7. Verb Tense and Consistency

Verb Tense questions ask you to choose the tense that correctly reflects when an action takes place relative to other events in the passage. Tense Consistency questions ask you to keep the tense the same throughout a sentence or passage unless there is a logical reason to shift.

The main tenses:

• Simple: past (wrote), present (writes), future (will write)
• Perfect: past perfect (had written), present perfect (has written), future perfect (will have written)
• Progressive: past progressive (was writing), present progressive (is writing)

When to use the perfect tense:

• Use past perfect (had + past participle) for an action completed before another past action: "By the time she arrived, the panel had already adjourned."
• Use present perfect (has/have + past participle) for an action that began in the past and continues or is relevant now: "Scientists have discovered three new species this year."

Tense consistency: Do not switch tenses mid-sentence or mid-paragraph without a logical reason.

• Incorrect: "The author introduces the argument and then provided evidence."
• Correct: "The author introduces the argument and then provides evidence."

Subjunctive mood: Use the subjunctive for hypothetical, contrary-to-fact, or wished-for situations. The key form is 'were' instead of 'was'.

• Correct: "If I were the director, I would expand the program."
• Incorrect: "If I was the director, I would expand the program."

Before/After examples:

• Incorrect: "She studies all night and then fell asleep at her desk."
• Correct: "She studied all night and then fell asleep at her desk."

⚠️ Common mistake: switching from present to past tense in a single narrative without a time signal, especially when summarizing a text.

💡 Tip: when the SAT® asks about verb tense, look for time-signal words in the surrounding sentences (yesterday, by the time, since, already, next year) -- these clues tell you which tense is required.