Grammar Entry 348 / 1011 60-second read

Tense Consistency

Avoid switching tenses within the same passage or narrative.

The comparisoni

✗ Wrong

She walked to the store and buys milk.

✓ Correct

She walked to the store and bought milk.

The ruleii

TENSE CONSISTENCY = maintain the same tense throughout.

Writers sometimes slip between tenses without noticing.

Memory aidiii

Remember it like this

If you start in past, stay in past. Past actions = past tense.

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