Name:
Tense Shifting
A tense shift occurs when a writer uses one tense (past, present, future, etc.), and then uses another without reason.
Example: I went to the store because I want to buy some groceries.
Tense shifting is considered a sign of weak or improper grammar. When reading a piece of writing, the tense that is used most common is considered the dominant (or correct) tense. Any other tenses uses (without specific reason) are considered to be errors. For example, a paper that uses the past tense in the first three paragraphs would probably not use the present tense once in the fourth paragraph. It is important to stay in one tense.
Please correct the following tense shifts:
1.) I want some money because I wanted a car.
2.) Dad went to college when he is young.
3.) John likes Ashley. He thought that she was pretty.
4.) I go to school because I wanted to learn.
5.) He used to drive because he likes it.
In the following, please identify the tense shifts:
Despite a rough introduction into the world, Tupac began to develop into an artist early in his adolescence. At the age of twelve, he joined the “127th Street Ensemble” in Harlem. As a member of this acting group, he performed in A Raisin in the Sun, among other productions. A short time later, Tupac moves with his family to Baltimore, Maryland, where he enrolled in the Baltimore School for the Arts. Tupac and his family did not have the money to buy popular shoes, clothing or jewelry, but his personality and skills as a writer and rapper made him one of the most popular students in the school. It was at the Baltimore School for the Arts that Tupac became close friends with Jada Pinkett Smith. Tupac later wrote a poem about Smith entitled “The Rose that Grew from Concrete.” While at the school, Tupac writes many pieces of poetry and won several rap competitions, and began to illustrate his abilities as an artist both to his friends and to his teachers.
What is the dominant tense?
What tense was used in the shift?