1. Verb Tense Consistency EASY

2. PRESENT: Leon waits patiently while Margaret shops for a birthday card. PAST: Marissa made raspberry marmalade and ate it on a slice of Wonder bread. CONDITIONAL: Jorge would buy a bike if he could get the money.

3. The first verb establishes the tense. My father owns a business and employs three workers. present

4. Inconsistent tense: The truck pulled over, and the engine shuts off. pastpresent shut past

5. We would take a trip if we can get some time off. conditionalpresent could get some time off. conditional We will take a trip if we can get some time off. present

6. Verb Tense Consistency CHALLENGING

7. Stating facts in the PRESENT: An earthquake (which scientists also call a tremor or temblor) occurs when the Earth’s crust shifts and releases energy and creates seismic waves. Scientists record earthquakes with a seismometer. While a magnitude 7 earthquake often causes serious damage, people usually do not notice a magnitude 3 earthquake.

8. Telling a story in the PAST: In December 2009, an earthquake shook Abruzzo, a region in central Italy, at 3:32 in the morning. Scientists measured it as a 5.8 on the Richter scale. People felt the tremor throughout the country, and over 300 people died. There were several thousand aftershocks that followed the main quake, more than 30 of which were recorded as having a magnitude over 3.5.

9. Explaining a hypothesis or fantasy in the CONDITIONAL: If I could have any career I wanted, I would become a seismologist so that I could study earthquakes. I would like to work in Southern California, where I could do fieldwork, examining the faults close up. In fact, I would like to become an expert on the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults. Since these two faults run parallel through Southern California, they could set one another off and cause massive destruction. Ideally, I would like to improve the methods for predicting earth- quakes so that more lives could be saved when the “Big One” hits.

10. My brother is my best friend. He would always give me advice if I am having an argument with my boyfriend or if I needed to ask my parents for a big favor. My brother is my best friend. He always gives me advice if I am having an argument with my boyfriend or if I need to ask my parents for a big favor. Inconsistent: Consistent:

11. Mark decided to go to the Halloween party as Darth Vader. He was a Star Wars fanatic, so he was always looking for a reason to escape into the Star Wars life. So he goes to a costume store, and not only is there no Darth Vader costume, but there is no Star Wars character costume at all. He was terribly disappointed. He ended up going as Dolly Parton. He has fun anyway. Inconsistent:

12. Mark decided to go to the Halloween party as Darth Vader. He was a Star Wars fanatic, so he was always looking for a reason to escape into the Star Wars life. So he went to a costume store, and not only was there no Darth Vader costume, but there was no Star Wars character costume at all. He was terribly disappointed. He ended up going as Dolly Parton. He had fun anyway. Consistent:

13. A woman who lives on my street feeds all the stray cats. In the neighborhood, they call her the crazy cat lady, but her real name was Mrs. Beasley. She sits on her steps in her straw hat and white hospital shoes and shook the box of kibble. When kids walked by, she always smiled at them sweetly. Inconsistent:

14. A woman who lives on my street feeds all the stray cats. In the neighborhood, they call her the crazy cat lady, but her real name is Mrs. Beasley. She sits on her steps in her straw hat and white hospital shoes and shakes the box of kibble. When kids walk by, she always smiles at them sweetly. Consistent:

15. Verb Tense Consistency DIFFICULT

16. Sometimes, it makes sense to shift the tense: Carole went to nursing school in North Carolina and started her career as a nurse in Raleigh. Later she went to med school. Now she is a highly respected orthopedic surgeon. past present

17. Janet loves to sing. She sings in the shower, belts out songs in the car, and performs with the school choir. However, there was a time when she was too shy to sing one note and never opened her mouth, even to sing “Happy Birthday” at a friend’s party. present past

18. My mother wants me to be a doctor so that I can make a lot of money. My father wants me to be a stay-at-home mom so that I can raise my kids right. But I would like to be a diplomat so that I could travel and meet people from all over the world. I would like to help children in poorer countries instead of having kids of my own. present conditional

19. On January 12, 2010, a terrifying earthquake shook Haiti just 10 miles west of Port-au-Prince, the capital. The quake killed thousands, injures thousands more, and destroys or damages hospitals, schools, prisons, homes, and the National Palace. Buildings there are not built to the same standards as those in the US, and when the earthquake hit Haiti, many simply all collapse. People fled in chaos, panic stricken. After the initial quake, powerful aftershocks shake the country. The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.0. Prior to that, the last major earthquake in that region was a magnitude-6.7 temblor in 1984. To this day, the quake is the largest to hit that area in 200 years. Inconsistent:

20. On January 12, 2010, a terrifying earthquake shook Haiti just 10 miles west of Port-au-Prince, the capital. The quake killed thousands, injured thousands more, and destroyed or damaged hospitals, schools, prisons, homes, and the National Palace. Buildings there are not built to the same standards as those in the US, and when the earthquake hit Haiti, many simply all collapsed. People fled in chaos, panic stricken. After the initial quake, powerful aftershocks shook the country. The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.0. Prior to that, the last major earthquake in that region was a magnitude-6.7 temblor in 1984. To this day, the quake is the largest to hit that area in 200 years. Consistent:

21. Windsurfing is a sport that combines surfing and sailing. The windsurfer stands on a windsurf board that has a sail attached to it. He or she has to have excellent balance and core stability and understood sailing theory. Windsurfers could perform a variety of maneuvers that are not possible on a sailboat (e.g. spinning and jumping on the board). Furthermore, windersurfers were the first to ride the world's largest waves in popular surfing destinations such as Maui before tow-in surfing allowed more people access to big waves. In the 1980’s, windsurfing became so popular that it was recognized as an Olympic sport. Then in the mid-1990’s, the equipment became highly specialized and requires greater expertise, so its popularity begins to decline. (At that time, it was called sailboarding.) Now, however, with windsurfing school and newer models, more people could enjoy this exciting sport. Inconsistent:

22. Windsurfing is a sport that combines surfing and sailing. The windsurfer stands on a windsurf board that has a sail attached to it. He or she has to have excellent balance and core stability and understand sailing theory. Windsurfers can perform a variety of maneuvers that are not possible on a sailboat (e.g. spinning and jumping on the board). Furthermore, windersurfers were the first to ride the world's largest waves in popular surfing destinations such as Maui before tow-in surfing allowed more people access to big waves. In the 1980’s, windsurfing became so popular that it was recognized as an Olympic sport. Then in the mid-1990’s, the equipment became highly specialized and required greater expertise, so its popularity began to decline. (At that time, it was called sailboarding.) Now, however, with windsurfing school and newer models, more people can enjoy this exciting sport. Consistent:

23. Lady Gaga is an Italian-American, New York native entertainer who was born in 1986 and thrills audiences with her over-the-top antics such as setting cans of hairspray on fire and having her piano encased in glass, which she broke so that she could play it. When she was a child, she would sing along to Michael Jackson songs. A born exhibitionist, she would dance in the middle of restaurants with breadsticks as her baton and answer the door for her babysitter with no clothes on. She was full of musical talent. She can play piano by ear by the time she was four, and at 13, she wrote her first piano ballad. At 17, she is granted early admission to the Tisch School for the Arts at NYU (a rare honor). Lady Gaga was nominated for a Grammy award but didn’t win. Inconsistent:

24. Lady Gaga is an Italian-American, New York native entertainer who was born in 1986 and thrills audiences with her over-the-top antics such as setting cans of hairspray on fire and having her piano encased in glass, which she breaks so that she can play it. When she was a child, she would sing along to Michael Jackson songs. A born exhibitionist, she would dance in the middle of restaurants with breadsticks as her baton and answer the door for her babysitter with no clothes on. She was full of musical talent. She could play piano by ear by the time she was four, and at 13, she wrote her first piano ballad. At 17, she was granted early admission to the Tisch School for the Arts at NYU (a rare honor). Lady Gaga was nominated for a Grammy award but didn’t win. Consistent: