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Shift in Tenses and Persons

Group 24

Department of English, University of Lagos

ENG123: Academic and Technical Writing

Dr Eniayo Sobola

March, 2023
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GROUP MEMBERS

S/N NAME MATRICULATION NUMBER

1 210102235

2 210102236

3 210102237

4 210102238

5 210102239

6 210102240

7 210102241

8 210102242

9 210102243

10 210102244
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Abstract

This research is aimed at defining shifts and how it affects tenses and persons in language. It also

aims at how to avoid shift errors and how to identify them in a text which is compiled through

the help of useful materials from the internet.

Keyword: shift, tenses, antecedent, persons, errors

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A shift is a sudden unexpected change in person, verb tense, voice, mood or language

that may confuse readers. A shift occurs anytime a writer changes tense, person, number, or

voice. As you write and revise, be sure that any shifts you make are logical. An illogical

shiftoccurs when a writer changes tense, person, number, or voice for no good reason.

Shift in tenses and person

It is the act of changing the grammatical tense and the grammatical person of a sentence

or paragraph.Tense shifting involves changing the tense of a sentence from past, present,or future

to another tense

E.g, Changing from "I walked to the store (past tense) to "I am walking to the store

"(present tense) or "I will walk to the store "(Future tense)

Shift in person involves changing the grammatical person of a person from

first,second,or third person.For example, changing"I am going to the the store"(First person) to

"You are going to the store "(Second Person) or "He is going to the store"(Third Person).

Both tense and person shifting can be useful techniques in writing to create a sense of

variety and keeping the reader engaged.However,It is important to use them judiciously and with

clear intention,as OVERuse or Misuse can lead to confusion or awkward phrasing.

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Shifts in tense occur when one of the verbs in a sentence is out of format with the rest.

Basically all the verbs in the sentence are not parallel or not written in the same verb tense.

Note: verb tenses indicate time,past,present or future.

In other to clarify the timeline,both verbs must be in the same tense.

Example: when the game ended, the fans rush onto the field.

Correction: when the game ended, the fans rushed onto the field.

(Note: when correcting a verb tenses you go with the first verb and then make the

following verb match).

Instances where shift in tense can be use

Shifts in tense can be used in several instances, including:

Flashbacks: When narrating a story, a writer may shift from the present tense to the past

tense to indicate that they are narrating events that occurred in the past.
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Example: "I am walking down the street when I suddenly remembered the day my father

died. It was a cold winter morning, and I had just turned fifteen."

Changing perspectives: When there is a change in perspective or point of view, it may be

necessary to shift tenses to indicate the change.

Example: "He told me that he was going to the store, but I don't know if he actually went.

She said that he had left an hour ago."

Hypothetical situations: When discussing hypothetical situations, it may be necessary to

use a conditional tense.

Example: "If I had known it was going to rain, I would have brought an umbrella."

Historical events: When discussing historical events, it is common to use the past tense.

Example: "The American Revolution began in 1775 and ended in 1783."

Summarizing information: When summarizing information, it may be necessary to switch

to a different tense.

Example: "In conclusion, the company has achieved significant growth over the past year

and expects to continue this trend in the future."

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Types of tense shifts

1.Simple Present to simple past:This type of tense shift occurs when a sentence starts in

the present tense and then switches to past tense

E.g I eat breakfast everyday

2.Present Perfect to past perfect

This type of shift occurs when a sentence starts in the present tense and then switches to

the past perfect tense e.g

I have lived in this city for five years, Before that,I had lived in a small town.

3.Simple past to past perfect:This type of shift occurs when a sentence starts in the simple

past tense and switches to the past perfect tense.E.g,I saw the movie last night.By the time it

ended,I had fallen asleep.

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4.Present to Future:This type of shift occurs when a sentence starts in the present tense

and then switches to the future tense e.g "I am studying for my exam tonight.Tomorrow,I will

take the test".

5.Future to present:This type of shift occurs when a sentence starts in the future tense and

switches to the present tense e.g "I will go to the store tomorrow.Right now,I need to finish my

homework".

6.Present Perfect to Future Perfect:This type of shift occurs when a sentence starts in the

present perfect tense and then switches to the future perfect tense.E.g,I have been studying all

week.By the end of the day tomorrow,I will have finished my project.

It is important to use tense shifts carefully and deliberately as they can affect the clarity

and meaning of a sentence or a paragraph.

Verb tense error

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It occurs when the writer or speaker uses an incorrect verb tense in a sentence which can

lead to confusion or miscommunication.

1.Present tense used in a past context:"Yesterday,I go to the store to "Yesterday,I went to

the store".

2.Past tense used in a present context:"I think she was at home now to "I think she's at

home now"

3.Present perfect tense used with a specific time reference :"I have visited Paris since

2019

4.Simple past tense used with an unfinished action:"She played the piano for five minutes

when I interrupted her" to

"She had been playing the piano for five minutes when I interrupted her"

5.Future tense used with a past time reference: "Yesterday,he will come to visit me" to

"Yesterday,he came to visit me"

To avoid verb tense errors ,it is important to pay attention to the time frame of the

action or event being described and choose the appropriate verb tense accordingly.

How to avoid tense errors

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1.Understand the different tenses:Have a good understanding of the different tenses in

English (e.g present,past, future)and when to use them.It is important to understand the meaning

and usage of each tense to avoid errors

2.Use consistent tenses:Keep your tenses consistent within a sentence, paragraph or entire

piece of writing.If you start writing in one tense,make sure to continue using that tense

throughout unless there is a reason to change

3.Pay attention to time markers:Time markers such as "yesterday","last

week","tomorrow" can help you determine which tense to use e.g,if you're talking about

something that happened yesterday, you should use past tense

4.Use the correct form of the verb:Be sure to use the correct form of the verb for each

tense e.g"eat"-present tense

Ate-past tense

Will eat-future tense

5.Proofread your writing;Take the time to carefully proofread your writing for tense

errors.Look for inconsistencies in tense and correct them as necessary

6.Practice:The more you practise writing in English,the more comfortable you will

become in using the different tenses corrections.

Pronoun Shift in Person

When pronouns shift in person, the writer changes from writing in one voice (first-

person, second-person, third-person) to a different voice. For example, a writer will start the
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paragraph in first-person perspective, using the "I," "me," and "my" pronouns, and mid-way

through the paragraph will shift into second-person pronouns, "you." This can be jarring to the

reader, especially if the writing is not creative or instructive.

Example: School cafeterias serve up more than just food. They can be a source of social

development for many students as the cafeteria is one of the few places students can talk in a

more relaxed way. When you walk into a school cafeteria, you would notice how students are

clustered around tables, chatting with one another. Students can feel like they have more freedom

in a cafeteria where they can sit freely among their peers.

How do you stop a pronoun shift?

To stop a pronoun shift, make sure that the pronoun matches the antecedent (the last noun

that is the same gender or number) as the pronoun. When writing the paper, it is important to stay

in the same voice/person (first, second, or third-person perspective). Therefore, if the essay

begins in third-person perspective, the entire essay should remain in that perspective.

Mismatched Antecedents

As we just said, a pronoun shift can occur when a pronoun does not match its antecedent,

either in a single sentence or in a longer piece of writing. Pronouns need to match the number of

their antecedent. In the singular third person (he, she, him, her), they also need to match the

gender.

Here's a sentence where the pronoun does not match the gender of the antecedent:
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My wife left his sunglasses by the pool.

The word 'wife' should match the pronoun 'her' so that the gender is consistent:

My wife left her sunglasses by the pool.

It's also important to match the number of the pronoun: some pronouns are singular while

others are plural. If the antecedent is plural, the pronoun must be plural.

Here's an example where a plural pronoun is mistakenly used with a singular antecedent:

Doug is on their way home from work.

This sentence could easily be corrected by changing the pronoun 'their' to a singular one:

Doug is on his way home from work.

It can be harder to catch a mismatched pronoun and antecedent when they're not in the

same sentence, as in:

Suzanne went to the store to buy supplies for her party. They bought balloons, cups, and

plates.
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Here, 'they' should be changed to 'she' so that it matches its antecedent, 'Suzanne.'

Changing Persons

Another type of pronoun shift that's harder to catch is a change in persons. When writing,

it's important to maintain the same person. If a paragraph starts in the third person, it should stay

in the third person. Check out the pronoun shift in the following paragraph:

Patrice and I were so excited to travel abroad for the first time. We asked the hotel if you

could check in early so that you would have more time.

Conclusion
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This paper has discussed the meaning of shifts, tense shifts, shift in person and how to

avoid shift errors, and it has also provided quite a number of commonly inconsistent shifts.
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References

- Tense switching in english narratives : An FDG perspective by Carmen portero Munoz.

- Verb tense shift by Mt. San Antonio college.

-Pronoun shift overview and examples by study.com

-Shifty tenses by Indiana university of Pennsylvania.

-Definition and examples of tense by thought.co

-www.study.com

- Breaking English

- Tamuwriting center