Tense Consistency

Verb tenses can be confusing, in part because many students often misunderstand their teachers and professors and believe that an entire paper must be written in a single verb tense. However, there are many cases when this is not true. Just as unnecessary tense changes cause confusion, tense changes that are appropriate can help readers understand how events relate to each other according to the time they took place. Generally, writers maintain one tense, but will indicate changes in time frame by changing tenses to describe different situations, which are usually used with either simple past or simple present. The main thing to remember: don’t shift tenses if the time frame for each action is the same. (English Department; CLA)