Watch Verb Tenses When You Write

 

Verb tenses. Seems so simple, doesn't it? If you're writing about something that happened before today, you use past tense verbs. Happening now? Use present tense verbs. In the future? Make the verbs future tense. 

It's not quite as easy as it sounds. There have been myriad times when I've been critiquing someone's work and found mixed tenses throughout the piece of writing. Or perhaps just one slip, maybe two. Whichever situation, the writer needs to correct the problem areas.

Do not shift verb tenses if the time frame stays the same. If your time frame changes in the story, you might possibly use a different verb tense. 

Look at this sentence:

   After supper, the clouds rolled in, and thunder annouces the coming storm. 

Note that there are two tenses in the sentence. It should read: 

   After supper, the clouds rolled in, and thunder announced the coming storm. 

Look at the following, then try it with different verbs as a quick writing exercise.

Past:  I ate the burger.

Present:  I eat the burger

Future I will eat the burger

Verb tenses are one more item to watch when you proofread and edit. This situation seems minuscule, but when an editor reads your work, it jumps out.