Tense Consistency

Which sentence has an inconsistent or incorrect verb tense?

• Last year, my family and I visited the Grand Canyon.

• We drove for two days and finally arrive late at night.

• The next morning, we hiked along the south rim.

• I will always remember how amazing the view was.

Answer explanation

The sentence establishes a past tense with 'drove,' so the second verb should also be past tense ('arrived'), not present tense ('arrive'). The other sentences correctly maintain their tenses.

Complete the sentence: By the time the movie started, we ______ all of the popcorn.

• eat

• were eating

• had eaten

• will eat

Answer explanation

The past perfect tense 'had eaten' is needed to show that the action of eating was completed before the other past action ('the movie started'). This correctly sequences the two past events.

Read the sentences: 'I usually play basketball after school. Yesterday, however, I went to the library instead.' Why is the shift from present tense ('play') to past tense ('went') acceptable here?

• It's a mistake and should be corrected.

• The time marker 'Yesterday' signals a specific time in the past, justifying the shift.

• The verb 'play' should have been 'played' to match.

• The sentence is describing a future event.

Answer explanation

Tense consistency doesn't mean every verb must be the same; it means shifts must be logical. The time marker 'Yesterday' clearly indicates a shift from a general habit (present tense) to a specific past action (past tense).

True or False: When summarizing a book's plot, it is a common and correct convention to use the present tense, such as in 'In the first chapter, the main character discovers a hidden map.'

• True

• False

Answer explanation

This use of the present tense is called the literary present. It is a standard convention for discussing the events in a work of literature, film, or art.

Complete the sentence with the verb form that best shows the action started in the past and continues to the present: My family ______ in this town since 2015.

• lived

• was living

• has lived

• lives

Answer explanation

The present perfect tense 'has lived' is used with 'since' to describe an action that began in the past and is still true in the present. Using simple past 'lived' would imply they no longer live there.

Which sentence should be revised to improve tense consistency in the paragraph below? (1) The team practiced hard all week. (2) They wanted to win the championship game on Saturday. (3) The coach gives them a motivational speech before the game started. (4) Everyone felt ready to play.

• Sentence 1

• Sentence 2

• Sentence 3

• Sentence 4

Answer explanation

The paragraph establishes a past tense narrative ('practiced,' 'wanted,' 'started,' 'felt'). Sentence 3 breaks this consistency with the present tense verb 'gives'; it should be 'gave'.

Apply the correct verb tense for this conditional sentence: If I had known you were coming, I ______ a bigger snack.

• will make

• would have made

• made

• make

Answer explanation

This is a third conditional sentence, used for unreal past situations. The 'if' clause uses the past perfect ('had known'), so the main clause must use the conditional perfect ('would have' + past participle).

Choose the sentence that correctly expresses a future idea from a past perspective (future-in-the-past).

• When I was a kid, I thought I will be an astronaut.

• When I was a kid, I think I will be an astronaut.

• When I was a kid, I thought I would be an astronaut.

• When I was a kid, I thought I am an astronaut.

Answer explanation

The main clause is in the past ('I thought'). To talk about a future event from that past viewpoint, we use 'would' instead of 'will' to maintain tense consistency.

Apply the correct verb tense to complete the sentence: As soon as my friend ______, we will start the game.

• will arrive

• arrived

• is arriving

• arrives

Answer explanation

In a time clause referring to the future (using words like 'as soon as' or 'when'), we use the simple present tense ('arrives'), not the future tense. The main clause correctly uses the future tense ('will start').

Read the paragraph. To fix the error in tense consistency, what change should be made? 'Yesterday was the school's annual field day. My friends and I competed in the three-legged race. We started off strong, but then my shoelace comes untied and we tripped. Even though we didn't win, we laughed about it for the rest of the day.'

• Change 'was' to 'is' in the first sentence.

• Change 'competed' to 'compete' in the second sentence.

• Change 'comes' to 'came' in the third sentence.

• Change 'laughed' to 'laugh' in the last sentence.

Answer explanation

The entire paragraph is set in the past tense ('was,' 'competed,' 'started') to describe the events of 'Yesterday.' The verb 'comes' is an incorrect shift to the present tense and should be 'came' to maintain consistency.