Choose one time frame for a stretch of writing and keep every verb in it. Change tense only when the time of the event changes, not because the sentence feels different.
This lesson is part of grammar repair. For cases where the time relationship decides between two tenses, see choosing a tense from the time relationship.
How do you find a hidden tense switch?
Underline every verb in your paragraph and write P beside a past form and N beside a present form. Read down the letters.
A story in the past should read P, P, P, P. A single N in the middle is either a real change of time or a slip. Decide which before you change anything.
Worked example: three slips in one paragraph
Here is an original paragraph with slips.
“Last Saturday, Hafiz walked to the bus stop with his sister. The bus is late, so they wait under a tree. When it finally arrived, they realise they had left the tickets at home.”
Mark the verbs: walked (P), is (N), wait (N), arrived (P), realise (N), had left (P, earlier).
The time frame is last Saturday, so the main story verbs should be past. Three slips stand out: “is”, “wait” and “realise”. The repaired paragraph reads:
“Last Saturday, Hafiz walked to the bus stop with his sister. The bus was late, so they waited under a tree. When it finally arrived, they realised they had left the tickets at home.”
“Had left” stays in the past perfect, because it happened before they realised. That is a real change of time, not a slip.
The mistake: switching for drama
Students sometimes change to the present tense at an exciting moment, hoping to sound vivid. In an exam story, this reads as an error, because the reader cannot tell if you meant it.
| Habit | Sentence | Problem |
|---|---|---|
| Drama switch | “Suddenly, the door opens.” in a past story | Time frame changed without reason |
| Consistent past | “Suddenly, the door opened.” | Matches the story |
The fix is to decide the frame before you write the first verb, and to check it in the final minute of the task.
What about facts that are always true?
A general truth stays in the present even inside a past story. “The teacher reminded us that light travels faster than sound.” The reminder happened in the past, but the fact is still true.
Ask: is the statement still true today, whatever happens in the story? If yes, the present is correct.
Check yourself
Correct the tense slips: “Yesterday, Lina goes to the library. She finds a book about robots, and she reads it until the library closes.”
Answer
“Yesterday, Lina went to the library. She found a book about robots, and she read it until the library closed.”
The word “Yesterday” sets the time frame to the past, so every story verb needs the past form. “Closed” is also past, because the closing is part of the same story.
What to study next
Tense works together with agreement, so continue with correcting subject-verb agreement. Keep the English writing task checklist next to you when you proofread.
For a teacher to go through your paragraphs with you, see online one-to-one English tuition.