ACT (Enhanced)EnglishMedium
A student is revising a narrative essay and wants to ensure that all verb tenses are consistent within a single sequence of events. They have written the following paragraph: 'She walked to the window, gazing out at the storm. The wind howls outside, rattling the panes. A shiver ran down her spine as she watches the lightning.' Which of the following revisions corrects the inconsistent verb tenses?
- AShe walks to the window, gazing out at the storm. The wind howled outside, rattling the panes. A shiver runs down her spine as she watched the lightning.
- BShe walks to the window, gazing out at the storm. The wind howls outside, rattling the panes. A shiver ran down her spine as she watches the lightning.
- CShe walked to the window, gazing out at the storm. The wind howled outside, rattling the panes. A shiver ran down her spine as she watched the lightning.
- DShe walked to the window, gazed out at the storm. The wind howls outside, rattling the panes. A shiver runs down her spine as she watched the lightning.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. She walked to the window, gazing out at the storm. The wind howled outside, rattling the panes. A shiver ran down her spine as she watched the lightning.
Option A consistently uses the past tense ('walked,' 'gazed,' 'howled,' 'ran,' 'watched') throughout the paragraph, correctly portraying a sequence of past events. The original paragraph inconsistently switches between past and present tense.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. This option mixes present ('walks,' 'runs') and past ('howled,' 'watched') tenses inconsistently.
- B. This option retains the original inconsistent mix of present ('walks,' 'howls,' 'watches') and past ('ran') tenses.
- D. This option mixes past ('walked,' 'gazed,' 'watched') and present ('howls,' 'runs') tenses inconsistently.
Verb Tense Consistency
Verb tense consistency means maintaining the same tense (e.g., past, present, future) for actions within a single sequence of events or for related ideas, unless there is a clear reason to shift tenses.
- Maintain tense within a narrative sequence.
- Shift tense only when time frame changes.
- Inconsistent shifts confuse the reader.
Memory trick: Keep your story's clock ticking in the same direction.