A past tense checker is a tool that enables students and writers to find and fix issues with their past tense. Past tense, when used in a sentence denotes that the action was done sometime in the past. If the tense is not correct, readers will not be able to pinpoint when exactly the action was completed. This, in turn, makes the article hard to understand, and the message is lost. However, with the use of the tool, writers can perfect their writing in a few clicks by finding these errors and getting suggestions on the best verb form. Tense detector is easy to use and has other capabilities, as indicated below.
Seven Rules to Follow to Fix Past Tense in Your Work
Your past tense should follow the seven rules below so that there is a noun-verb agreement, correct past tense form and makes sense to the reader. The rules also help fix past tense writing errors.
Always determine the correct tense before writing your article
Determine the correct tense before typing the first word. A majority of past events are written in the simple past tense. For example, “She ran from home to school each morning.” Sometimes you will be required to write in the past perfect to describe events that happened before something else. For example, we were glad to discover that “John had won the jackpot.” Get the best tense based on the chronology of events in your article.
Be careful to retain clarity when mixing tenses
Sometimes you need to jump back to the past and then to the present when describing some actions. Unfortunately, you may lose clarity in the process and make it hard for your readers to understand what you are saying. Here is an example, “When Mary knew that John had passed the exam, she called to congratulate him”. In the sentence, the writer mixes past simple and perfect tenses to show the chronology of events.
Keep to active voice as much as possible
Many student and writers have problems keeping their voice active when writing in the past tense. This often makes the work less clear and full of filler. When writing, ensure that your voice is active whenever possible. For example, Instead of saying, “The room was maintained by Mary”, say, “Mary maintained the room”.
Irregular verbs do not follow the –ed tag to change to past tense
Regular verbs only require you to add –end at the end of the simple present tense to make them simple past tense. However, irregular verbs change entirely when actions take place in the past. For example, go changes to went. However, these verbs are only irregular in positive sentences such as “He went to the park”. In negative or question sentences, you use the present form. For example, “He didn’t go to the park”.
The past tense of to be has two forms
There is always one form of verbs in past tense. However, in the past tense of to be, there are two forms; was and were. For example, “I was tired when I came home”. “They were rewarded for their efforts” he, she and I pronouns use ‘was’ while you and they use ‘were’.
Don’t and doesn’t change to didn’t in the past
We use the word ‘didn’t’ to make negative sentences in the past tense when using either regular or irregular verbs. The only exception is the verb to be and modal verbs like ‘can’. Here is an example:
Present: You don’t need the medication
Past: You didn’t need the medication
Writing past simple questions
When writing questions in the simple past tense, start the question with ‘did’ followed by the base form of the verb. For example, ‘Did Simon go to school?”
Common Past Tense-Related Errors That Past Tense Detector Fixes
The past tense finder can find and fix the following past tense errors:
- Loss of clarity from mixed-up tenses. It helps fix errors in past perfect, continuous, and simple tenses. It performs past perfect sentence check and separates it from simple and continuous past tense.
- Use of inconsistent verb forms such as including some present tense verbs where they are supposed to be in the past.
- Improper converting from present to past tense. Our tool is able to convert present tense to past tense online with a few clicks.
- Mistakes with a narration in the past. Most narrations mix past and present tenses. For example, “John, please get the bucket”, my mum said. The tool helps ensure agreement between tenses. It has a present tense checker that finds when you interchange your tenses.
Advantages of Past Tense Corrector over Manual Proofreading and Editing
If you are wondering, “Is there an app for checking past tense?” We have a free past tense checker online that has several advantages over manual proofreading. Here are some of the advantages:
- It is able to find past tense errors in a few clicks, thereby making your proofreading process quick.
- The past tense corrector algorithm accurately finds tense errors and provides suggestions on how to correct them such as how to change sentences into past tense. Unlike manual proofreading, it does not miss some past tense errors.
- It does correct other grammar errors, such as poor noun-verb agreement and grammar issues. You are likely to miss a few of the errors with manual proofreading.
Quick Guide on Using the Past Tense Converter Tool
- To identify past tense verbs in sentences, open our tool on your browser.
- You can write on the editor provided on the tool or paste the work you had earlier created using a word processor.
- Wait for the tool to find issues in your sentences and underline the location of the errors.
- Go through the suggestions making changes where necessary.
- Copy your article and paste it on your word processor to save