Identify and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense

Key Notes:

What is Verb Tense?

Verb tense shows the time when an action happens ⏰.
There are three main tenses:

• 🕰️ Past – action happened before (e.g., She walked.)
• ⏳ Present – action is happening now (e.g., She walks.)
• 🚀 Future – action will happen later (e.g., She will walk.)

What is an Inappropriate Shift in Verb Tense?

An inappropriate shift happens when a writer changes verb tenses unnecessarily within a sentence or paragraph. 😵‍💫

✅ Correct: Ravi played football and scored a goal.
❌ Incorrect: Ravi played football and scores a goal.

Why is Consistency Important?

Maintaining the same tense helps readers easily understand when events happen.
👉 It keeps writing clear, logical, and smooth. ✨

How to Identify an Inappropriate Shift

Ask yourself these questions:

• 🧐 Do all actions happen in the same time frame?
• 🕵️‍♀️ Did I accidentally mix past and present in the same sentence?

Example:
❌ Yesterday we go to the park and played cricket.
✅ Yesterday we went to the park and played cricket.

How to Correct Verb Tense Shifts

Follow these easy steps:

1. ⏰ Find the main time of the story (past, present, or future).
2. 🧩 Change other verbs to match that time.
3. ✍️ Check again for consistency.

Example:
❌ She is reading a book when the phone rang.
✅ She was reading a book when the phone rang.

Examples for Practice

❌ Wrong Sentence	✅ Correct Sentence
He runs to school and forgot his bag.	He ran to school and forgot his bag.
They were playing soccer when it starts to rain.	They were playing soccer when it started to rain.
I study hard and passed the test.	I studied hard and passed the test.

Tip to Remember

💬 “Once you choose a tense, stay in that tense!”
Unless the time of the action clearly changes, don’t switch. ⏳

Quick Recap

✅ Keep verb tense consistent.
✅ Use past for stories and completed actions.
✅ Use present for facts or current events.
✅ Use future for upcoming actions.
✅ Check your sentences for smooth time flow! 🌀