past present tense essay

Verb Tenses

What this handout is about.

The present simple, past simple, and present perfect verb tenses account for approximately 80% of verb tense use in academic writing. This handout will help you understand how to use these three verb tenses in your own academic writing.

Click here for a color-coded illustration of changing verb tenses in academic writing.

Present simple tense

The present simple tense is used:

In your introduction, the present simple tense describes what we already know about the topic. In the conclusion, it says what we now know about the topic and what further research is still needed.

“The data suggest…” “The research shows…”

“The dinoflagellate’s TFVCs require an unidentified substance in fresh fish excreta” (Penrose and Katz, 330).

“There is evidence that…”

“So I’m walking through the park yesterday, and I hear all of this loud music and yelling. Turns out, there’s a free concert!” “Shakespeare captures human nature so accurately.”

Past simple tense

Past simple tense is used for two main functions in most academic fields.

“…customers obviously want to be treated at least as well on fishing vessels as they are by other recreation businesses. [General claim using simple present] De Young (1987) found the quality of service to be more important than catching fish in attracting repeat customers. [Specific claim from a previous study using simple past] (Marine Science)

We conducted a secondary data analysis… (Public Health) Descriptional statistical tests and t-student test were used for statistical analysis. (Medicine) The control group of students took the course previously… (Education)

Present perfect tense

The present perfect acts as a “bridge” tense by connecting some past event or state to the present moment. It implies that whatever is being referred to in the past is still true and relevant today.

“There have been several investigations into…” “Educators have always been interested in student learning.”

Some studies have shown that girls have significantly higher fears than boys after trauma (Pfefferbaum et al., 1999; Pine &; Cohen, 2002; Shaw, 2003). Other studies have found no gender differences (Rahav and Ronen, 1994). (Psychology)

Special notes

Can i change tenses.

Yes. English is a language that uses many verb tenses at the same time. The key is choosing the verb tense that is appropriate for what you’re trying to convey.

What’s the difference between present simple and past simple for reporting research results?

• Past simple limits your claims to the results of your own study. E.g., “Our study found that teenagers were moody.” (In this study, teenagers were moody.)
• Present simple elevates your claim to a generalization. E.g., “Our study found that teenagers are moody.” (Teenagers are always moody.)

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Biber, Douglas. 1999. Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English . New York: Longman.

Hawes, Thomas, and Sarah Thomas. 1997. “Tense Choices in Citations.” Research into the Teaching of English 31 (3): 393-414.

Hinkel, Eli. 2004. Teaching Academic ESL Writing: Practical Techniques in Vocabulary and Grammar . Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Penrose, Ann, and Steven Katz. 2004. Writing in the Sciences: Exploring the Conventions of Scientific Discourse , 2nd ed. New York: Longman.

Swales, John, and Christine B. Feak. 2004. Academic Writing for Graduate Students: Essential Tasks and Skills , 2nd ed. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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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 30 July 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 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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Grammar: Verb Tenses

Most common verb tenses in academic writing.

According to corpus research, in academic writing, the three tenses used the most often are the simple present , the simple past , and the present perfect (Biber et al., 1999; Caplan, 2012). The next most common tense for capstone writers is the future ; the doctoral study/dissertation proposal at Walden is written in this tense for a study that will be conducted in the future.

Biber, D., Johansson, S., Leech, G., Conrad, S., & Finegan, E. (1999). Longman grammar of written and spoken English . Pearson. https://doi.org/10.1162/089120101300346831

Caplan, N. A. (2012). Grammar choices for graduate and professional writers . University of Michigan Press.

Simple present: Use the simple present to describe a general truth or a habitual action. This tense indicates that the statement is generally true in the past, present, and future.

• Example: The hospital admits patients whether or not they have proof of insurance.

Simple past : Use the simple past tense to describe a completed action that took place at a specific point in the past (e.g., last year, 1 hour ago, last Sunday). In the example below, the specific point of time in the past is 1998.

• Example: Zimbardo (1998) researched many aspects of social psychology.

Present perfect: Use the present perfect to indicate an action that occurred at a nonspecific time in the past. This action has relevance in the present. The present perfect is also sometimes used to introduce background information in a paragraph. After the first sentence, the tense shifts to the simple past.

• Example: Numerous researchers have used this method.
• Example: Many researchers have studied how small business owners can be successful beyond the initial few years in business. They found common themes among the small business owners.

Future: Use the future to describe an action that will take place at a particular point in the future (at Walden, this is used especially when writing a proposal for a doctoral capstone study).

• Example: I will conduct semistructured interviews.

Keep in mind that verb tenses should be adjusted after the proposal after the research has been completed. See this blog post about Revising the Proposal for the Final Capstone Document for more information.

APA Style Guidelines on Verb Tense

APA calls for consistency and accuracy in verb tense usage (see APA 7, Section 4.12 and Table 4.1). In other words, avoid unnecessary shifts in verb tense within a paragraph or in adjacent paragraphs to help ensure smooth expression.

• Use the past tense (e.g., researchers presented ) or the present perfect (e.g., researchers have presented ) for the literature review and the description of the procedure if discussing past events.
• Use the past tense to describe the results (e.g., test scores improved significantly).
• Use the present tense to discuss implications of the results and present conclusions (e.g., the results of the study show …).

When explaining what an author or researcher wrote or did, use the past tense.

• Patterson (2012) presented, found, stated, discovered…

However, there can be a shift to the present tense if the research findings still hold true:

• King (2010) found  that revising a document three times improves the final grade.
• Smith (2016) discovered that the treatment is effective.

Verb Tense Guidelines When Referring to the Document Itself

To preview what is coming in the document or to explain what is happening at that moment in the document, use the present or future tense:

• In this study, I will describe …
• In this study, I describe …
• In the next chapter, I will discuss …
• In the next chapter, I discuss …

To refer back to information already covered, such as summaries of discussions that have already taken place or conclusions to chapters/sections, use the past tense:

• Chapter 1 contained my original discussion of the research questions.
• In summary, in this section, I presented information on…

Simple Past Versus the Present Perfect

Rules for the use of the present perfect differ slightly in British and American English. Researchers have also found that among American English writers, sometimes individual preferences dictate whether the simple past or the present perfect is used. In other words, one American English writer may choose the simple past in a place where another American English writer may choose the present perfect.

Keep in mind, however, that the simple past is used for a completed action.  It often is used with signal words or phrases such as "yesterday," "last week," "1 year ago," or "in 2015" to indicate the specific time in the past when the action took place.

• I went to China in 2010 .
• He completed the employee performance reviews last month .

The present perfect focuses more on an action that occurred without focusing on the specific time it happened. Note that the specific time is not given, just that the action has occurred.

• I have travelled to China.

The present perfect focuses more on the result of the action.

• He has completed the employee performance reviews.

The present perfect is often used with signal words such as "since," "already," "just," "until now," "(not) yet," "so far," "ever," "lately," or "recently."

• I have already travelled to China.
• He has recently completed the employee performance reviews.
• Researchers have used this method since it was developed.

Summary of English Verb Tenses

The 12 main tenses:

• Simple present : She writes every day.
• Present progressive: She is writing right now.
• Simple past : She wrote last night.
• Past progressive: She was writing when he called.
• Simple future : She will write tomorrow.
• Future progressive: She will be writing when you arrive.
• Present perfect : She has written Chapter 1.
• Present perfect progressive: She has been writing for 2 hours.
• Past perfect: She had written Chapter 3 before she started Chapter 4.
• Past perfect progressive: She had been writing for 2 hours before her friends arrived.
• Future perfect: She will have written Chapter 4 before she writes Chapter 5.
• Future perfect progressive: She will have been writing for 2 hours by the time her friends come over.

Conditionals:

Zero conditional (general truths/general habits).

• Example: If I have time, I write every day.

First conditional (possible or likely things in the future).

• Example: If I have time, I will write every day.

Second conditional (impossible things in the present/unlikely in the future).

• Example : If I had time, I would write every day.

Third conditional (things that did not happen in the past and their imaginary results)

• Example : If I had had time, I would have written every day.

Subjunctive : This form is sometimes used in that -clauses that are the object of certain verbs or follow certain adjectives. The form of the subjective is the simple form of the verb. It is the same for all persons and number.

• Example : I recommend that he study every day.
• Example: It is important that everyone set a writing schedule.

Verbs Video Playlist

Note that these videos were created while APA 6 was the style guide edition in use. There may be some examples of writing that have not been updated to APA 7 guidelines.

• Grammar for Academic Writers: Common Verb Tenses in Academic Writing (video transcript)
• Grammar for Academic Writers: Verb Tense Consistency (video transcript)
• Grammar for Academic Writers: Advanced Subject–Verb Agreement (video transcript)
• Mastering the Mechanics: Helping Verbs (video transcript)
• Mastering the Mechanics: Past Tense (video transcript)
• Mastering the Mechanics: Present Tense (video transcript)
• Mastering the Mechanics: Future Tense (video transcript)

Related Resources

Knowledge Check: Verb Tenses

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• Writing Tips

Tense Use in Essays: Past vs. Present

• 2-minute read
• 16th April 2016

It’s mostly time travellers who worry about the more convoluted aspects of grammatical tense , but the issue of tense use in academic writing is, nonetheless, controversial.

To be specific, there is much disagreement about tense use in essays : specifically, is past or present tense best? Today, we look into this tricky problem.

Present Tense

The present tense is used when discussing current events or states. It will often be the dominant tense used in academic writing due to the number of situations to which it applies:

• Stating general principles or theories (e.g. ‘The third law of thermodynamics states …’)
• Describing a fact (e.g. ‘Catalysts increase the rate of a reaction…’)
• Expressing an opinion or making a claim (e.g. ‘I believe further research is required…’)
• Analysing the results of an experiment (e.g. ‘The results show that…’)

In all these cases, the present tense shows that something applies at the current time or emphasises its relevance to the present.

The present tense can also do this in a literature review, since it frames research in terms of its current significance. This shows that you’re engaged with ongoing debate in your field of study, not simply describing out-of-date research.

The past tense is used when describing events that have already happened. In academic writing, this could be writing up a completed experiment.

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For example, the past tense can be used in methodology and results sections. Likewise, the past tense is useful when writing a case study, since this is almost always about something that has already occurred.

While you can use the past tense in a literature review, saying that someone ‘believed’ something may imply that they changed their mind. As such, the past tense can be used for discussing ‘dead’ ideas (i.e. things that no-one holds true any more) or something that someone has since disavowed.

Future Tense

The future tense is useful for discussing things that are yet to happen, such as when we commit to doing something (e.g. ‘I will continue to research this issue’).

Generally, you won’t need to do this too often in academic writing. However, the future tense can be useful in the following situations:

• Making predictions about the future
• Offering recommendations based on your results
• Suggesting new avenues of research

In all these cases, the future tense will help you express yourself more clearly.

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Tense Use in Academic Writing

Flipped learning module.

Each Flipped Learning Module (FLM) is a set of short videos and online activities that can be used (in whole or in part) to free up class time from content delivery for greater student interaction. At the end of the module, students are asked to fill out a brief survey, in which we adopt the minute paper strategy . In this approach, students are asked to submit their response to two brief questions regarding their knowledge of the module.

In this FLM, students are asked to complete a fill-in-the-blank outline which accompanies all three videos, covering the topics of common verb tense use in academic writing. The completed outline will enhance the students’ note-taking skills and will serve as a summary of the FLM that they may refer to in the future.

present simple, past simple, present perfect, appropriate use in context

Module Overview Tense use in Academic Writing Common Verb Tenses in Academic Writing Present Simple Tense The Past Tenses Past Simple Tense Present Perfect Tense The Use of Tenses in a Given Text The Three Tenses in an Academic Text Download Video Transcripts

Worksheet: Tense Use in Academic Writing Module Outline

• __________________________________________________
• The most typical verb tense in academic writing is: _______________________, and it is usually in the following paragraphs of an academic essay: _____________________________.
• The Present Simple Tense is used to:__________________________________________________.
• (Function 1):__________________________________________________
• (Function 2):__________________________________________________
• In academic papers, the present perfect tense is used when: __________________________________________________________________________.

Download Outline

Video 1: Tense use in Academic Writing

Tense use in academic writing online activity 1.

In support of his argument, Wasserstrom provides the example of Mickey Mouse, the arrival of which he experiences firsthand in China.

Video 2: The Past Tenses

Tense use in academic writing online activity 2.

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) has developed at an astonishing rate in its short history. With the launch of the World Wide Web in 1990 and the mass popularization of the Internet, many forms of CMC became widely used. These different types of CMC can be differentiated on two parameters: (1) the number of recipients of a message and (2) the synchronicity of the communicative event. Though it is possible to have multiple recipients in instant messaging IM, (it is primarily used for one-to-one dialogue. IM is also synchronous, since participants are “electronically present at the same time” (Paolillo 1999). Instant (or near-instant) reply is the norm, as spontaneous, real-time dialogue takes place. IM is unique in that it is the only one-to-one synchronous type of CMC.

Adapted from “Linguistic ruin? Lol! Instant messaging and teen language” by Sali Tagliamonte and Derek Denis (2008)

Video 3: The Use of Tenses in a Given Text

Tense use in academic writing survey.

• What was the one most important thing you learned from this module?
• Do you have any unanswered questions for me?

Tense Use in Academic Writing In-Class Activity

Based on what you have learned about the three most frequently used tenses in academic writing, here is an exercise for you to complete. We will be watching this TED Talk during class (You may watch it in advance, if you wish, but it is not a requirement).

Summarize the talk in a paragraph written with your assigned group. When you summarize, make sure to use a range of tenses in an academic context.

Download Worksheet

Download Digital Implementation of the Activity

Hacker, Diana. The Bedford Handbook . Bedford St./Martin’s, 2016.

“ Verb Tenses .” The Writing Center , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

See all Writing Program Flipped Learning Modules

The Difference Between Present Tense vs. Past Tense Verbs

Learn how to choose between present tense vs. past tense when writing fiction and non-fiction works.

Verb tenses are one of the biggest English grammar rules that language learners must master. With many different verb tenses, learning the different nuances can feel challenging. Yet mastery is possible, and it starts with understanding the difference between present tense vs. past tense.

This guide will cover both of these tenses and how they show up in sentences . It will also discuss the different conjugations that go with these tenses.

Present Perfect Tense 

Present continuous tense, present perfect continuous tense , use of present tense, what is past tense, past perfect tense, past perfect continuous, when to use past tense, present tense vs. past tense – consistency is key, the final word: present tense vs. past tense, what is present tense.

Present tense is the English verb tense that shows action that is currently happening or continually happening. It has a sense of immediacy. Typically, this tense has the base form of the verb if the subject is plural and the base form of the verb plus an “s” if the subject is singular.

Here are some example sentences with simple present tense verbs:

• She jumps over the stream.
• The children climb on the playground equipment.
• They go to the store after school.

These sentences are examples of simple present tense. However, there are three additional present tense conjugations you should know.

These mixed tense exercises might also be helpful.

The present perfect tense combines the helping verb “have” or “has” with the simple past tense form of the verb. This tense implies action that happened in the past and continues to the present. 

Here are some example sentences:

• I have read that novel before.
• She has worked towards her goal of getting a degree.
• The baby has cried because he is hungry. 

Present continuous tense shows action that is happening right now and, most likely, continuing into the future. It pairs a state of being verb with the verb and the suffix -ing. This shows action in real-time. 

Here are some examples:

• I am reading my favorite novel right now.
• She is moving towards her goal of getting a degree.
• The baby is crying because he is hungry.

When you pair “have” or “has” with a state of being verb and the verb itself with an -ing suffix, you have present perfect continuous. This shows an action that happened in the past and continues now and probably in the future as well. 

Here are the previous sentences in this tense:

• I have been reading my favorite novel since last month.
• She has been moving towards her goal of getting a degree for over three years.
• The baby had been crying because he was hungry, but now he is crying because he is mad.

Present tense is common in dialogue because you’re describing things that are happening right now in the present moment. This tense is also the more common one to  use in academic writing .

This tense also works well in fiction writing told from a first-person or second-person point of view. Present tense novels are not as common as past-tense novels, but they do grab the reader’s attention because of this change.

Simple past tense is the verb tense that shows action that occurred some time in the past. It doesn’t matter if it was last week, last night or last year, if it was in the past, this is the tense that applies to past events. With regular verbs, you form the simple past tense by taking the base form of the verb and adding -ed.

• The dog went to the vet for his checkup.
• The family skied down the slope together.
• The mother and daughter shopped until they dropped.

these are simple past tense sentences, but there are additional verb tenses that are part of the past tense category.

Past Continuous Tense

The past continuous tense pairs the past tense of “was” or “were” with the verb followed by -ing. This shows ongoing action that happened in the past.

Here are the same sentences, but changed into past continuous tense:

• The dog was going to the vet for his checkup.
• The family was skiing down the slope together.
• The mother and daughter were shopping for a long time.

The past perfect tense pairs the word “had” with the past tense verb. This tense shows action that was completed before a specific time in the past. 

Changing the example sentences again, this is how they look with past perfect tense:

• The dog had gone to the vet for his checkup yesterday.
• The family had skied down the slope together last week.
• The mother and daughter had shopped until they dropped on Black Friday.

Finally, past perfect continuous pairs “had been” with the root verb plus -ing. This shows an action that started in the past, continued for a while, then ended also in the past. 

Here are the example sentences again, but this time with past perfect continuous:

• The dog had been going to the vet, but his owner had to go home when the car got a flat tire.
• The family had been skiing down the slope together when they crashed into a laughing pile.
• The mother and daughter had been shopping when they got an important phone call. 

Past tense is the tense you will use any time you are discussing things that happened in the past. It is also the more common  tense to use in fiction writing  or in tales written from the third-person POV. 

When you are writing, the key to using the present tense and past tense correctly is to be consistent. Sometimes the use is obvious, such as when you are talking about current or past events, but other times it is not.

In fiction writing, make sure you keep the tense the same throughout the story, except for when writing dialogue. If you start the story in past tense, keep it in past tense. 

On the other hand, if you try your hand at a present-tense narrative, make sure you do not dip into the past tense. It must stay the same, or you will confuse your readers. Keep in mind that the present perfect form of the verb is actually a present tense form, even though it uses past tense conjugation.

Differentiating between present tense vs. past tense can get tricky, especially with different conjugations that fall into these categories. Present tense conjugations explain actions that happen in the current moment, while past tense conjugations explain actions that happened in the past. If you practice consistency in your writing, you will be able to use them properly each time.

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What Tense Should I Use in Writing?

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When writing, people are often confused about what tense they should use. Should I write this MLA history paper in past tense? Should I write my short story in present or past tense? How about a resume: should I write my job entries in present or past? And these people are right to be confused because what tense you should use varies widely depending on your writing style and your purpose.

Academic (Four Main Styles)

APA/Harvard: Per APA (and its non-American variant, Harvard), you should primarily use past tense, especially in literature reviews where you’re talking about authors’ past studies. It should be:

“Johnson (2008) argued . . .”

“Johnson (2008) argues . . . .”

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The same is true for your Results and Method sections, but APA makes an exception for Discussion sections (where you examine your conclusions and the implications of the study), which can be in present tense if it better conveys your meaning.

MLA: This style is a bit more straightforward. Per MLA, you should be almost always using present tense:

“In To Kill a Mockingbird , Atticus Finch argues . . .”

If you need to differentiate time, you should use present perfect tense:

“For many years, Scout has been worrying about . . . .”

If you must, you can use some past tense, but keep it to a minimum.

Chicago: This style is a bit more lenient. Per Chicago, you can use either present or past (Though it’s best to use present when discussing literature and past when writing about history.), but make sure you stay consistent. If you switch, make sure you need to, such as:

The Romans used various military strategies, some of which are still in use today.

AP: AP, which is used by news media, is also more flexible. There is no set tense; instead, you should be endeavoring to use present/past/future as necessary to make sure the events you are describing are as clear as possible. AP also recommends using time words (today, tomorrow, March 17, etc.) to anchor your piece and further reduce ambiguity.

When talking about your job experience in resumes, the rule is simple: Use present tense for current positions:

Lead team in HVAC solutions

And use past tense for past positions:

Led team in HVAC solutions

Business Plan

Professors and potential investors have different views on what tense a business plan should be written in, but definitely you should be using either future or present tense. Some people argue that you should always write a business plan in future tense because you’re talking about your future plans.

But there’s another school of thought that recommends using present tense instead because this will allow your plan to stay current as you develop it and you develop your business. In other words, as you develop your business, you develop your plan, and it stays current with what you’re doing.

Above all, fictional writing needs to be consistent in its tense. Just as above, don’t switch unless you must. (BTW, fictional writing is done in Chicago Style.)

Everything Else

For everything else, such as business letters, admission essays, and e-mails, and especially in more informal contexts, just use your best judgment and write in whatever tense feels right to you. Go with your instincts and remember that, unless you’re writing in a formal academic context, you have more leeway to do whatever you like.

Just remember, for all styles and purposes, always be consistent. Try to pick one tense and stick with it throughout your piece. If you have to switch tenses, make it very obvious why you are doing so, and at least try to start new paragraphs for new tenses.

That’s it, I hope you have/had/will have good luck in your writing!

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In what tense (present/past) should papers be written?

That is, should it be present tense or past tense?

Should there be a difference between the abstract, main body and the conclusion?

Does the field of publication have any impact?

• publications
• writing-style

• 6 I suggest reading a copy of How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper by Robert A. Day. You could also get a copy of The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. –  user244795 Commented Dec 3, 2012 at 17:24
• 5 Don't forget about the future tense (for discussion and open problems). :-) –  Anonymous Mathematician Commented Dec 3, 2012 at 17:55
• @user244795 +1 for Strunk and E.B. White. So much valuable information in such a small book. –  user4383 Commented Apr 19, 2013 at 4:06

2 Answers 2

The rules of thumb are:

• Established facts are reported in the present tense (“ The path of light follows Fermat's principle of least time ”). However, you should use the past tense when you refer to previous work in the field (“ Maxwell et al. demonstrated clearly in a laser cavity experiment that no mirror is perfect ”).
• The experiments, simulations or calculations you performed are narrated in the past tense (“ We dissolved the remaining solid in a 5:1 solution of acetone and benzonitrile, and heated to 200°C for three hours. ”)
• Discussion of the data presented in the paper uses the present tense (“ The results obtained, shown in Fig. 3, clearly emphasize that the cell colonies grew faster on pink toothbrushes than green ones. We attribute this to the color-sensitivity, or kawai factor. ”)
• Mathematical proofs are written using the present tense, because going through the proof occurs at the time of reading (“ From Eqn. 1, we derive the following system of inequalities ”).

Overall, the choice of tenses is actually pretty logical.

• 4 I'm not sure if I agree with the third example. If the result can be generalised, surely the results show that the cell colonies grow faster, not grew faster, on pink toothbrushes? –  gerrit Commented Oct 5, 2012 at 19:21
• 2 @gerrit I agree: here, as written , it is meant to be a specific statement about the experiment (it is “ the cell colonies grew faster”, not “cell colonies grow faster”). Both are of course possible, but have different meanings… –  F'x Commented Oct 5, 2012 at 20:23
• 14 A trickier case is describing mathematical proofs from older papers. It's "Thurston [4] claimed that 3-manifolds are ..." but "Thurston's argument [4] implies that 3-manifolds are ...". –  JeffE Commented Oct 5, 2012 at 20:42
• 2 This is a nice succinct description of tense. In the lab report guidelines I wrote for my students, I took two pages. –  Ben Norris Commented Oct 5, 2012 at 22:51
• 6 @Suresh: The subject of the first sentence is a person, who made his claim at a specific time in the past. The subject of the second sentence is an argument, which implies what it always has and always will, and oh by the way it was first articulated by Thurston. Platonism FTW! –  JeffE Commented Oct 6, 2012 at 3:15

There are two distinct general cases that bring up the question of, "Which tense should I use?", each of which follows different principles.

First, are you describing research itself and ideas from research? (This is what you are doing probably 99% of the time.) In this case, the principle that I follow is simple, regardless of whether I am describing what other people have done or describing my own work:

• Historical occurrences should be in past tense. "Historical" means anything that actually happened in the past, whether a procedure, an article publication, a statement made by anyone, or anything else that has actually happened.
• Enduring truths should be in present tense. "Enduring truth" in this context only means that the authors present such statements as ongoing facts in the past, present and future; it doesn't mean anything more than that. (In particular, even if you disagree with what some authors consider to be true, it is still an "enduring truth" in their minds, and so should be presented in present tense.)

The second case where tense is involved is trickier: are you describing your own writing process as you are writing the article? (Although you only do this 1% or less of the time, it leads to perhaps 80% of the confusion of the question as to which tense to use, so it is important to understand this.) The basic idea here is to anticipate your reader's expected or intended path of reading, which is what makes it so tricky. Here is the principle I follow here:

• When describing anything you write in the current paragraph or any paragraph below, use present tense. Future tense could also be correctly used for most things in paragraphs below, but not always. In particular, when referring to elements outside the main body of the text (such as appendices, references, footnotes, acknowledgements, etc.), you should always use present tense, since the reader should refer to such ancilliary sections simultaneously with reading the text. I find this a bit confusing, so it is simpler for me to only use present tense and never use future tense, which is perfectly acceptable.
• When describing any thing you write in preceding paragraphs, use past tense. The only exception is that when writing in appendices, you should refer to the main body of the text in present tense. (Technically, you should probably also use present tense if referring to the main body in other ancillary sections [references, footnotes, acknowledgements, etc.], but I never need to refer to the main body of the text in such sections.)

I now follow with several annotated examples to illustrate these points. Some of them are straightforward applications of the principles I have summarized above, though some could be argued as either present or past tense.

Literature review AuthorA and AuthorB (Year) studied an interesting topic. They applied a cool methodology and found that certain surprising outcomes are what actually happen.

• "AuthorA and AuthorB (Year) studied an interesting topic": The study occurred in the past, and so is in past tense.
• "They applied a cool methodology": The authors actually did some analysis in the past, and so it is in past tense.
• "and found that": The authors arrived at their results at a certain point in time in the past, when they made their conclusions; this is thus in past tense.
• "certain surprising outcomes are what actually happen": The authors concluded that their findings not only applied to their study, but indicate some general truths that would continue to apply in the future. Thus, as a description of ongoing reality, it is in present tense.

Methodology Section of My Own Article We gathered and analyzed certain pertinent data in various stages. First, we conducted an extensive survey. The respondents of the survey reported that they only partially agreed with most of the statements in the survey instrument. Second, we interviewed other relevant respondents. The interviewees enlightened us as to some of the responses on the prior survey. Third, we collected biometric data from the brain electrodes attached to the interviewees during the interviews, which was generally consistent with what they were actually saying (except for some notable discrepancies, which we discuss in more detail below). Finally, we applied some cutting-edge combined quantitative-qualitative analyses to bring everything together and make sense of it all.

• "We gathered and analyzed ", "we conducted ", "we interviewed ", "we collected ", "we applied ": Statements of research methods or procedures that we actually did are past events; hence, they are in past tense.
• "The respondents of the survey reported ", "The interviewees enlightened us", "biometric data ... was generally consistent with": Responses and results (whether by people, animals, plants, or inanimate objects) are reports of historical facts: they actually happened in the past. Thus, they should be in past tense.
• "The respondents of the survey ... only partially agreed with most of the statements in the survey instrument", "what they were actually saying ": These are tricky. But even when you are reporting what people said to be enduringly true about themselves, their saying such things is a past historical statement. That is, if you were to ask them again today, they might have changed their minds. You can only report what they said as a statement made in the past. This is probably the trickiest point, and might be argued to rather be in present tense, though I personally don't think so.
• "notable discrepancies, which we discuss in more detail below": Here you are describing what you have written in the present article, that is, part of your own writing process. This should be in present tense.

Discussion Section of My Own Article The respondents of our surveys and interviews gave us valuable responses that generally confirmed our hypotheses. We conclude from our analyses that the kind of people in our study generally act in the way that our hypotheses claim . However, the brain electrode readings give us a more nuanced understanding of our findings. They indicate that people act in that way only in certain circumstances. The appendix of this article provides more details on all this.

Here it gets quite tricky, with cases that might be argued either way. Comments:

• "respondents of our surveys and interviews gave us valuable responses": The respondents responded in the past.
• "generally confirmed our hypotheses": we conducted the tests of our hypotheses in the past. However, it could be argued to be "generally confirm our hypotheses", since the hypotheses remain confirmed eventoday and in the future by those historical tests.
• "We conclude from our analyses": Not only in the past, but now and in the future, each time we reassess our analyses, we continue to arrive at the same conclusions.
• "our hypotheses claim ": Our hypotheses have not changed; they continue to make the same claims.
• "people in our study generally act in the way", "people act in that way": We extrapolate our findings not only to the people who responded in our study, but as a general finding concerning how that type of person continues to act.
• "the brain electrode readings give us a more nuanced understanding of our findings", "They indicate that": We are referring here not to the past fact of taking the readings, but to the ongoing fact of our interpretation of those readings.
• "The appendix of this article provides more details": This refers to a supplementary section of my own writing.

Appendix of My Own Article In this appendix we provide more details about the analyses from the study. We conducted even fancier and more experimental analyses to better understand the results. Our supplementary analyses revealed some cases where the general trend did not apply. We explain our interpretation of these supplementary findings in the Discussion section of the article.

• "In this appendix we provide more details": This is the writing process of the current section of the article.
• "We conducted even fancier and more experimental analyses", "Our supplementary analyses revealed some cases": These are procedures conducted in the past.
• "the general trend did not apply: This is a past finding from a past analyses. It might be argued to be an interpretation, in which case it should be in present tense.
• "We explain our interpretation of these supplementary findings in the Discussion section": This reference to the main body of the article should always be in present tense, since it is written in an appendix.

• 1 What if in the Methods section I want to describe a procedure to calculate something, (maybe depicted in a diagram)?. Should I use past tenses because I did it or present tenses because it's something that I did but the procedure always true? For example We calculate the exposure time by taking ... and then we divide.... –  skan Commented Dec 12, 2018 at 20:40
• @skan, this would be past tense according to the principles I proposed. You said, "the procedure [is] always true", but that is not the case. In fact, if you were to repeat the study, you would not do exactly the same procedure because the data might change, the subjects might change, and you might use better procedures as you gain more experience. So, whenever you are documenting procedures, you are recording historical information of how you actually did things that one time. That should be reported in past tense. –  Tripartio Commented Dec 13, 2018 at 8:49
• @skan, you need to provide an actual concrete example otherwise I cannot tell for sure. –  Tripartio Commented Dec 13, 2018 at 11:36
• Imagine the procedure explains how to compute the minimum value of some example data and the user can also follow the procedure on a diagram. The minimum is always calculated in the same way. Would it be wrong to use the present time? I'll try to elaborate an example. –  skan Commented Dec 13, 2018 at 11:40
• 1 @skan, in your example, you are not describing the procedure you followed. You are explaining how to carry out the procedure, which is not the same thing. That should be in present tense. –  Tripartio Commented Dec 13, 2018 at 11:54

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Verb Tense Consistency

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Throughout this document, example sentences with nonstandard or inconsistent usage have verbs in red .

Controlling shifts in verb tense

Writing often involves telling stories. Sometimes we narrate a story as our main purpose in writing; sometimes we include brief anecdotes or hypothetical scenarios as illustrations or reference points in an essay.

Even an essay that does not explicitly tell a story involves implied time frames for the actions discussed and states described. Changes in verb tense help readers understand the temporal relationships among various narrated events. But unnecessary or inconsistent shifts in tense can cause confusion.

Generally, writers maintain one tense for the main discourse and indicate changes in time frame by changing tense relative to that primary tense, which is usually either simple past or simple present. Even apparently non-narrative writing should employ verb tenses consistently and clearly.

General guideline: Do not shift from one tense to another if the time frame for each action or state is the same.

Explains is present tense, referring to a current state; asked is past, but should be present ( ask ) because the students are currently continuing to ask questions during the lecture period.

CORRECTED: The instructor explains the diagram to students who ask questions during the lecture.

Darkened and sprang up are past tense verbs; announces is present but should be past ( announced ) to maintain consistency within the time frame.

CORRECTED: About noon the sky darkened , a breeze sprang up , and a low rumble announced the approaching storm.

Walk is present tense but should be past to maintain consistency within the time frame ( yesterday ); rode is past, referring to an action completed before the current time frame.

CORRECTED: Yesterday we walked to school but later rode the bus home.

General guideline: Do shift tense to indicate a change in time frame from one action or state to another.

Love is present tense, referring to a current state (they still love it now;) built is past, referring to an action completed before the current time frame (they are not still building it.)

Began is past tense, referring to an action completed before the current time frame; had reached is past perfect, referring to action from a time frame before that of another past event (the action of reaching was completed before the action of beginning.)

Are installing is present progressive, referring to an ongoing action in the current time frame (the workers are still installing, and have not finished;) will need is future, referring to action expected to begin after the current time frame (the concert will start in the future, and that's when it will need amplification.)

Controlling shifts in a paragraph or essay

General guideline: Establish a primary tense for the main discourse, and use occasional shifts to other tenses to indicate changes in time frame.

• Rely on past tense to narrate events and to refer to an author or an author's ideas as historical entities (biographical information about a historical figure or narration of developments in an author's ideas over time).
• Use present tense to state facts, to refer to perpetual or habitual actions, and to discuss your own ideas or those expressed by an author in a particular work. Also use present tense to describe action in a literary work, movie, or other fictional narrative. Occasionally, for dramatic effect, you may wish to narrate an event in present tense as though it were happening now. If you do, use present tense consistently throughout the narrative, making shifts only where appropriate.
• Future action may be expressed in a variety of ways, including the use of will, shall, is going to, are about to, tomorrow and other adverbs of time, and a wide range of contextual cues.

Using other tenses in conjunction with simple tenses

It is not always easy (or especially helpful) to try to distinguish perfect and/or progressive tenses from simple ones in isolation, for example, the difference between simple past progressive ("She was eating an apple") and present perfect progressive ("She has been eating an apple"). Distinguishing these sentences in isolation is possible, but the differences between them make clear sense only in the context of other sentences since the time-distinctions suggested by different tenses are relative to the time frame implied by the verb tenses in surrounding sentences or clauses.

Example 1: Simple past narration with perfect and progressive elements

On the day in question...

By the time Tom noticed the doorbell, it had already rung three times. As usual, he had been listening to loud music on his stereo. He turned the stereo down and stood up to answer the door. An old man was standing on the steps. The man began to speak slowly, asking for directions.

In this example, the progressive verbs had been listening and was standing suggest action underway at the time some other action took place. The stereo-listening was underway when the doorbell rang. The standing on the steps was underway when the door was opened. The past perfect progressive verb had been listening suggests action that began in the time frame prior to the main narrative time frame and that was still underway as another action began.

If the primary narration is in the present tense, then the present progressive or present perfect progressive is used to indicate action that is or has been underway as some other action begins. This narrative style might be used to describe a scene from a novel, movie, or play, since action in fictional narratives is conventionally treated as always present. For example, we refer to the scene in Hamlet in which the prince first speaks (present) to the ghost of his dead father or the final scene in Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing , which takes place (present) the day after Mookie has smashed (present perfect) the pizzeria window. If the example narrative above were a scene in a play, movie, or novel, it might appear as follows.

Example 2: Simple present narration with perfect and progressive elements

In this scene...

By the time Tom notices the doorbell, it has already rung three times. As usual, he has been listening to loud music on his stereo. He turns the stereo down and stands up to answer the door. An old man is standing on the steps. The man begins to speak slowly, asking for directions.

In this example as in the first one, the progressive verbs has been listening and is standing indicate action underway as some other action takes place. The present perfect progressive verb has been listening suggests action that began in the time frame prior to the main narrative time frame and that is still underway as another action begins. The remaining tense relationships parallel those in the first example.

In all of these cases, the progressive or -ing part of the verb merely indicates ongoing action, that is, action underway as another action occurs. The general comments about tense relationships apply to simple and perfect tenses, regardless of whether there is a progressive element involved.

It is possible to imagine a narrative based on a future time frame as well, for example, the predictions of a psychic or futurist. If the example narrative above were spoken by a psychic, it might appear as follows.

Example 3: Simple future narration with perfect and progressive elements

Sometime in the future...

By the time Tom notices the doorbell, it will have already rung three times. As usual, he will have been listening to loud music on his stereo. He will turn the stereo down and will stand up to answer the door. An old man will be standing on the steps. The man will begin to speak slowly, asking for directions.

In this example as in the first two, the progressive verbs will have been listening and will be standing indicate ongoing action. The future perfect progressive verb will have been listening suggests action that will begin in the time frame prior to the main narrative time frame and that will still be underway when another action begins. The verb notices here is in present-tense form, but the rest of the sentence and the full context of the narrative cue us to understand that it refers to future time. The remaining tense relationships parallel those in the first two examples.

General guidelines for use of perfect tenses

In general the use of perfect tenses is determined by their relationship to the tense of the primary narration. If the primary narration is in simple past, then action initiated before the time frame of the primary narration is described in past perfect. If the primary narration is in simple present, then action initiated before the time frame of the primary narration is described in present perfect. If the primary narration is in simple future, then action initiated before the time frame of the primary narration is described in future perfect.

Past primary narration corresponds to Past Perfect ( had + past participle) for earlier time frames

Present primary narration corresponds to Present Perfect ( has or have + past participle) for earlier time frames

Future primary narration corresponds to Future Perfect ( will have + past participle) for earlier time frames

The present perfect is also used to narrate action that began in real life in the past but is not completed, that is, may continue or may be repeated in the present or future. For example: "I have run in four marathons" (implication: "so far... I may run in others"). This usage is distinct from the simple past, which is used for action that was completed in the past without possible continuation or repetition in the present or future. For example: "Before injuring my leg, I ran in four marathons" (implication: "My injury prevents me from running in any more marathons").

Time-orienting words and phrases like before, after, by the time , and others—when used to relate two or more actions in time—can be good indicators of the need for a perfect-tense verb in a sentence.

• By the time the senator finished (past) his speech, the audience had lost (past perfect) interest.
• By the time the senator finishes (present: habitual action) his speech, the audience has lost (present perfect) interest.
• By the time the senator finishes (present: suggesting future time) his speech, the audience will have lost (future perfect) interest.
• After everyone had finished (past perfect) the main course, we offered (past) our guests dessert.
• After everyone has finished (present perfect) the main course, we offer (present: habitual action) our guests dessert.
• After everyone has finished (present perfect) the main course, we will offer (future: specific one-time action) our guests dessert.
• Long before the sun rose (past), the birds had arrived (past perfect) at the feeder.
• Long before the sun rises (present: habitual action), the birds have arrived (present perfect) at the feeder.
• Long before the sun rises (present: suggesting future time), the birds will have arrived (future perfect) at the feeder.

Sample paragraphs

The main tense in this first sample is past. Tense shifts are inappropriate and are indicated in bold .

(adapted from a narrative)

Inappropriate shifts from past to present, such as those that appear in the above paragraph, are sometimes hard to resist. The writer becomes drawn into the narrative and begins to relive the event as an ongoing experience. The inconsistency should be avoided, however. In the sample, will should be would , and rise should be rose .

The main tense in this second sample is present. Tense shifts—all appropriate—are indicated in bold.

(adapted from an article in the magazine Wilderness )

This writer uses the present tense to describe the appearance of a dragonfly on a particular July morning. However, both past and future tenses are called for when she refers to its previous actions and to its predictable activity in the future.

Click here for exercises on verb tense.

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• Writing Tips

Should You Use Past or Present Tense When Citing Researchers’ Work?

• 2-minute read
• 18th July 2022

There’s a lot that researchers have to think about when writing papers.

Not only do you have to actually write the paper, research intensely, and structure your argument well, the details of how you should present your writing can take up a lot of time and brain power.

One of those nitpicky details is presenting the work of other researchers. Should you use the past or present tense? Luckily, unlike many other aspects of academic writing, the answer to this question is simple.

With every major style guide for academic writing (e.g., MLA , Chicago , AP ) except one, you should use the present tense when you’re citing researchers’ work in your papers.

Appleby (2005) claims that around 40% of birds can migrate.

The exception to the rule is the APA style guide. If your school follows the APA style guide, you can use either the past or present tense when citing the work of researchers. It’s your choice.

So, in short, if you stick to the present tense, you won’t go wrong. However, if you want to use the past tense, make sure your school accepts the APA style guide.

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Appleby (2005) claimed that around 40% of birds could migrate.

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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. 

People Also Read: A Guide for Buying a College Essay: Without Being Caught

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.

People Also Read: Thesis Defense Steps: Full Guide How to Prepare and Present

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.

People Also Read: Can Literature Reviews Be Published: Can I Publish on my Own

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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• Knowledge Base
• Simple Past Tense | Examples & Exercises

Simple Past Tense | Examples & Exercises

Published on August 22, 2023 by Eoghan Ryan . Revised on October 23, 2023.

The simple past tense is a verb form used to refer to an action or series of actions that were completed in the past.

The simple past tense of regular verbs is formed by adding “-ed” to the infinitive form of the verb (e.g., “cook” becomes “cooked”). Most verbs in the simple past take the same form regardless of the subject (e.g., “He worked/we worked”).

Table of contents

How to use the simple past, present perfect vs. past simple, simple past vs. past perfect, how to form negatives, how to form questions, how to form the passive voice, exercises: simple past tense, other interesting language articles, frequently asked questions about the simple past tense.

The simple past tense (also called the past simple or preterite ) is used to describe an action or series of actions that occurred in the past.

The past simple of regular verbs is typically formed by adding “-ed” to the end of the infinitive (e.g., “talk” becomes “talked”).

Irregular verbs don’t follow a specific pattern: some take the same form as the infinitive (e.g., “put”), while others change completely (e.g., “go” becomes “went”).

Most verbs in the simple past tense don’t follow subject-verb agreement (i.e., they don’t change form depending on the subject).

Ariana rented a car and drove to the coast.

We visited a museum, walked the Champs-Élysées, and dined at a fancy restaurant.

Forming the simple past

The simple past of regular verbs is usually formed by adding “-ed” to the end of the verb (e.g., “guess” becomes “guessed”). However, this can vary depending on the verb’s ending.

Irregular verb: “be”

The stative verb “be” in the simple past tense is used to describe unchanging past conditions (e.g., “My father was a good man”) and temporary past situations (e.g., “The children were tired”). Unlike other verbs in the simple past, “be” changes form depending on the subject, as shown in the table below.

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Both the present perfect and past simple tenses are used to refer to past action. However, they serve different purposes:

• The present perfect is used to refer to an action that began in the past and may continue or to an action that took place in the past and has present consequences.
• The past simple is typically used to describe an action that was completed in the past and is not ongoing.

I have run a marathon before. [I may run a marathon again]

I was a vegetarian when I was younger.

While the past simple is used to describe an action or series of actions that occurred in the past, the past perfect is used to indicate that an action was completed before another past action began.

In the past simple tense, negative statements are formed by adding “did not” (or the contraction “didn’t”) between the subject and the infinitive form of the verb.

For the verb “be,” negative statements are formed by adding “was not/were not” (or the contractions “wasn’t/weren’t”) after the subject .

To ask a yes–no question using the simple past, add “did” before the subject and the infinitive form of the verb.

To ask a question starting with a wh-word (an interrogative pronoun like “who” or an interrogative adverb like “where”), follow the same word order as above, but add the pronoun or adverb at the start of the sentence.

Why did Eva leave so early?

Passive sentences are ones in which the subject is not the person or thing performing the action. Instead, the subject is the person or thing being acted upon.

In the past simple, passive constructions are formed using a subject , “was”/“were,” and the past participle of the verb.

Maria was ignored by the salesman.

Practice using the simple past correctly with the exercises below. In the blank space in each sentence, fill in the correct simple past form based on the subject and verb specified (e.g., “[he / talk]” becomes “he talked”). Some answers may also be negative statements or questions.

• Practice questions
• Answers and explanations
• __________ [you / go] to the shop this morning.
• __________ [they / play] a board game.
• __________ [my son / not / study] for the exam.
• __________ [the band / rehearse] every day this week.
• __________ [I / plan] to be home by six!
• When __________ [you / travel] to France?
• The simple past form of the irregular verb “go” is “went.”
• The simple past form of the regular verb “play” is “played.”
• In the simple past tense, negative statements are formed by adding “did not” (or the contraction “didn’t”) between the subject (“my son”) and the infinitive form of the verb (“study”).
• The simple past form of the regular verb “rehearse” is “rehearsed.”
• For short verbs, where the last three letters follow a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern (e.g., “plan”), you double the final consonant and add “-ed.”
• To ask a question starting with a wh-word, add the wh-word at the start of the sentence, followed by “did,” the subject (“you”), and the infinitive form of the verb (“travel”).

If you want to know more about commonly confused words, definitions, common mistakes, and differences between US and UK spellings, make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.

Nouns & pronouns

• Common nouns
• Proper nouns
• Collective nouns
• Personal pronouns
• Uncountable and countable nouns
• Verb tenses
• Phrasal verbs
• Sentence structure
• Active vs passive voice
• Subject-verb agreement
• Interjections
• Determiners
• Prepositions

The simple past tense of the verb “read” is “read” (e.g., “I read a book last week”).

While “read” is spelled the same in both its past and present forms, its pronunciation differs depending on the tense :

• The simple present form is pronounced “reed.”
• The simple past form is pronounced “red.”

The simple past tense of the verb “teach” is “taught” (e.g., “You taught me a lesson”).

While the simple past of a regular verb is typically formed by adding “-ed” to the end of the infinitive (e.g., “talk” becomes “talked”), irregular verbs like “teach” don’t follow a specific pattern.

The simple past tense of the verb “go” is “went” (e.g., “Ava went to Spain”).

While the simple past of a regular verb is typically formed by adding “-ed” to the end of the infinitive (e.g., “jump” becomes “jumped”), irregular verbs like “go” don’t follow a specific pattern.

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Should Essays be in Present Tense?

Grammatical tenses are important in all types of writing, but we’ll concentrate on their application in academic writing. I will explain whether you should use present tense in essays or not.

No, essays should not always be in present tense. Although more than a third of college and school essays are written in present tense, past tense is often needed when referring to other authors’ ideas. Simple present tense is used when presenting you own views.

Tense consistency is what matters.

College and school essays are typically written in the simple past tense or past perfect tense.

However, because it is more concise, it is preferable to use simple past tense. More importantly, rather than bouncing between two or three tenses throughout the essay, it is recommended that you stay to one throughout. So, rather of moving between past and present or past and future, if you start in simple past tense, you must use it throughout the essay.

Also, while presenting your own thoughts, you should use simple present tense, and when quoting someone else’s perspective, you should use simple past tense.

What Tense Should I Use in Writing?

In general, present tense should be used when writing most essays, with past tense used when referring to past events or an author’s ideas. The narrative essay is one big exception to these norms, as the writer can use either past or present tense, but the work should be tense consistent throughout.

Most essays you write in high school and later will need you to analyze some aspect of literature.

• As an example, your teacher may ask you to explain how the word choice used by the author contributes to the tone of a poem or analyze the main theme of a particular piece of literature.
• You should employ what is known as the “literary present” in these essays. This indicates that you write about the tale in the present tense, even though the story may be written in the past tense.

There are, however, a few exceptions to this way of writing. (After all, it is English, and every rule seems to have an exception, right?) If you’re writing about anything that happened before the story’s plot started (like Scout’s mother’s death in To Kill a Mockingbird), you’ll use the past tense.

You’ll also need to use past tense verbs for clarity. “Scout realizes that Boo had shielded her from Bob Ewell,” you might write. “Scout realizes that Boo shields her from Bob Ewell,” for example, would be confusing and untrue.

Historical writings, on the other hand, are a different matter. Most authors use the past tense to discuss completed occurrences since they are describing real happenings.

As an example, you may write, “ Henry VIII gave fierce orders Queen Anne’s beheading in an attempt to create an heir .” History has come to an end.

Changing the verb to “gives” would be odd and imply that anything hasn’t happened yet.

If in doubt, use literary present tense—or contact your instructor. And, regardless of the tense you use, make sure you stick to it throughout your entire paper.

The main rule for all essays, as well as any other sort of writing, is to choose a tense and stick to it. Writing in one tense and changing tenses merely to imply a movement in time or perhaps some dramatic purpose is one of the most aggravating things for a reader to endure.

The Past Tense in Academic Writing

You could employ the past tense in an academic paper to illustrate that a viewpoint is no longer commonly accepted. For example, the past tense “claimed” and “has since been disputed” both indicate that the study is no longer valid:

• Cook and Moore (1964) argued that profane language is funny, however many specialists have since refuted this assertion.

When explaining the methodology used in a previously conducted experiment, the past tense is also widely used in academic writing:

• Two hundred samples were tested using unique approaches.

However, some institutions have specific guidelines for how a methodology chapter should be written, so check your style guide for tense usage requirements.

The Present Tense in Academic Writing

Because it is reasonable when writing about current happenings or states of being, the present tense is prominent in most forms of academic work. Some of the applications include: 

• Known facts and theories (for example, “Profane language is unusual but common among young people…”)
• A study’s findings (for instance, “The findings show that…”)
• Other people’s ideas or claims (for instance, “Cook and Moore argue that…”)

Even when presenting a study that took place in the past, the present tense is normally correct as long as the conclusions are still applicable today.

The Future Tense in Academic Writing

Although the future tense is less popular in academic writing, it nevertheless serves a few crucial functions. One is in research proposals, where you’ll need to discuss your study goals, predictions concerning results, and methods:

One is in research proposals, where you’ll need to discuss your study goals, predictions concerning results, and methods:

• This study will explore the role of profane language in humor. We anticipate that the majority of respondents will find vulgar language amusing.

When advocating new research lines or discussing how the findings of a study could be implemented, the future tense also becomes meaningful:

• Further research into the rising usage of profane language in everyday life, according to our findings, should be carried out.

The most important thing to remember is that the future tense is used to describe something that hasn’t transpired yet or is projected to happen in the future.

How to use tenses in an Essay

The Purdue Online Writing Lab is a fantastic resource for all types of grammar and writing problems, and these are their specific recommendations:

• Use the past tense to describe events and to refer to an author’s ideas as historical events (for example, biographical material about a historical figure or a timeline of changes in an author’s thoughts).
• Use the present tense to convey facts, allude to ongoing or routine actions, and discuss your own thoughts or those expressed by an author in a specific work.
• Use the present tense to describe action in a novel, film, or other fictional story. You could want to tell an incident in the present tense, as if it were happening right now, for dramatic impact. If you do, stick to the present tense throughout the story, changing it only when necessary.
• Future action can be indicated in a number of ways, including the usage of will, shall, is about to, are about to, tomorrow, and other temporal adverbs, as well as a variety of contextual indicators.

• Introduction to Tenses

When we are reading anything, how do we know if the events are happening in the past, present or the possible future? In grammar , we indicate time by modifying the verbs accordingly. Let us see how this is done in Introduction to Tenses.

In English grammar , verbs are often used in a way that it indicates or denotes the time when an event occurred. These verbs that take up different forms to indicate the time of an action, event or condition by changing its form are called as tenses. Tenses can be broadly classified into three broad categories:

Present Tense

Future tense, browse more topics under tenses.

• Present Perfect Tense
• Present Continuous Tense
• Present Perfect Continous Tense
• Past Perfect Tense
• Past Continous Tesne
• Past Perfect Continous Tense
• Future Perfect Tense
• Future Continous Tense
• Future Perfect Continous Tense
• Sequence of Tenses
• Uses of Tenses

With each of these tenses, there are four aspects associated with it. An aspect here refers to the nature  of action performed by the verb . We will also learn about them in an introduction to tenses.

• Perfect or complete
• Perfect continuous
• Progressive or Continuous
• Simple or indefinite.

This way, we get total possibilities of 12 tenses in English grammar. Let us understand more about each of these groups of tenses.

(Source: pineterst)

Past, Present & Future

This tense is used to refer to something that happened in the past. Sometimes, past tense is also called as ‘simple past tense’. Example: We stayed in a hotel.

• Past continuous tense:  This type of past tense is used to describe an event or occurrence that is ongoing or continuing in the past. Example: We were playing tennis at the club. 
• Past Perfect Tense : This type of tense is used to describe an event in the past that has been completed.  Example: We had completed our match before she had come.         
• Past Perfect Continuous:  This type of past tense verb is used to indicate an event, action or occurrence that started before another event, action or occurrence in the past. We can say that one action or event interrupted another. Example: I had been playing the drums since school time.

Learn more about Uses of Past Tense here in detail .

This tense is used to refer or indicate to something that occurs in the present. The simple present or indefinite present tense is used to describe an action, event, or condition that is occurring in the present while being spoken about or written. Example: The dogs’ bark.

• Present Continuous Tense:  This tense indicates the continuous nature of an act or event in the present and has not been completed. The activity has begun in the past and will be completed in the future. Example : She is preparing chicken sandwiches for breakfast.
• Present Perfect Tense:  This tense is used to describe an action that had begun in the past, continues into the present and has just been completed. The time of occurrence of the action is generally not mentioned. This tense is also used to describe an action happened in the past before another action took place .   Example: I have just completed my dinner.
• Present Perfect Continuous Tense:  This tense is used to describe an action, event or occurrence that has begun in the past and continues into the present. It is also used for an action that began and just finished in the past or in cases where there is no mention of time. Example: They have been trying to contact her.

Learn more about Sequences of Tenses here in detail.

This tense is used to refer to or indicate something that hasn’t happened at the time of speaking or writing. ‘Simple Future Tense’ commonly formed with the use of words ‘will’ and ‘shall’. Example: We shall be there by noon.

• Future Continuous Tense:  This tense is used to describe actions that are ongoing or continuing in the future. It is commonly used in sentences by using the simple future tense of the verb with the present participle i.e ‘-ing’. Example: His parents will be attending the convocation.
• Future Perfect Tense:  Is used to refer or describe an event that will be completed sometime in the future before another action takes place. It is written by using the past participle of the verb with the simple future tense of the verb. Example: I will have completed 10 years of work in August this year.
• Future Perfect Continuous Tense:  This tense is used to describe an action that is continuing into the future and will be completed at a specified time in the future. This tense is written using the future perfect tense of the verb with the present participle. Example: I shall have been living in Mumbai for five years by May 2019. 

With this introduction to tenses, you may have now got a good idea about the tenses and their various types and forms. We will learn more about each of these tenses in the following chapters.

Learn the rules for changing tenses between Active Voice and Passive Voice .

Solved Example for You

Q.   She _________ food when the guests arrived yesterday.

Sol. (b) was preparing.  The sentence is in past tense which is indicated by the word ‘yesterday’. It is also indicated in the sentence that it is in past continuous tense due to the words ‘when the guests arrived’.

So, the option which is indicative of past continuous tense is option b) was preparing. The completed sentence is: She was preparing food when the guests arrived yesterday.

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• Present Perfect Continuous Tense
• Future Perfect Continuous Tense
• Past Continuous Tense
• Past Perfect Continuous Tense
• Future Continuous Tense

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The novel opens in Switzerland in 1969. A young, pregnant Black American woman named Bonnie anxiously awaits the return of her Swiss-Senegalese lover, Mansour, a musician who has gone missing while on tour with his band in Spain. After months of standing by for his homecoming, Bonnie, with determination and grit, sets out to determine if a recently discovered corpse is his.

From there, the novel threads through time and space, unfurling the story of Bonnie’s search while also probing the past to unpack the histories of people involved in Bonnie and Mansour’s lives. We rove through the decades, from the 1940s to the 1970s, and we journey through Senegal, Paris, New York and Brazil, meeting along the way vivid secondary characters like Mansour’s aunt Sokhna, who sneaked onto a jet and flew it when she was 13 years old, and Bonnie’s grandmother Sylvia, who helped her civil rights lawyer father represent the widows of those lynched in Alabama.

In “They Dream in Gold,” Sennaar weaves a large quilt of culture and identity, delving into the American dream as a part of the complexity of the global immigrant experience. As a child in Senegal, Mansour begged on the streets, but even then his voice “always yields the best tips, the most rice, the most sugar.” When he later moved to New York to develop his career as a musician, he discovered that the gift of his voice didn’t translate to the ability to communicate. He didn’t “have the language to respond,” Mansour notes during a tense band rehearsal, “probably wouldn’t even if he did know what to say. His quest to understand Black Americans is ongoing.” Bonnie also finds it “hard to process an identity that seemed to have no gatekeepers — its roots breeding, building, breaking under everything America was.”

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