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How do you know when to use past tense and present tense?

How do you know when to use past tense and present tense?

Verbs come in three tenses: past, present, and future. The past is used to describe things that have already happened (e.g., earlier in the day, yesterday, last week, three years ago). The present tense is used to describe things that are happening right now, or things that are continuous.

Can you mix past and present tense in a sentence?

The bottom line is this: there is no restriction on what tenses we can use and mix within a sentence, as long as they are appropriate for the context. Here, we have present perfect tense, simple past tense and simple future tense all in the same sentence.

In what tense is it suggested that the introduction should be written?

Introduction: use a mixture of present and past tense; the present tense is applied when you are talking about something that is always true; the past tense is used for earlier research efforts, either by your own or by another group. If the time of demonstration is unknown or not important, use the present perfect.

Should results be written in past tense?

Answer: The results section describes experiments that were completed before the paper was written. Therefore, the simple past tense is the natural choice when describing the results obtained. However, you should use the present tense to refer to tables, figures, and graphs that you are using to present your results.

Is APA present or past tense?

APA Style Guidelines on Verb Tense Use the past tense (e.g., researchers presented) or the present perfect (e.g., researchers have presented) for the literature review and the description of the procedure if discussing past events. Use the past tense to describe the results (e.g., test scores improved significantly).

When should we use present perfect?

The present perfect tense is used when talking about experiences from the past, a change or a situation that has happened in the past but is still continuing today. This tense is an important part of English grammar since it demonstrates that actions or events in the past have an effect on the present situation.

How do you use the present perfect?

The present perfect is used to describeAn action or situation that started in the past and continues in the present. An action performed during a period that has not yet finished. A repeated action in an unspecified period between the past and now.

How do you form the present perfect?

The present perfect tense refers to an action or state that either occurred at an indefinite time in the past (e.g., we have talked before) or began in the past and continued to the present time (e.g., he has grown impatient over the last hour). This tense is formed by have/has + the past participle.

How do you explain present perfect?

The present perfect tense is used to describe something that happened in the past, but the exact time it happened is not important. It has a relationship with the present. I have done my homework = I finished my homework in the past. It is not important at what exact time, only that it is now done.

How do you explain present perfect to a beginner?

Show students how the present perfect is formed: have/has plus the past participle. Tell them that the past participle of regular verbs ends in –ed, just as in simple past. One of the best ways to ensure that students understand when the present perfect is used is to contrast finished and unfinished time.

What is the difference between present simple and present perfect?

You must always use the present perfect when the time of an action is not important or not specified. You must always use the simple past when details about the time or place that an action occured are given or requested.

What is difference between simple past and present perfect?

The important thing to remember is that the present perfect is related to the present in some way. Whereas, the past simple happened at a specific time in the past and is a finished action.

Is Present Perfect a past tense?

The present perfect is a grammatical combination of the present tense and perfect aspect that is used to express a past event that has present consequences. The term is used particularly in the context of English grammar to refer to forms like “I have finished”.

Is had past or present?

The verb have has the forms: have, has, having, had. The base form of the verb is have. The present participle is having. The past tense and past participle form is had.

How do you teach present perfect and past simple?

When using the Present Perfect you should call the students’ attention to the consequences generated by an action, rather than just the action itself. The tense is always formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb ‘to have’ and then appending the verb’s past participle form.

How do you use past simple and past perfect?

We use Simple Past if we give past events in the order in which they occured. However, when we look back from a certain time in the past to tell what had happened before, we use Past Perfect.

How do you change Simple Past to Present Perfect?

We make simple past tense with the second form of the verb. We make present perfect tense by putting has / have before the past participle form of the verb….I have finished the work.I have sent the payment.I have received his letter. She has hurt her leg.There has been an explosion near the castle.