftfromonetensetoanotherifthetimeframeforeachactionorstateisthesame.

Examples:

1.Theoceancontainsrichmineralsthatwasheddownfromriversandstreams.

Containsispresenttense,referringtoacurrentstate;washeddownispast,butshouldbepresent（washdown）becausethemineralsarecurrentlycontinuingtowashdown.

Corrected:

Theoceancontainsrichmineralsthatwashdownfromriversandstreams.

2.Aboutnoontheskydarkened,abreezesprangup,andalowrumbleannouncestheapproachingstorm.

Darkenedandspranguparepasttenseverbs;announcesispresentbutshouldbepast（announced）tomaintainconsistencywithinthetimeframe.

Corrected:

Aboutnoontheskydarkened,abreezesprangup,andalowrumbleannouncedtheapproachingstorm.

3.Yesterdaywehadwalkedtoschoolbutlaterrodethebushome.

Hadwalkedispastperfecttensebutshouldbepasttomaintainconsistencywithinthetimeframe（yesterday）;rodeispast,referringtoanactioncompletedbeforethecurrenttimeframe.

Corrected:

Yesterdaywewalkedtoschoolbutlaterrodethebushome.

Generalguideline:

Doshifttensetoindicateachangeintimeframefromoneactionorstatetoanother.

Examples:

1.Thechildrenlovetheirnewtreehouse,whichtheybuiltthemselves.

Loveispresenttense,referringtoacurrentstate（theystillloveitnow;）builtispast,referringtoanactioncompletedbeforethecurrenttimeframe（theyarenotstillbuildingit.）

2.Beforetheyevenbegandeliberations,manyjurymembershadreachedaverdict.

Beganispasttense,referringtoanactioncompletedbeforethecurrenttimeframe;hadreachedispastperfect,referringtoactionfromatimeframebeforethatofanotherpastevent（theactionofreachingwascompletedbeforetheactionofbeginning.）

3.Workersareinstallingextraloudspeakersbecausethemusicintonight'sconcertwillneedamplification.

Areinstallingispresentprogressive,referringtoanongoingactioninthecurrenttimeframe（theworkersarestillinstalling,andhavenotfinished;）willneedisfuture,referringtoactionexpectedtobeginafterthecurrenttimeframe（theconcertwillstartinthefuture,andthat'swhenitwillneedamplification.）

ControllingShiftsinaParagraphorEssay

Generalguideline:

Establishaprimarytenseforthemaindiscourse,anduseoccasionalshiftstoothertensestoindicatechangesintimeframe.

Hints:

∙Relyonpasttensetonarrateeventsandtorefertoanauthororanauthor'sideasashistoricalentities（biographicalinformationaboutahistoricalfigureornarrationofdevelopmentsinanauthor'sideasovertime）.

∙Usepresenttensetostatefacts,torefertoperpetualorhabitualactions,andtodiscussyourownideasorthoseexpressedbyanauthorinaparticularwork.Alsousepresenttensetodescribeactioninaliterarywork,movie,orotherfictionalnarrative.Occasionally,fordramaticeffect,youmaywishtonarrateaneventinpresenttenseasthoughitwerehappeningnow.Ifyoudo,usepresenttenseconsistentlythroughoutthenarrative,makingshiftsonlywhereappropriate.

∙Futureactionmaybeexpressedinavarietyofways,includingtheuseofwill,shall,isgoingto,areaboutto,tomorrowandotheradverbsoftime,andawiderangeofcontextualcues.

UsingOtherTensesinConjunctionwithSimpleTenses

Itisnotalwayseasy（orespeciallyhelpful）totrytodistinguishperfectand/orprogressivetensesfromsimpleonesinisolation,forexample,thedifferencebetweensimplepastprogressive（"Shewaseatinganapple"）andpresentperfectprogressive（"Shehasbeeneatinganapple"）.Distinguishingthesesentencesinisolationispossible,butthedifferencesbetweenthemmakeclearsenseonlyinthecontextofothersentencessincethetime-distinctionssuggestedbydifferenttensesarerelativetothetimeframeimpliedbytheverbtensesinsurroundingsentencesorclauses.

Example1:

Simplepastnarrationwithperfectandprogressiveelements

Onthedayinquestion...

BythetimeTomnoticedthedoorbell,ithadalreadyrungthreetimes.Asusual,hehadbeenlisteningtoloudmusiconhisstereo.Heturnedthestereodownandstooduptoanswerthedoor.Anoldmanwasstandingonthesteps.Themanbegantospeakslowly,askingfordirections.

Inthisexample,theprogressiveverbshadbeenlisteningandwasstandingsuggestactionunderwayatthetimesomeotheractiontookplace.Thestereo-listeningwasunderwaywhenthedoorbellrang.Thestandingonthestepswasunderwaywhenthedoorwasopened.Thepastperfectprogressiveverbhadbeenlisteningsuggestsactionthatbeganinthetimeframepriortothemainnarrativetimeframeandthatwasstillunderwayasanotheractionbegan.

Iftheprimarynarrationisinthepresenttense,thenthepresentprogressiveorpresentperfectprogressiveisusedtoindicateactionthatisorhasbeenunderwayassomeotheractionbegins.Thisnarrativestylemightbeusedtodescribeascenefromanovel,movie,orplay,sinceactioninfictionalnarrativesisconventionallytreatedasalwayspresent.Forexample,werefertothesceneinHamletinwhichtheprincefirstspeaks（present）totheghostofhisdeadfatherorthefinalsceneinSpikeLee'sDotheRightThing,whichtakesplace（present）thedayafterMookiehassmashed（presentperfect）thepizzeriawindow.Iftheexamplenarrativeabovewereasceneinaplay,movie,ornovel,itmightappearasfollows.

Example2:

Simplepresentnarrationwithperfectandprogressiveelements

Inthisscene...

BythetimeTomnoticesthedoorbell,ithasalreadyrungthreetimes.Asusual,hehasbeenlisteningtoloudmusiconhisstereo.Heturnsthestereodownandstandsuptoanswerthedoor.Anoldmanisstandingonthesteps.Themanbeginstospeakslowly,askingfordirections.

Inthisexampleasinthefirstone,theprogressiveverbshasbeenlisteningandisstandingindicateactionunderwayassomeotheractiontakesplace.Thepresentperfectprogressiveverbhasbeenlisteningsuggestsactionthatbeganinthetimeframepriortothemainnarrativetimeframeandthatisstillunderwayasanotheractionbegins.Theremainingtenserelationshipsparallelthoseinthefirstexample.

Inallofthesecases,theprogressiveor-ingpartoftheverbmerelyindicatesongoingaction,thatis,actionunderwayasanotheractionoccurs.Thegeneralcommentsabouttenserelationshipsapplytosimpleandperfecttenses,regardlessofwhetherthereisaprogressiveelementinvolved.

Itispossibletoimagineanarrativebasedonafuturetimeframeaswell,forexample,thepredictionsofapsychicorfuturist.Iftheexamplenarrativeabovewerespokenbyapsychic,itmightappearasfollows.

Example3:

Simplefuturenarrationwithperfectandprogressiveelements

Sometimeinthefuture...

BythetimeTomnoticesthedoorbell,itwillhavealreadyrungthreetimes.Asusual,hewillhavebeenlisteningtoloudmusiconhisstereo.Hewillturnthestereodownandwillstanduptoanswerthedoor.Anoldmanwillbestandingonthesteps.Themanwillbegintospeakslowly,askingfordirections.

Inthisexampleasinthefirsttwo,theprogressiveverbswillhavebeenlisteningandwillbestandingindicateongoingaction.Thefutureperfectprogressiveverbwillhavebeenlisteningsuggestsactionthatwillbegininthetimeframepriortothemainnarrativetimeframeandthatwillstillbeunderwaywhenanotheractionbegins.Theverbnoticeshereisinpresent-tenseform,buttherestofthesentenceandthefullcontextofthenarrativecueustounderstandthatitreferstofuturetime.Theremainingtenserelationshipsparallelthoseinthefirsttwoexamples.

Generalguidelinesforuseofperfecttenses

Ingeneraltheuseofperfecttensesisdeterminedbytheirrelationshiptothetenseoftheprimarynarration.Iftheprimarynarrationisinsimplepast,thenactioninitiatedbeforethetimeframeoftheprimarynarrationisdescribedinpastperfect.Iftheprimarynarrationisinsimplepresent,thenactioninitiatedbeforethetimeframeoftheprimarynarrationisdescribedinpresentperfect.Iftheprimarynarrationisinsimplefuture,thenactioninitiatedbeforethetimeframeoftheprimarynarrationisdescribedinfutureperfect.

PastprimarynarrationcorrespondstoPastPerfect（had+pastparticiple）forearliertimeframes

PresentprimarynarrationcorrespondstoPresentPerfect（hasorhave+pastparticiple）forearliertimeframes

FutureprimarynarrationcorrespondstoFuturePerfect（willhave+pastparticiple）forearliertimeframes

Thepresentperfectisalsousedtonarrateactionthatbeganinreallifeinthepastbutisnotcompleted,thatis,maycontinueor