Question

Shifts in verb tense occur when a writer uses more than one verb tense in a sentence.

- Shifts in verb tense are appropriate if they describe actions that take place in different time frames.

- Shifts are inappropriate if they describe actions that take place in the same time frame-either past, present, or future.

 

Using Correct Verb Tense

Write A if the verb tense shift is appropriate.

Write I if it is inappropriate. 

1. Juan improved his grades, but he still multiplies incorrectly. __________

2. The coach will determine each runner's start time after she instructed us to line up at the starting block. __________

3. After the carpenter measures the wood, he will begin cutting it. __________

4. He stared at the odd-looking dog, laughed out loud, and then feeds it a scrap of meat. __________

5. The politician will campaign in New York after she stops for a rally in Pennsylvania. __________

 

Rewrite each sentence so that it contains an appropriate shift in verb tense.

6. After she visits the museum and stops for lunch, she shopped for a new hat. __________

7. Before the crowd squeezes into the small concert hall, they lined up outside. __________

8. At the end of the party, Amelia's parents will surprise her with a used car that they fix up like new. __________

 

Using Correct Verb Tense (Continued)

9. It stuns the audience when the actors started throwing objects at them in the last act. __________

10. After the rabbit vanished, the magician will pull it out of a hat. __________