Present tenses

According to the text, which verb tenses are most commonly used in academic writing?

• Simple past, past perfect, and future perfect.
• Simple present, simple past, and present perfect.
• Present continuous, past continuous, and future continuous.
• Simple present, present continuous, and present perfect continuous.

According to the text, what is the simple present tense used to describe?

• Actions happening right now.
• Actions that started in the past and are still happening now.
• General truths or habits.
• Actions that will happen in the future.

According to the text, when is it best to use the past tense?

• When describing the actions and characters in a story.
• When talking about the author of a story.
• When describing general truths or habits.
• When expressing wishes or possibilities.

According to the text, what is the function of the present tense?

According to the text, what are the four main types of present tense?

According to the text, what tense is often used to describe the actions and characters in a story, and why?

Think about your daily routine. Give an example of something you do regularly and write a sentence about it using the simple present tense. Then, think about something you started in the past and are still doing now. Write a sentence about that using the present perfect tense.

The text mentions how the present tense is used when writing about literature to make stories feel timeless. Can you think of a book or story that feels alive to you every time you read it? Why does it feel that way? How does the author use language to make the story feel present?

The text explains the different ways to use present tense. How do you think understanding verb tenses can help you become a better writer? Can you think of a time when using the correct verb tense made your writing clearer or more effective?