Choosing a Verb Tense
The Present Tense
Add –s to make the third person singular present tense. Since most academic, scientific, and
technical writing is done in present tense, this is a very important reminder!
The system permits
Each operator controls
Use the present tense
--to show present states or conditions:
The test program is ready.
The bell sounds shrill.
--to show natural laws or eternal truths:
The earth rotates around the sun.
Carbon and oxygen combine to form carbon dioxide.
--to show habitual actions and repeated acts:
We hold a staff meeting every Tuesday.
The new file boots the computer.
--to quote from or paraphrase published work:
Nagamichi claims that calcium inhibits the reaction.
MCI’s brochure reads “We are more efficient than AT&T.”
--to define or explain procedures or terminology:
The board fits in the lower right-hand slot.
BOC stands for “British Oxygen Corporation.”
--to show possible futures in time and conditional clauses:
Your supervisor will recommend you for promotion if she likes your work.
The minutes of the meeting will be circulated once I type them.
The Past Tense
Add the proper suffix (usually –ed) or infix to the verb stem to make the past tense. Consult
a dictionary if you have questions about the correct past form.
Use the past tense
--for events that happened at a specific time in the past:
The fax arrived at 4:59 PM.
Kennedy died in 1963.
--for repeated or habitual items which no longer happen:
We used to have our department meetings on Tuesday.
He smoked cigarettes constantly until his coronary.
--after “if” or “unless” to writer about events that are not true or are not likely to
happen (use “would” in the main clause):
If we failed to test the system, we would be liable for damages.
Unless he submitted the paperwork yesterday, we would never be
able to enforce the patent.