Working with tenses in English academic writing is one of the most challenging aspects for non-native speakers of English (NNSE). One reason for this is that there is often no… Read More →
Category: How to master verb tense in the Introduction Section?
Use one tense or many tenses in the Introduction Section
Several different types of tense In the Introduction section of academic articles, several different tenses are commonly mixed: Simple past tense, Present perfect tense, Past perfect tense, and Simple present… Read More →
How to use Simple Past Tense in your Introduction Section
In your literature review in the Introduction Section, you usually need to refer to studies that happened in the past. Therefore, using the simple past tense is the obvious choice…. Read More →
How to use Present Perfect Tense in your Introduction Section
Present perfect tense is more common than simple past tense in a literature review. Present perfect tense is used to describe findings or events that happened in the past but… Read More →
How to use Simple Present Tense in your Introduction Section
Simple present tense is also frequently used in literature reviews, and carries a strong implication when it is used. Simple present tense is used either to describe knowledge that is… Read More →
How to use Past Perfect Tense in your Introduction Section
Past perfect tense is uncommon in literature reviews. It can be used when using a storytelling approach, however. When used in this context, it should be used to indicate that… Read More →
Shifting tenses in a sentence, a paragraph, or the Introduction Section as a whole
Advanced authors use tense shifts to control the tone and make the text more interesting and engaging to read. There are several specific reasons to shift the tense in the… Read More →
What if the journal editor tells you to use a specific tense in your Introduction Section?
Sometimes, journal editors make comments like “You should use XXX tense in your Introduction Section.” What they actually mean, though, is that “Where the rules of English grammar permit the… Read More →
The use of citations in the Introduction Section
As you may have observed in the various examples given above, citation style is closely linked to tense. There are a few different ways of citing the studies you refer… Read More →
Example Introduction Sections from the literature
Here are links to three open access articles so you can see how the authors use and shift tense in their Introduction Sections. Kniss AR, Savage SD, Jabbour R (2016)… Read More →
Exercises to master verb tense in the introduction section
Multiple-choice questions You are confident that these findings are correct. Complete the sentence as appropriate. Wearing a black suit ….. with businesslike efficiency. (a) Has been associated(b) Has been shown… Read More →