Verb Tense Consistency
📋 What it is
Keep tenses consistent within a passage — don’t jump between past and present without a reason.
🗣️ Coach says
Tense tells WHEN. The rule isn’t “always use past” — it’s stay consistent. If you start a story in the past, don’t suddenly flip to the present. Readers feel the jolt even if they can’t name it.
🧠 Memory hook
Pick a time and stay there. Only switch tense when the timeline actually changes.
😂 Giggle
Why did the verb get detention?
Because it was acting out in every sentence!
😲 Whoa!
Writers use a deliberate tense-switch on purpose — flipping to present tense (“and suddenly she stops”) makes a moment feel urgent and alive.
✅ Quick check: “She opened the door and sees a cat.” What’s wrong, and how do you fix it?
Say your answer out loud first — then reveal.
It jumps from past (“opened”) to present (“sees”); fix by matching — “opened… and saw” (or “opens… and sees”).
Tense should stay consistent unless the timeline genuinely shifts.
🧪 Try it! (2 minutes)
Write two sentences about your morning, then check: are they in the same tense? Fix any accidental jump.