(Problems with verb tense.) Related Issues:
  

Stick to the same tense throughout your argument. If you started your essay in the present, stay in the present. If you started in the past tense, stay in the past tense. Typically, essays about literature are written in the present tense.

Example:

WRONG: The Tyrannosaurus Rex has large pointed teeth and terrorized weaker dinosaurs.  

RIGHT:  The Tyrannosaurus Rex had large pointed teeth and terrorized weaker dinosaurs. 

Tense Sequence among Verbs, Infinitives, and Participles (Darling et al.)
Consistency of Tense and Pronoun Reference (Darling et al.)

Present Perfect Tense (and related issues) (Mahoney)
Sequence of Tenses (Darling et al.)


Verb Tense Tutorial (English Page)
Tense Consistency (Purdue)
Tense Consistency Exercise (Purdue)
 Quiz on Identifying Tenses (Darling et al.)
The Subjunctive (Darling et al.)
Quiz on Phrasal Verbs (Darling et al.)
 Second Quiz on Phrasal Verbs (Darling et al.) 		Jump to:
Usage
Punctuation & Capitalization
Form
Content

  (Avoid passive voice) Related Issues:
  


Use the passive voice sparingly. Avoid weak and awkward passives. In the interest of variety, avoid long passages in which the verbs are all passive. (Warriner 155)  

Although the gun was held by me, the crime was committed by someone else.

Use the active voice. (Strunk and White 18) 
Passive and Active Voices (Darling, et al)
Active and Passive Tense in Verbs (Purdue)

Recognizing and Changing Passive Constructions (Darling, et al)
Tense Consistency (Purdue)
Tense Consistency Exercise (Purdue)		 Jump to:
Usage
Punctuation & Capitalization
Form
Content