Keep the same tense
You learn to keep every verb in a sentence in the same tense.
How to do the test
- Find the time word, such as yesterday or every day.
- Decide: is the sentence in the past or the present? Check that every verb uses that tense.
A worked example
Tap the verb that is in the wrong tense. Yesterday we went to the zoo and we see a lion.
- Yesterday shows that the sentence is in the past tense.
- Every verb must use the same tense.
- Change see to saw.
- See is in the wrong tense.
More examples
Tap the verb that is in the wrong tense. Now the children are in the hall and they sang a song.
- Now shows that the sentence is in the present tense.
- Every verb must use the same tense.
- Change sang to sing.
- Sang is in the wrong tense.
Tap the verb that is in the wrong tense. Last night the wind howled and the trees shake.
- Last night shows that the sentence is in the past tense.
- Every verb must use the same tense.
- Change shake to shook.
- Shake is in the wrong tense.
Watch out
You think the last verb is correct because it sounds natural.
Find the time word first. Then check each verb against it, one at a time.
Tips
- If the first verb is past tense, the others usually are too, unless the sentence says otherwise.
Why it works
A sentence that jumps between past and present is confusing. A time word tells you which tense to use, and every verb in the sentence has to follow it.