SAT Reading & Writing: Shifting Verb Tense within a Passage
26+ practice questions in Praczo
The concept, explained
- 1
Maintain a consistent verb tense throughout a sentence and paragraph unless the timeline of events logically requires a shift.
- 2
If a paragraph describes a historical event established in the past tense ("The battle occurred in 1812..."), all verbs regarding that event must remain in the past tense.
- 3
Current beliefs or ongoing conditions tied to the historical event should shift to present tense ("The battle occurred in 1812, but it impacts us today").
- 4
Look for context clues like "Last year," "Currently," or the verbs in surrounding sentences to lock in the correct tense.
- ✗ Choosing the tense that "sounds right" in isolation without checking the surrounding paragraph.
- ✗ Incorrectly shifting between past simple and past perfect when not necessary.
SAT-style practice
Looking at the sky last night, the astronomer noticed a new comet and immediately _____ the observatory.
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