Basic Writing and Proofreading

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Any time you write something for school or work, you need to take time to check it for errors. Read this article on consistent verb tense and word forms. Proofreading can be hard, so many people find it helpful to use checklists and go one step at a time. You'll get some practice with this next.

It is important to check your writing. Proofreading helps make sure you are expressing your ideas clearly and accurately. Don’t be put off by the grammatical terms, but rather focus on the ways you can correct your mistakes in grammar.


Maintaining consistent verb tense

A tense is the time in which something takes place. English has a past, present and future tense. Mixing the tense of verbs within a sentence can cause a lot of confusion to readers so be consistent and stick to the same tense.

Inconsistent tense:

The crowd starts cheering as Melina approached the finish line.

Consistent tense:

The crowd started cheering as Melina approached the finish line.

Consistent tense:

The crowd starts cheering as Melina approaches the finish line.

In some cases, however, clear communication will call for different tenses. Look at the following example:

When I was a teenager I wanted to be a firefighter, but now I am studying computer science.

If the time frame for each action or state is different, a tense shift is appropriate.

Try this practice activity. The highlighted words in the following paragraph have inconsistent word tenses. In the activity, choose the correct tense for each sentence.

In the Middle Ages, most people lived in villages and work as agricultural laborers, or peasants. Every village has a “lord,” and the peasants worked on his land. Much of what they produce go to the lord and his family. What little food was leftover goes to support the peasants’ families. In return for their labour, the lord offers them protection. A peasant’s day usually began before sunrise and involves long hours of backbreaking work, which includes plowing the land, planting seeds, and cutting crops for harvesting. The working life of a peasant in the Middle Ages is usually demanding and exhausting.


Word Forms

When writing, it is important to use the correct part of speech. A word form error occurs when you use the wrong part of speech.

  • When living in a new culture, a person is often faced with customs and believes that are very different from his own. (believes – beliefs)
  • Children are taught from a young age that to be success they have to work hard. (success – successful)
  • Strong students know how to work independent and in groups. (independent – independently)

Source:

Adapted from Otago Polytechnic, https://studentsupport.op.ac.nz/learning-support/incorrect-verb-tense/
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Adapted from LibreTexts, https://human.libretexts.org/Courses/Prince_George%27s_Community_College/ESL_Academic_Writing/06%3A_Appendix_1-__Grammar_and_Language_Review/6.02%3A_Parts_of_Speech
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Last modified: Thursday, July 11, 2024, 12:04 PM