Using
consistent
Tense
Grade 7
English
Learning Goals
You will understand:
How to apply consistent verb tenses within
sentences.
You will be able to:
Recognise and distinguish between past,
present, and future verb tenses an create
sentences using consistent verb tenses,
What are
verbs?
Verbs are action words that tell
us what's happening in a
sentence.
Actions can happen in different
times and that's where verb
tenses come in!
Understanding Verb
tenses
Tense refers to the form of a verb that
indicates when an action or event takes
place.
There are three main verb tenses:
PAST PRESENT FUTURE
Understanding Verb
tenses
PAST TENSE PRESENT TENSE FUTURE TENSE
This is used to talk This is used to talk This is used to talk
about things that about things about things that will
happened before now. happening right now happen in the future.
or regularly.
Example: "She swam Example: "She draws Example: "She will
in the pool yesterday." after school every take a nap tomorrow."
day."
Let's look
at some
examples!
Example of different
Tenses
See how tense changes the verb, "sing"
based on whether the action happened in the
past, is happening now in the present, or will
happen in the future.
PAST PRESENT FUTURE
Sang Sing Will sing
Example of different
Tenses
See how tense changes the verb, "think"
based on whether the action happened in the
past, is happening now in the present, or will
happen in the future.
PAST PRESENT FUTURE
Thought Think Will think
Example of different
Tenses
See how tense changes the verb, "kick"
based on whether the action happened in the
past, is happening now in the present, or will
happen in the future.
PAST PRESENT FUTURE
Kicked Kick Will kick
consistency Is
Key!
Consistent use of
verb tense
To make your writing clear and easy to
understand, it's important to use the same
verb tense throughout your work.
When you start writing, pick a tense (like
past, present, or future) and stick to it for
the majority of your work.
You should avoid switching back and forth
between tenses as it can confuse readers
and disrupt the flow of your writing.
Shifting tenses on
occasion
In some cases (very occasionally), it may be
necessary to shift tenses to indicate a shift
in time or to discuss a related event.
However, you must be careful to do this
purposefully and ensure that the shift makes
sense and doesn't create confusion.
When to use each of
the verb tenses
PAST TENSE PRESENT TENSE FUTURE TENSE
For the past For general truths For upcoming events
When describing Present tense is often Future tense is used
events that occurred used to describe to talk about actions
in the past (e.g. general truths and or events that will
historical events), use things that are always happen in the future.
past tense. true.
Let's look
at an example of
inconsistent use of
tense!
Example of
inConsistent use of
tense
If you mix up verb tenses, it might sound a
little strange. Let's see an example:
"Yesterday, I run to the park and plays on the
swings."
Example of
inConsistent use of
tense
Did you notice the mistake?
"Run" and "plays" are both in the present
tense.
This can make the sentence confusing as the
sentence is written about events in the past
("yesterday"), so those verbs should be in
past tense!
Example of
inConsistent use of
tense
To make it clear, we need to be consistent
with our tenses. Let's see the fixed example
below:
"Yesterday, I walked to the park and played
on the swings."
Now, both verbs are in past tense as they
should be!
What about
verb groups?
using Consistent
Verb Groups
Sometimes, we use more than one verb in a
sentence, like with helping verbs (e.g., is,
am, are, was, were) or continuous verbs
(e.g., is playing, was eating).
When you use these verb groups, all the
verbs need to match in tense.
using Consistent
Verb Groups
Let's look at an example:
"She is studying for her test and cooks
dinner."
Here, "is studying" is present tense, but
"cooks" is present tense too. To make it
clear, we should use consistent verb groups:
"She is studying for her test and cooking
dinner."
Summary: Using
consistent tense
Remember to keep your tenses consistent to
make your sentences easy to understand.
The more you practice, the better you'll get
at making your writing clear and enjoyable
to read!
Thumbs up
Thumbs Down?
Written Task
🌴 1. Desert Island Adventure
You wake up on a deserted island. Describe what you do to explore and
survive. Use at least 10 action verbs (e.g., climb, search, build, swim,
cook, run, discover, shout, write, sleep). Underline all the verbs.
OR
🚀 2. Space Mission
You are an astronaut on your first journey to space. Write a paragraph
about what happens on your mission. Use at least 10 action verbs
(e.g., launch, float, push, press, collect, observe, repair, fly, explore,
return).
Homework
🦁 A Day at the Zoo or Amusement Park
Imagine you spend a day at the zoo or amusement park.
Write a paragraph about your visit, ensuring consistent
verb tense. Use at least 10 action verbs
