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Present Tense Checker

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Online Tense Checker: Be Sure You're Using the Right Tense

Why Do You Need an Online Tense Checker?

Whether you are a student or a professional you need to ensure that your writing is spot on to get the right results. Poor grammar and spelling can have a real impact on how your writing is perceived and this is especially true of issues with tense. A good tense checker can ensure that you do not have any problems confusing your past, present and future tenses within your writing. Our free verb tense corrector is simple to use and can ensure that any grammatical issues within your writing are corrected to a high standard.

What Can Our Tense Fixer Improve for You?

There are three tenses that are used within everyday speech and our writing. These need to be used consistently if we are not to confuse our readers. Our tense tester can help you to see when you have inadvertently changed tense, something that is all too easy to do within your writing. It will help you to not only see where you have errors, but also how to correct them. The following tenses are highlighted and corrected by the tool.

The present tense is when we are talking about the here and now as well as actions that can be considered continuous. Examples of present tense could be “Bill is walking towards the door” or “I love to read each and every day”

The past is something that has already happened, this could be something that has just been done or something that was done days, weeks or even years before. Examples of the past tense are “Bill had already walked to the door” or “I had read the Lord of the Rings by the time I was twelve”

Future Tense Verb Checker

The future tense is used to describe things that have still to happen. This can be at any time in the future from a few minutes away to years. Examples of the future tense can be “Bill will walk to the door tomorrow” or “I will read 20 fiction books next year”

This tool will highlight when you have mixed your tenses within the writing allowing you to clearly see what needs to be improved. This allows you to avoid those issues slipping through to confuse your readers. Not only are the issues highlighted, the tool also provides you with some options as to how you can correct those problems. It is up to you if you select the corrections that are suggested, or you can make other changes that may be more in keeping with your own style of writing. Just remember to always recheck your writing again after you make freehand changes.

Is It Really Important to Get the Tense Correct in Your Writing?

It does not matter what the subject is of your writing, confusing the tenses can make it very difficult to understand by your readers. This can lead you to get lower grades if you are a student or far more serious consequences if you are writing in a more professional setting. Imagine a sales pitch that is poorly written, how persuasive would it be if the reader can easily see your errors? Using a free verb tense consistency checker can help you to avoid any problems and it will only take a few minutes of your time.

You need to ensure that your writing will always convey the correct impression. Yet it is so easy to make simple mistakes and overlook them when you proofread your own writing. This is why using a tense checker online is something you should always do. It will take only a few minutes of your time and could avoid problems that are so simple to correct.

How Can You Use Our Tense Shift Checker?

There really is nothing difficult when it comes to using our past or present tense detector. We have made our free tool as simple as possible to use while giving you a full review of your writing. Our tool does not simply check your work for the perfect use of tenses. Our verb corrector is able to highlight and correct a wide range of issues within your writing that could cause you problems. This includes all of the following.

From spelling words incorrectly to confusing similar works such as dessert and desert, our tool will highlight and correct any mistakes in your writing

Punctuation

From the incorrect use of colons and semicolons through to misplaced commas our tool will find any punctuation marks that you may have used incorrectly

The English language has many rules that define how it should be written. While we follow many of them unconsciously there are still times when we get things wrong in our writing

 Our tool checks for hundreds of different rules which can include all the following:

• Fragments and run on sentences
• Comma splices
• Dangling modifiers
• Double negatives
• Pronoun errors
• Subject-verb agreement

How to Use Our Online Tense Checker

Highlight the text that you wish to check: this can be a single sentence, a paragraph, or a whole document.

Paste the text into the box provided: simple use of copy and paste is all that is required to provide the tool with text that needs to be tested.

Press “Start”: the tool will quickly check all your writing to highlight any errors that it discovers within your text. The whole check will take just a few seconds depending on the length of your writing.

Review and make correction: our faulty tense sequence checker will highlight all problems that need work. You can either select the suggestions that the tool makes for correction or you can make alternative changes.

Recheck : after you have finished making your alterations it is best practice to recheck the work to ensure that there are no issues within the changes that you have made.

Benefits of Using Verb Tense Checker

Enhance your writing by correcting all types of tense verbs in your text through our tense checker online free application. Our professional-grade software platform is designed to offer numerous advantages in the shape of a range of highly appropriate capabilities and features. All types of writers can make the most of those features and capabilities of our free tense checker tool in polishing their respective writings to achieve the desired objectives perfectly. A few top benefits of using our online tense checker essay app include:

Substantial Cost-Saving

One of the most fundamental benefits of using our specialized grammar and tense checker is that it helps you save huge costs for editing, proofreading, and enhancing your writing. Our software tool is absolutely free to use with a freemium subscription with basic features and capabilities. You can use it as many times as you like without any restrictions for 100% free of charge. If you want to use our premium subscription with advanced features and capabilities, you have to pay a very small monthly charge with numerous additional features and unlimited access to check numerous types of drafts for an entire month. It saves money tens of times compared with the manual editing and proofreading service. Using our platform in the freemium subscription is the best option for students and other writers with limited budgets and other monetary constraints. Purchasing long-period subscriptions saves you even more money in the form of discounts and incentives.

Huge Time-Saving

Our grammar checker past tense tool is an online software application, which checks your text automatically with very electric speed to save you huge time. Online and automatic applications can save you time in two major ways – faster processing speed and round-the-clock availability. You can submit your text to our online platform at any time from anywhere in the world through supported web browsers without any waiting queue for your turn as it happens in the manual time-consuming process. You are not affected by any holidays, weekends, festivals, weather conditions, or any other similar kind of hindrance to waste your time. The other way to save your time is the faster speed of text checking and correcting. The process of checking for any kind of verb-tense or other grammatical issues in your writing is accomplished within a few seconds. After identifying the errors in your writing, the process of correction is also very fast to help you save enormous time.

Unified Solution

Another benefit offered by our software platform to find the tense of a sentence online error is comprehensiveness. Our reliable verb tense checker online tool is capable of finding a wide range of writing issues to make your writing a perfect piece of text. The most important errors that our online platform can find in your text include present, past, and future tense errors and their verb conjugate mistakes, all types of active voice and passive voice misuses, parts of speech mistakes, spelling and punctuation issues, incomplete sentences, comma splices, run-on sentences, prepositional phrase issues, incorrect referencing of a noun to pronoun, dangling qualifiers of adjectives and adverbs errors, direct and indirect narration problems, misuses of articles, incorrect word choices, faulty degrees of adjectives, mistakes in irregular and regular verbs, incorrect citation or referencing styles, titles, and sub-title issues, capitalization of words as well as headings, and many other writing matters under one single roof.

Greater Accuracy

The accuracy and reliability are other very attractive benefits offered by our online verb tense error checker tool. The accuracy of the results checked through our specialized platform is unparalleled among the competitors in the market. A wide range of writers, industries, and academic institutes heavily appreciate the reliability of our online platform. Our online application to check present tense and other grammatical errors offers this level of accuracy due to numerous factors. A few most important factors that produce a higher level of reliability and correctness in the results include the incorporation of expert input and feedback into the automated algorithms, implementation of cutting-edge technologies such as machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), artificial intelligence (AI) and many others, and the adoption of continual improvement mechanism in our algorithm as well as software backbone infrastructure. You will get extremely impeccable results by checking your text through our online platform easily.

Industry-Standard Compliance

Our online grammar and present tense essay checker tool are capable of organizing and aligning your writings as per the formats, setups, and criteria required for compliance with different industrial, academic, and linguistic standards. A large number of referencing styles such as American Psychological Association (APA), Modern Language Association (MLA), Chicago, Harvard, and Oxford are supported by our online platform. These standards are used in a large number of academics as well as in journalism. Different papers and essays are created based on different versions of accents of the English language. Our tense checker online platform supports many versions of the English language so that the criteria of different standards and industries can be accomplished. A few of the most important English versions supported by our online platform include American English, British English, Australian English, Indian, Middle-East, Malaysian, Brazilian, and many others.

Additional Benefits

A large number of additional features and capabilities that provide different types of advantages to different types of writers are also offered by our specialized grammar and tense verb checker online platform. A few of those additional benefits associated with our online app include the detection of plagiarized text in your writing to make them free from any plagiarism and copyright infringement. To achieve 100% results from the text, the tone of the text should be appropriate to the mood of the audience or reader. Our online tool assesses the tone of your text and helps you streamline the text in terms of sentiments, effectiveness, and other attributes of the writing to leave a great impression on the readers. By using our online tool, you can improve your editing, proofreading, and grammatical skills through corrective suggestions continually. Every correction offered by our online tool is supported by proper explanation and logic to keep you learning always.

What Issues Can Our Verb Tense Finder Correct?

A simple grammar tense check such as ours can quickly correct a wide variety of issues within your writing to help you to get the best results. Often, we make mistakes without thinking and can rarely see those mistakes when we read through our own work. Most of us are blind to our own writing mistakes no matter how hard we look. This is why a software tool is so important. Software does not get tired or overlook anything. By using a tool, you can easily find problems that would otherwise slip through. The following are a few examples of mismatched tense use that would otherwise be able to get through to your readers:

Some examples of poor use of the future tense:

“I will give you the job when your studies will be complete.”

While this may look ok at first glance as everything is constructed in the future tense it is not. If the main clause uses a verb in the future tense the subordinate clause’s verb will be in the present tense. So the above sentence should be:

“I will give you the job when your studies are complete.”

Mixing tense use within your writing:

“My instructor really liked to bully me and is always shouting at me to keep up with the others.”

Within the above sentence the verb “to bully” is being used in the past tense whilst the “shouting” is being done in the present tense. To maintain the tenses, it should be:

“My instructor really liked to bully me and was always shouting at me to keep up with the others.”

 When you write, always decide right from the start what tense you will use. While your story may connect with the reader if you draw them along using the present tense, suddenly slipping into past tense could quickly lose them.

What Is the Quickest Way to Correct Your Grammar and Tense Use?

Many people still prefer to read through their own work, often simply skimming through what they have written and hoping that they catch any errors. This is rarely effective, and you will often submit writing that is full of problems that will stand out like a sore thumb to the reader.

While this can be made more effective by a more methodical approach it will take time. Checking through a sentence at a time and considering the construction of each part of your writing piece by piece can help you discover more. But for many this is simply too time consuming.

One of the most effective ways of finding the most common errors in writing is to simply read the work aloud. With the gadgets we have today it is easy to record your work and play it back to yourself. Often incorrect tense use and other grammar problems will be easier to hear than to read. But again, this can take time and you may still miss things that others may see. Asking a friend to proofread your work is also an effective way of improving your writing. However, few of us have friends that are willing or have the time to help us in that manner. Therefore, it is often best to have your grammar tense check completed by a software tool. Software does not get tired, nor will it miss anything. Using our tense checker is free and will quickly find issues that you would otherwise overlook.

Make full use of our free online tense checker to ensure that you always submit writing of the highest standard every time!

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• Essay Tense Checker. Transforming Your Essay from Good to Great

The tense to use in your writing depends on the type of the essay and instructions from your college. Most essays are written in either the present or past tense. However, in the course of the essay, the writer may move from the past to the present and future to describe some events in the essay. It is important that you determine the tense to use in your essay at the start, as you will not change it in the course of your writing.

The type of the essay that you would like to write affects the choice of verb tense that you use in your essay. Here are a few examples:

• Descriptive essays use the present tense as they describe an object or a subject and its features. These truths do not change hence the present tense requirement.
• Historical essays describe actions that took place in the past. Therefore, you use past tense to describe events
• Process essays normally use present tense to describe processes used in accomplishing various goals or products.

Tenses change at particular points where the writer wants to describe events that happen in different time periods. However, he or she takes the readers back to the primary verb tense used in the essay. While answering the question, “What tense should an essay be written in?” it is vital to note that tenses are not static and change as per your work.

7 Secrets of How to Maintain One Tense in an Essay

Pick the main tenses for the paper

Determine the tense to use in your academic paper before writing the first word. This will be the base tense for all the events in the article. You can move to other tenses but should always bring your users back to the primary verb tense. Evaluate the paper you are writing and learn how to maintain one tense in an essay.

All theories and generalizations should be in present tense

Facts are not attached to a specific time. Therefore, they should be stated in present simple time. Here is an example, “A teaspoon of a neutron star material weighs about 6 billion tons.” Besides, generalizations based on theories are also expressed in present simple tense. For example, there is a high-income disparity in capitalist economies.

Use past simple tense to report research steps and historical events

Use past simple to report events that have been completed including historical background information and research process steps. Here is an example, “We recruited 20 participants for the study.” The tense is also used to describe historical events. For example, “Queen Bohemian Rhapsody pioneered music video production.”

When summarizing results of previous studies, use present perfect tense

Present perfect tense helps build a link between research done in an unspecified time and your own work. This also involves summarizing results of the study. For example, “Various studies have shown a connection between uric acid in meat and gout.”

Use future simple to state intentions and make predictions

Future simple is commonly used in research proposals to show your intention and state hypothesis. Use words such as assume, predict and expect to avoid implying high level of certainty in your statements. Here is an example, “We expect a strong positive correlation between skills and per capita income.”

Use past perfect when differentiating different points in the past

Use the past perfect when writing a historical essay and would like to different time periods in the past. For example, “He had won two trophies when retired from sports.”

Always proofread your essay before submitting work

If you ask, “Is it a must that I check verb tense in my essay?” Know that this is important. Go through your work to determine if there are tenses that are not in line with the tips shared above. After doing manual proofreading, it is important that you use a verb tense checker online or tense shift checker to polish any errors that you have missed.

How to Maintain One Tense in an Essay: Tips and Tricks

There are various guidelines on how to check tense change in an essay. Here are a few ways to maintain the same tense throughout your essay.

Pick the best tense according to your paper

Read the guide on choosing the tense in the section above and pick one that best matches your essay. This makes it easy to maintain it throughout the essay.

Take your time when proofreading essays

Proofread essay for tenses. By reading through your work, you are able to tell when the tenses change and paragraphs that are not clear. Always complete your work on time so that you have time to go through the work and make the necessary corrections. Professors always know rushed work.

Use software tools to check tenses

Pick a tool that checks if the essay is in the same tense. This helps find and fix errors with verb tenses that you may have missed during the manual editing stage. Our online essay tense corrector provides a comprehensive verb tense service and is able to help any student who asks, “How can I convert my essay to present tense?”

Features of Essay Tense Shift Checker

We have created an ultimate essay tense finder, corrector and converter online. Here are some features that you can use to check your essay for past tense online, present or the future tense.

An in-built past tense checker

The essay past tense corrector and grammar tense checker finds and fixes errors in the past tense. It helps fix wrong verb tense changes if you are writing in past tense. The past tense finder essay tool ensures proper verb noun agreement across all verb forms in past tense.

Present tense essay checker

Our essay present tense finder helps you correct any mistakes that you have made with the present verb tense. It is also a solution to students asking, “How do I convert my essay to present tense?’’, as it converts all the wrong tenses to the present.

In-built proof-reader

Our tense fixer is able to find and fix errors in punctuation, noun-verb agreement and other grammar errors in your work. Its versatility makes it a popular tool among students all over the world. If you are asking, “Is all my essay in the correct tense?” This tool will help you ensure that.

Set the right tense for your essay with our essay tense corrector!

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• Verb Tenses in Academic Writing | Rules, Differences & Examples

Verb Tenses in Academic Writing | Rules, Differences & Examples

Published on 20 October 2022 by Shane Bryson . Revised on 11 September 2023.

Tense communicates an event’s location in time. The different tenses are identified by their associated verb forms. There are three main verb tenses: past ,  present , and  future .

In English, each of these tenses can take four main aspects:  simple ,  perfect ,  continuous  (also known as  progressive ), and  perfect continuous . The perfect aspect is formed using the verb  to have , while the continuous aspect is formed using the verb  to be .

In academic writing , the most commonly used tenses are the  present simple , the  past simple , and the  present perfect .

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Table of contents

Tenses and their functions, when to use the present simple, when to use the past simple, when to use the present perfect, when to use other tenses.

The table below gives an overview of some of the basic functions of tenses and aspects. Tenses locate an event in time, while aspects communicate durations and relationships between events that happen at different times.

It can be difficult to pick the right verb tenses and use them consistently. If you struggle with verb tenses in your thesis or dissertation , you could consider using a thesis proofreading service .

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The present simple is the most commonly used tense in academic writing, so if in doubt, this should be your default choice of tense. There are two main situations where you always need to use the present tense.

Describing facts, generalisations, and explanations

Facts that are always true do not need to be located in a specific time, so they are stated in the present simple. You might state these types of facts when giving background information in your introduction .

• The Eiffel tower  is in Paris.
• Light  travels faster than sound.

Similarly, theories and generalisations based on facts are expressed in the present simple.

• Average income differs by race and gender.
• Older people express less concern about the environment than younger people.

Explanations of terms, theories, and ideas should also be written in the present simple.

• Photosynthesis  refers to  the process by which plants  convert sunlight into chemical energy.
• According to Piketty (2013), inequality grows over time in capitalist economies.

Describing the content of a text

Things that happen within the space of a text should be treated similarly to facts and generalisations.

This applies to fictional narratives in books, films, plays, etc. Use the present simple to describe the events or actions that are your main focus; other tenses can be used to mark different times within the text itself.

• In the first novel, Harry learns he is a wizard and travels  to Hogwarts for the first time, finally escaping the constraints of the family that raised him.

The events in the first part of the sentence are the writer’s main focus, so they are described in the present tense. The second part uses the past tense to add extra information about something that happened prior to those events within the book.

When discussing and analyzing nonfiction, similarly, use the present simple to describe what the author does within the pages of the text ( argues , explains , demonstrates , etc).

• In The History of Sexuality , Foucault asserts that sexual identity is a modern invention.
• Paglia (1993) critiques Foucault’s theory.

This rule also applies when you are describing what you do in your own text. When summarising the research in your abstract , describing your objectives, or giving an overview of the  dissertation structure in your introduction, the present simple is the best choice of tense.

• This research  aims to synthesise the two theories.
• Chapter 3 explains  the methodology and discusses ethical issues.
• The paper  concludes with recommendations for further research.

The past simple should be used to describe completed actions and events, including steps in the research process and historical background information.

Reporting research steps

Whether you are referring to your own research or someone else’s, use the past simple to report specific steps in the research process that have been completed.

• Olden (2017) recruited 17 participants for the study.
• We transcribed and coded the interviews before analyzing the results.

The past simple is also the most appropriate choice for reporting the results of your research.

• All of the focus group participants agreed  that the new version  was an improvement.
• We  found a positive correlation between the variables, but it  was not as strong as we  hypothesised .

Describing historical events

Background information about events that took place in the past should also be described in the past simple tense.

• James Joyce  pioneered the modernist use of stream of consciousness.
• Donald Trump’s election in 2016  contradicted the predictions of commentators.

The present perfect is used mainly to describe past research that took place over an unspecified time period. You can also use it to create a connection between the findings of past research and your own work.

Summarising previous work

When summarising a whole body of research or describing the history of an ongoing debate, use the present perfect.

• Many researchers  have investigated the effects of poverty on health.
• Studies  have shown a link between cancer and red meat consumption.
• Identity politics has been a topic of heated debate since the 1960s.
• The problem of free will  has vexed philosophers for centuries.

Similarly, when mentioning research that took place over an unspecified time period in the past (as opposed to a specific step or outcome of that research), use the present perfect instead of the past tense.

• Green et al.  have conducted extensive research on the ecological effects of wolf reintroduction.

Emphasising the present relevance of previous work

When describing the outcomes of past research with verbs like fi nd ,  discover or demonstrate , you can use either the past simple or the present perfect.

The present perfect is a good choice to emphasise the continuing relevance of a piece of research and its consequences for your own work. It implies that the current research will build on, follow from, or respond to what previous researchers have done.

• Smith (2015) has found that younger drivers are involved in more traffic accidents than older drivers, but more research is required to make effective policy recommendations.
• As Monbiot (2013)  has shown , ecological change is closely linked to social and political processes.

Note, however, that the facts and generalisations that emerge from past research are reported in the present simple.

While the above are the most commonly used tenses in academic writing, there are many cases where you’ll use other tenses to make distinctions between times.

Future simple

The future simple is used for making predictions or stating intentions. You can use it in a research proposal  to describe what you intend to do.

It is also sometimes used for making predictions and stating hypotheses . Take care, though, to avoid making statements about the future that imply a high level of certainty. It’s often a better choice to use other verbs like  expect ,  predict,  and  assume to make more cautious statements.

• There  will be a strong positive correlation.
• We  expect  to find a strong positive correlation.
• H1  predicts a strong positive correlation.

Similarly, when discussing the future implications of your research, rather than making statements with will,  try to use other verbs or modal verbs that imply possibility ( can ,  could ,  may ,  might ).

• These findings  will influence  future approaches to the topic.
• These findings  could influence future approaches to the topic.

Present, past, and future continuous

The continuous aspect is not commonly used in academic writing. It tends to convey an informal tone, and in most cases, the present simple or present perfect is a better choice.

• Some scholars are suggesting that mainstream economic paradigms are no longer adequate.
• Some scholars suggest   that mainstream economic paradigms are no longer adequate.
• Some scholars have suggested   that mainstream economic paradigms are no longer adequate.

However, in certain types of academic writing, such as literary and historical studies, the continuous aspect might be used in narrative descriptions or accounts of past events. It is often useful for positioning events in relation to one another.

• While Harry is traveling to Hogwarts for the first time, he meets many of the characters who will become central to the narrative.
• The country was still recovering from the recession when Donald Trump was elected.

Past perfect

Similarly, the past perfect is not commonly used, except in disciplines that require making fine distinctions between different points in the past or different points in a narrative’s plot.

Sources for this article

We strongly encourage students to use sources in their work. You can cite our article (APA Style) or take a deep dive into the articles below.

Bryson, S. (2023, September 11). Verb Tenses in Academic Writing | Rules, Differences & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 31 May 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/english-language/verb-tenses/

Aarts, B. (2011).  Oxford modern English grammar . Oxford University Press.

Butterfield, J. (Ed.). (2015).  Fowler’s dictionary of modern English usage  (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Garner, B. A. (2016).  Garner’s modern English usage (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.

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Shane Bryson

Shane finished his master's degree in English literature in 2013 and has been working as a writing tutor and editor since 2009. He began proofreading and editing essays with Scribbr in early summer, 2014.

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Tense Use in Academic Writing: Past, Present and Future

4-minute read

• 2nd December 2016

While the dreary constraints of physical reality mean that we’re stuck in the present for all practical purposes, in speech or writing we can skip from past to present to future at will.

To do this, you’ll need to master the past, present and future tense. These grammatical tenses are useful in all kinds of writing, but here we’ll focus on their use in academic work .

What is Grammatical Tense?

Before anything else, we need to quickly clarify what we mean by “grammatical tense.”

The main thing you need to know is that the form of the verb in a sentence changes depending on when the action described occurs.

As such, by modifying a sentence to adjust the tense, we can change its meaning:

Present Tense: Alfred burns the cakes.

Past Tense: Alfred burned the cakes.

Future Tense: Alfred will burn the cakes.

In the first example, the present tense verb “burns” suggests that it’s happening now. The past tense verb “burned”, however, shows that it has already happened. And by adding the helping verb “will,” we can instead suggest that the action is going to happen in the future.

The examples above are the simple forms of each of these tenses. There are many variations on these, however, so it’s worth checking how each form differs in practice.

The Past Tense in Academic Writing

In an academic paper, you could use the past tense to show that an idea is not widely accepted any more. In the following, for instance, the past tense “claimed” and “has since been disputed” both signal that the study no longer applies:

Cook and Moore (1964) originally claimed that profane language is amusing, although this has since been disputed by many experts.

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The past tense is also commonly used in academic writing when describing the methods used in an experiment that has already been conducted:

The sample was tested using several techniques.

Some colleges have specific instructions for how a methodology chapter should be written, though, so make sure to check for rules about tense use in your style guide.

The Present Tense in Academic Writing

The present tense is dominant in most forms of academic work, since it applies when writing about current events or states of being. This includes describing:

• Existing facts and theories (e.g., “Profane language is common among young people…”)
• The findings of a study (e.g., “The results demonstrate that…”)
• The opinions or claims of other thinkers (e.g., “Cook and Moore argue that…”)

The present tense is usually correct even when describing a study that happened in the past, as long as the conclusions are still relevant in the present.

The Future Tense in Academic Writing

The future tense is less common in academic writing, but it still has a couple of important roles. One is in research proposals , since you’ll need to describe your research aims, predictions about results, and the methods you intend to use:

This study will examine the role of profane language in comedy. We predict that profane language will be considered hilarious by the majority of respondents.

The future tense is also useful when recommending fresh avenues of research or suggesting how the results of a study could be applied:

Our study suggests that further research should be conducted into the increasing use of profane language in everyday life.

The crucial thing is that the future tense is used when describing something that hasn’t yet happened or that is expected to occur in the future.

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Past, Present, and Future Tense in Essays: How to Switch

Past, Present, and the Future Tenses in Your Essay

Choosing the correct grammatical tense for your essay can be a challenge. You have to decide whether to use past, present, or future tense. A wrong choice impacts your essay negatively. It will lack clarity and flow. This is not a situation that you ought to find yourself in.

Most students struggle with choosing the right tense. For some, it is due to the lack of guidance on using grammatical tenses. Others are careless with their writing. The result is a poorly written essay that a reader cannot understand. However, it is a problem that you can deal with once and for all.

Reading the instructions will enlighten you on which tense to use in writing your essay. Your tutor can also guide you on how to use grammatical tenses. You get the guidelines of when to use a particular tense. The help prevents you from choosing the wrong tense.

The type of your essay also reveals which tenses you ought to use. All essays are not the same. They have some distinct rules that create a significant difference. You must be aware of those rules and follow them to the latter. For instance, using the right tense is something you must take seriously. 

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Should an Essay be in Present, Past, or Future Tense?

Many students might find it challenging to choose the right tense. Some are yet to learn by heart the rules governing the use of tenses. They end up making the wrong choice.

Ultimately, the impact of their essay score is negative. Fortunately, it is a problem you can work on. 

Every essay needs to be clear and engaging, where the reader needs an easier time reading it. But, that is not the case with all students. Some find themselves using the wrong tenses.

Instead of using the present tense, they write essays in the past tense. But perhaps they do not know when to use a present, past, or future tense.

You can use present, past, and future tense in your essay. But there is a catch. Before you write your essay, you must know which tense fits it. You can either get guidance from your tutor or do your research. Above all, ensure the tense you use is consistent and clear.

Most essay writers use the present tense. It is simple and direct to the point. You can write short sentences that are easier to read and understand. The reader will use little time to read your essay. It will not be tiring to read it since the message is clear.

The present tense is common in academic writing. It allows you to write about current states of events more candidly. By using the present tense, you can easily describe theories. It will be easier to explain an event that is happening now. Generally, the present tense is ideal for writing essays.

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Instances to Use Present Tense in an Essay

You do not have to write every essay in the present tense. There are instances under which it becomes a must. At that juncture, you have to play ball.

You must shun the past and future tenses to make your essay consistent. Deviating from the present tense might distort your sentence structure thereby complicating your essay.

The present tense is ideal for creating a sense of immediacy. The reader gets to experience every action as it unfolds. It is easier to grasp the information the writer is passing across. The clarity in the essay engages the reader .

This is one of the reasons why writing in the present tense is common.

Writing an essay in the present tense is much easier. You can write your essay within the shortest time possible, and meeting deadlines will not be an issue. Your essay will be simple and clear to the point, without any sophistication.

Use present tense in an essay where you refer to existing facts. The present tense shows that the fact is indeed true. It becomes easier for the reader to believe in what you are writing. Also, it describes the findings of a study in the present tense. That is also the case when expressing people’s claims and opinions .

Instances to Use Past Tense in an Essay

You must be careful with the tense you use in your essay. Each tense does come with its demands. For instance, past tense is ideal for emphasizing that people do not accept a particular idea. Use past tense to describe that idea for easier understanding.

If your essay describes historical events, you have to use past tense. It makes the description clearer to the reader. This is a clear indication that they can get a picture of the turn of events. This is very crucial for the flow of your essay.

Reading it becomes engaging and enjoyable without any sense of struggling to understand ideas.

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Instances to Use Future Tense in an Essay

Not often do students use the future tense in essays. They either use present and past tenses, the former being the most common.

But some instances permit the use of future tense. It does play a significant role.

Use future tense to describe your essay’s research predictions, methods, and aims. It becomes easier to demystify what the researcher is up to.

Besides, if you recommend research sources or state the application of study findings, then use future tense. You can easily describe something that is yet to happen or likely to occur in the future.

Can You Combine All Tenses in Essay Writing?

You can also use all tenses in your essay. However, you need to take this step with a lot of caution. Remember, the reader needs to get your message. You have to do that with some pomp to make your essay an enticing read .

Combining all tenses will certainly do that job for you.

Describe the cause and impact of interlocking events in an essay by combining all tenses. Your target audience can now get the hang of the events from a much broader perceptive. However, you have to respect time settings.

It is crucial to avoid any confusion that might distort your message. Ensure you get rid of any sophistication bound to disturb the flow of thoughts in your write-up.

Combining all tenses can be a win or a loss for you. It depends on the context of your essay. Besides, you need to mind your reader.

Your essay should be on a standard that is easier to comprehend. Thus, proceed with caution. 

Make your point in a manner that captures the reader’s attention. Using all tenses can help you achieve that feat. However, the tenses should not appear haphazardly. If you are not careful, you might make it hard for your reader to understand your insinuating description.

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Choosing the right tense for your essay is fundamental. It ensures that you can engage your reader in a comprehensive context easily. It starts by knowing when to use present, past, and future tense or combine them.

If your essay is about current events, it must be in the present tense. The reader gets to know what is happening at the very moment.

Use past tense to write an essay on past events. Describing those events will be much easier. You will do it with clarity hence not causing any confusion. On the other side, the future tense suits the description of events yet to occur.

You can also use the future tense to predict events that are about to happen. And if you want to polish your essay, care to combine all tenses, but do it with caution.

Watch this video to learn more about this.

When not handling complex essays and academic writing tasks, Josh is busy advising students on how to pass assignments. In spare time, he loves playing football or walking with his dog around the park.

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And, in fact, ChatGpt can do a better job than this website. It's a good idea to ask ChatGpt to change your sentences into the past tense.

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Shifty Tenses

Many students believe that tense changes should always be avoided. However, sometimes a shift in tense is necessary to indicate a change in the timeframe of the action. It is the unnecessary shifts in tense that sometimes cause awkwardness and should be avoided.

What is tense?

Tense is the grammatical word to describe the ending of a verb (usually -ed for past and -s for present). English usually marks the sense of time with an adverb (for example: it is happening today or it happened yesterday.) When proofreading for unnecessary tense shifts, there are several questions to keep in mind: “When do I want to set this action?” and “Has the time period changed?” For example, I may be writing an essay about my experiences on a recent trip to Virginia and want to say that I saw the Mason-Dixon line for the first time. I have several options. I can write my paper in the past tense, which is the style most people are used to reading in novels or short stories, as follows:

Then the driver pointed to a white line painted on the road and said , “There's the Mason-Dixon line.”

However, I may choose to make my essay more immediate by placing the action in the present. This is also an acceptable writing style, especially for an essay:

Then the driver points to a white line painted on the road and says , “There's the Mason-Dixon line.”

In this case, the tense is merely a matter of style; it is your choice.

Should I ever change tense?

Sometimes it is necessary to change tense. For example, if the time frame of the action changes from past to present, the tense should change to indicate this:

Although it was only a four-hour ride from my home in Pennsylvania to my boyfriend's home in Virginia, I was terrified. Looking back, I think my feelings may have been influenced by stereotypes of the Old South.

Although this paragraph starts in the past tense, the phrase “Looking back” clearly shows the time frame of the action “think.” The tense change is perfectly acceptable without this phrase also:

Although it was only a four-hour ride from my home in Pennsylvania to my boyfriend's home in Virginia, I was terrified. I think my feelings may have been influenced by stereotypes of the Old South.

The reason for this tense change is that I am thinking now—in the present time. Notice how putting that sentence in the past tense changes the time frame and ameaning of the action.

I thought my feelings may have been influenced by stereotypes of the Old South.

Now it sounds as though I was reflecting during the car ride, but I wanted to imply that it was only later that I had this thought.

When is it wrong to shift tense?

There are other times, though, when a tense shift is not correct. For example, if the action all happened in the same time—past, present, or future—then the verbs should be consistent in tense. This “mistake” is often heard in speech, and it is even used in very informal writing. However, from a grammatical viewpoint, this type of unnecessary shift in tense should be avoided in more formal (such as academic) writing.

I climbed out of the car, walked through the door, and prepared to meet “the parents,” but instead a large, honey-colored dog runs to meet me at the door.

Here is a better way of writing this sentence:

I climbed out of the car, walked through the door, and prepared to meet “the parents,” but instead a large, honey-colored dog ran to meet me at the door.

What tense is best for my paper?

There are other uses of tense that a college student should be aware of. English majors and others who write analysis papers will often write in the literary present. This allows a writer to write about fictional or nonfictional information from a literary work in the present tense.

Shakespeare uses many risqué puns in his plays. In one scene, he disguises sexual references as sword-fighting terms.

Although Shakespeare wrote many years ago, his work can still be talked about in the present because it still exists. Again, though, there is no hard and fast rule about tense. If you wanted to stress that this happened in the past, perhaps as part of a biography of Shakespeare which was describing how he used to write, you may choose to write it in past tense instead of the literary present:

Shakespeare used many risqué puns in his plays. In one scene, he disguised sexual references as sword-fighting terms.

This is also grammatically correct, but it changes the focus of the sentence slightly. Now it reads more like a narrative than an analysis. In a situation like this, when both styles are equally grammatically correct, it becomes a choice of deciding which is better for your purposes. Are you analyzing or narrating?

I'm still confused. Do you have an example of a paper that uses tense changes well?

The following is an example of an essay that uses tense changes successfully. Read the description of how the student changes tense and then pay attention to the effects of the tense changes as you read his essay. Some of the verbs in the essay are in bold to help you spot these changes. (This example is taken from a paper by a former student in Professor Blackledge's Theater Criticism class.)

This writer begins in past tense to talk about a specific production of the play. Then he shifts into something called the universal present to make the reader feel like an observer watching the play unfold. Then he shifts back to past tense when making a comment about the play—something he felt when he was watching it. Then he shifts again to present tense in the final paragraph to state his overall evaluation of the play.

The Pittsburgh Public Theater production of The Pirates of Penzance presented their audience with a lighthearted theatrical experience that could be enjoyed by theater goers, young and old alike. Written over one hundred years ago by the legendary operetta team Gilbert and Sullivan, Pirates has enjoyed great success with each new incarnation. Pittsburgh Public managed to hold to this tradition once again by bringing this ageless piece of musical theater to life with freshness as well as a salute back to the days of theater past. This look back to the theater of Victorian England was most evident in the set design of Michael Schweikardt. When the audience first enters the theater their eyes are drawn to a large, false proscenium painted bright red to resemble a large red curtain found in an old opera house. At the top of the proscenium are the stylized letters “G&S” to acknowledge the plays creators. Hanging from the ceiling are two gaslight chandeliers helping to transport the viewers back in time to the world of Gilbert and Sullivan. The playing area in front of the proscenium is painted in a fashion which resembles the lobby of a grand opera house. Disrupting this grand Victorian vision are two brown boulders placed on either side of the stage, foreshadowing the scene that is to be staged. These aspects create a mood for the audience by acknowledging them and allowing them to just enjoy the show. As the curtain rises , the audience views the backdrop depicting a rocky beach with a ship anchored in the distance. Set in front of the backdrop is a rocky hill indicating that the action will take place on a flat of land above the beach. Cut into the hill is a tiny cave which will serve as a hiding place later in the act. The actors' entrances are made coming over this rocky structure and entering onto the stage. I felt that Michael Schweikardt's design was very effective in meeting the needs of this scene. We must take into account that most of the action takes place in front of this set and allows the twenty-member cast to move freely within their world. Once again, the image of a late nineteenth-century production is perceived with the use of the simplistic structures and the simply painted backdrop. I feel that Mr. Schweikardt's challenge in designing this production would be to provide a functional set without taking away from the spirit of this timeless tale. The Pirates of Penzance was written for a different audience from today's. In a time when landing helicopters on stage and giant chandeliers come crashing down dramatic finales, audiences expect more. By focusing the spectacle of his set to bring the audience into the time this operetta was first produced, the audience is satisfied from the beginning. They can better understand why there is still a demand for century-old productions like The Pirates of Penzance and enjoy the experience today.

by Jessica Knouse

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What Tense Should an Essay be Written in?

The tense an essay is written in will depend to a degree on what type of essay it is as well as on the instructor’s rules. One constant for writing essays is that the verb tense should be consistent and you may want to use an essay tense checker to ensure tense consistency. The following are some of the grammar rules that apply to the use of tenses in essays:

• Most essays will be written primarily in present tense
• Use past tense if referring to events that occurred in the past or if discussing an author’s ideas in a historical context
• When pointing out the focus or main argument of an essay use the present simple tense
• Use the present tense for general facts and conclusions
• As much as possible be consistent when using verb tenses. Select a primary tense to write the essay in and make sure verbs and verb tenses align with the primary tense

How to Check Tense Change in an Essay

The verb tenses in essays should be consistent throughout the paper unless it is necessary to show a change in the time frame of an event or action. If you are concerned some part of your essay is in the wrong tense then you will need to proofread essay for tenses that are inconsistent with your primary tense:

• Establish what your primary tense is (past, present, future)
• Take note of all verbs and verb phrases in the portion of the essay you are concerned with
• Verbs and verb phrases that aren’t in the same tense as your primary tense are likely in the wrong tense unless they are being deliberately used to show a change in the time frame .

Checking for tenses in essays sounds easy but can actually be a long and tedious process. Is there another way to check verb tense in my essay you ask? Fortunately there is an alternative method as we have a tool that check if essay is in same tense all the way through.  You can check verb tense online using our past tense essay checker. It will analyze your entire essay and identify any tense problems for you. Now you may be wondering how can I convert my essay to present tense once a problem has been detected.  Our online essay editor for verb tense has you covered there as well. After identifying any verb tense problems in your essay it provides recommendations on how to fix mistakes.

Verb Tenses for Different Types of Essays

During the course of your school career you will most likely be assigned several different types of essays to write. The following are some specifics for using verb tenses in different types of essays:

• Argumentative essay. This type of essay is intended to test your skills in forming an opinion through research and building evidence-based arguments. Present tense will be the primary tense and used to present general facts and conclusions. Use simple past tense to refer to completed actions/events in the past and present perfect tense for events that began in the past and are still ongoing. The future tense may be used if discussing plans or predictions for the future.
• Expository essay. These essays are meant to test knowledge of a topic and the ability to communicate information clearly.  Generally they are written in the present tense with occasional shifts to the past tense to show a difference in time frames.
• Descriptive essay. As the name implies, in a descriptive essay you are describing something. This may be a person, an object an experience or something else. They will be written in either past or present tense.
• Narrative essay. Narrative essays tell about an event or an experience. They may be written in past or present tense. As with all essays the verb tense should be consistent with no unnecessary shifts in tense.

Performing a tense check online using an essay present tense finder like ours is one way to make sure your paper is free of tense-related problems.

Essay Tenses Checker Characteristics for Successful Essay Submission

Editing an essay for tense with a verb tense corrector will greatly improve your papers chance of being well received as long as the tool possesses the right features and functions.  The following are some of the features of our online essay tense corrector that makes it such a great tool:

• Identifies all tense related problems. Our tool detects any issues related to verb tense so that you can be sure you are using the correct tense in your essay.
• Corrects detected verb tense problems. After verb tense errors have been identified the tool recommends corrections to fix all these mistakes.
• Identifies and corrects other types of errors. Our online essay tense corrector detects many types of grammar mistakes including run on sentences, sentence fragments, wrong use of pronouns and others. It also checks for punctuation and spelling mistakes as well as for use of passive voice
• Provides accurate results. Our tense corrector tool has a high degree of accuracy to ensure all mistakes are identified and fixed.

Benefits of Editing an Essay with Our Online Essay Tense Checker

It is well worth editing an essay for tense with our online verb tense corrector. The following are just a few of the benefits to be gained using our tense editing tool.

• Submit better essays. You will be able to submit essays that are free of verb tense mistakes and other errors which is a huge benefit.
• Learn more about verb tenses. By using the tense corrector you will gain more knowledge about verb tenses from seeing what constitutes a verb tense mistake as well as how to correct these types of errors
• Save time and effort. Proofreading and editing an essay could take hours. Our tool will analyze your entire essay and recommend corrections in a minute or less depending on the length of your paper.
• Tool works with any type of writing. Our tense check tool can be used to edit any type of writing. Academic papers, research papers, letters or any other type of text can be edited with our tool.
• Tool is easy on the budget. Our writing tool is free so you can use it even if you are on a tight budget.

Start submitting great essays free of verb tense mistakes by using our online essay tense checker and corrector to proofread and edit your paper for tenses!

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• Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/jury-finds-trump-guilty-in-hush-money-case

WATCH LIVE: Trump found guilty in New York hush money trial — PBS NewsHour Special Report

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump became the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through hush money payments to an adult film actor who said the two had sex.

Watch our special report in the player above.

The verdict is a stunning legal reckoning for Trump and exposes him to potential prison time in the city where his manipulations of the tabloid press helped catapult him from a real estate tycoon to reality television star and ultimately president. As he seeks a return to the White House in this year’s election, the judgment presents voters with another test of their willingness to accept Trump’s boundary-breaking behavior.

Trump is expected to quickly appeal the verdict and will face an awkward dynamic as he seeks to return to the campaign trail as a convicted felon. There are no campaign rallies on the calendar for now, though he’s expected to hold fundraisers next week. It will likely take several months for Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw the case, to decide whether to sentence Trump to prison.

READ MORE: Guilty or not guilty, Trump verdict won’t sway most voters, poll shows

The falsifying business records charges carry up to four years behind bars, though prosecutors have not said whether they intend to seek imprisonment, and it is not clear whether the judge — who earlier in the trial warned of jail time for gag order violations — would impose that punishment even if asked. The conviction, and even imprisonment, will not bar Trump from continuing his pursuit of the White House.

Trump faces three other felony indictments, but the New York case may be the only one to reach a conclusion before the November election, adding to the significance of the outcome. Though the legal and historical implications of the verdict are readily apparent, the political consequences are less so given its potential to reinforce rather than reshape already-hardened opinions about Trump.

For another candidate in another time, a criminal conviction might doom a presidential run, but Trump’s political career has endured through two impeachments, allegations of sexual abuse, investigations into everything from potential ties to Russia to plotting to overturn an election, and personally salacious storylines including the emergence of a recording in which he boasted about grabbing women’s genitals.

In addition, the general allegations of the case have been known to voters for years and, while tawdry, are widely seen as less grievous than the allegations he faces in three other cases that charge him with subverting American democracy and mishandling national security secrets.

Even so, the verdict is likely to give President Joe Biden and fellow Democrats space to sharpen arguments that Trump is unfit for office, even as it provides fodder for the presumptive Republican nominee to advance his unsupported claims that he is victimized by a criminal justice system he insists is politically motivated against him.

Trump maintained throughout the trial that he had done nothing wrong and that the case should never have been brought, railing against the proceedings from inside the courthouse — where he was joined by a parade of high-profile Republican allies — and racking up fines for violating a gag order with inflammatory out-of-court comments about witnesses.

The first criminal trial of a former American president always presented a unique test of the court system, not only because of Trump’s prominence but also because of his relentless verbal attacks on the foundation of the case and its participants. But the verdict from the 12-person jury marked a repudiation of Trump’s efforts to undermine confidence in the proceedings or to potentially impress the panel with a show of GOP support.

The trial involved charges that Trump falsified business records to cover up hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, the adult film actor who said she had sex with the married Trump in 2006.

WATCH: What was said during closing arguments in Trump’s hush money trial

The $130,000 payment was made by Trump’s former lawyer and personal fixer Michael Cohen to buy Daniels’ silence during the final weeks of the 2016 race in what prosecutors allege was an effort to interfere in the election. When Cohen was reimbursed, the payments were recorded as legal expenses, which prosecutors said was an unlawful attempt to mask the true purpose of the transaction. Trump’s lawyers contend they were legitimate payments for legal services.

Trump has denied the sexual encounter, and his lawyers argued during the trial that his celebrity status, particularly during the 2016 campaign, made him a target for extortion. They’ve said hush money deals to bury negative stories about Trump were motivated by personal considerations such as the impact on his family and brand as a businessman, not political ones. They also sought to undermine the credibility of Cohen, the star prosecution witness who pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal charges related to the payments, as driven by personal animus toward Trump as well as fame and money.

The trial featured more than four weeks of occasionally riveting testimony that revisited an already well-documented chapter from Trump’s past, when his 2016 campaign was threatened by the disclosure of an “Access Hollywood” recording that captured him talking about grabbing women sexually without their permission and the prospect of other stories about Trump and sex surfacing that would be harmful to his candidacy.

Trump himself did not testify, but jurors heard his voice through a secret recording of a conversation with Cohen in which he and the lawyer discussed a $150,000 hush money deal involving a Playboy model, Karen McDougal, who has said she had an affair with Trump: “What do we got to pay for this? One-fifty?” Trump was heard saying on the recording made by Cohen.

WATCH: Trump’s adult children speak out during hush money closing arguments

Daniels herself testified, offering at times a graphic recounting of the sexual encounter she says they had in a hotel suite during a Lake Tahoe golf tournament. The former publisher of the National Enquirer, David Pecker, testified about how he worked to keep stories harmful to the Trump campaign from becoming public at all, including by having his company buy McDougal’s story.

Jurors also heard from Keith Davidson, the lawyer who negotiated the hush money payments on behalf of Daniels and McDougal.

He detailed the tense negotiations to get both women compensated for their silence but also faced an aggressive round of questioning from a Trump attorney who noted that Davidson had helped broker similar hush money deals in cases involving other prominent figures.

But the most pivotal witness, by far, was Cohen, who spent days on the stand and gave jurors an insider’s view of the hush money scheme and what he said was Trump’s detailed knowledge of it.

“Just take care of it,” he quoted Trump as saying at one point.

He offered jurors the most direct link between Trump and the heart of the charges, recounting a meeting in which they and the then-chief financial officer of Trump Organization described a plan to have Cohen reimbursed in monthly installments for legal services.

WATCH: Robert De Niro and Jan. 6 first responders speak outside Trump’s hush money trial

And he emotionally described his dramatic break with Trump in 2018, when he decided to cooperate with prosecutors after a decade-long career as the then-president’s personal fixer.

“To keep the loyalty and to do the things that he had asked me to do, I violated my moral compass, and I suffered the penalty, as has my family,” Cohen told the jury.

The outcome provides a degree of vindication for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who had characterized the case as being about election interference rather than hush money and defended it against criticism from legal experts who called it the weakest of the four prosecutions against Trump.

But it took on added importance not only because it proceeded to trial first but also because it could be the only one of the cases to reach a jury before the election.

The other three cases — local and federal charges in Atlanta and Washington that he conspired to undo the 2020 election, as well as a federal indictment in Florida charging him with illegally hoarding top-secret records — are bogged down by delays or appeals.

Follow more of our Trump trial coverage

• How the judge instructed jurors as they started deliberations in Trump’s hush money trial
• Guilty or not guilty, Trump verdict won’t sway most voters, poll shows
• Here’s what every key witness said at Trump’s hush money criminal trial
• A timeline of key events in the Trump hush money trial
• What Stormy Daniels revealed on the stand in Trump’s hush money trial

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How the judge instructed jurors as they started deliberations in Trump’s hush money trial

Politics May 29