Correcting Tense Shifts

Tenses are the forms of verbs that indicate when an action occurs. Use tenses to indicate the timing of related events in a logical way.

Tense shifts occur when a writer changes from past to present or present to past for no reason, as in the following example:

Most people know that cigarettes were bad for them.

This sentence needlessly shifts from present (know) to past (were). The correction is fairly simple. Since the two actions are simultaneous, put both in the present tense or both in the past tense:

Most people know that cigarettes are bad for them.

Most people knew that cigarettes were bad for them.

Also, remember that the present perfect is a present tense. Therefore, it is compatible with the simple present tense. Some people incorrectly use the present perfect as a past tense because they “hear” the past participle, as in the following example:

Ben returned home after he has worked for six months in Chicago.

This sentence needlessly shifts in tense, but the correction is simple:

Ben returned home after he had worked for six months in Chicago.

Click the correct sentence. Calm returned after the storm has raged for twelve long hours. Calm returned after the storm had raged for twelve long hours.