14 English Grammar Demystifi ed
this for verbs in paragraphs, too. There is one additional consideration: That is, is
the tense consistent throughout the paragraph? Read the following paragraph, and
decide if the writer was consistent.
When I decide to ask for a raise at work, I do some homework fi rst. First,
I consult the Occupational Outlook Handbook from the U.S. Department
of Labor to check recent salaries in my fi eld. Then I gather my recent
performance evaluations, and I reread them carefully to recall the list of my
accomplishments. However, I still need to list accomplishments that have
accrued since that evaluation. I always list higher sales, the number of sales
calls, and the number of those calls that result in sales.You probably realized that the writer was consistent in this paragraph. Some of the
present tense verbs are decide,do,consult,gather,reread, and need. Now read this
paragraph with the same task in mind. Is the tense consistent?
Your company may not be in a position to offer you a raise. If the company
was laying people off, it is probably not a good idea to ask for a raise at this
time. Asking for a substantial raise can only make you seem unrealistic and
untouched by what is going on around you. Instead, ask for something other
than money, such as fl ex time, or a better offi ce, or new equipment.Here are some verbs: offer,was laying off,ask. Are they all in the same tense?
Clearly, the writer meant to write in the present tense, but one verb does not con-
form: was laying off indicates the past; it should be is laying off.
Written Practice 1-5
In the following paragraph, choose the correct verb for each sentence. The fi rst
one (opens) is provided for you and sets the tense, or time, in the present.
Every morning Maria opens the offi ce and immediately (checks/checked)
the fax machine for messages. It seems that each day more and more
unsolicited faxes (will appear/appear). Now Maria (knows/knew) she will
have to fi nd a way to unlist the fax number.SUBJECT AND VERB AGREEMENT IN NUMBER
As you read in the introduction to this section, a verb changes depending on whether
the subject of the sentence is singular or plural. Look at the following examples: