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Section 6.15.1

Inappropriate Shifts in Tense

As a general rule, verb tenses within a sentence or a paragraph should be consistent. A shift in tense without reason distorts the sequence of events being described and will confuse your reader. For example, if you begin a description with a verb in the past tense, do not switch to a verb in the present tense.


Weak

Surgery made critical advances in the 19th century. The discovery of anesthesia by Crawford Long in 1842 and W. T. G. Morton in 1846 gave doctors greater freedom to put their new anatomical knowledge to practical use. After Louis Pasteur discovered that microorganisms caused infections, Joseph Lister (1827-1912), a young Scottish surgeon, realized that antiseptic surgical techniques would allow surgeons to suture wounds and avoid infection. Finally, Roentgen reports his discovery of X-rays (or roentgenograms) in 1895, which is immediately put to practical use in surgical diagnosis.

Improved

Surgery made critical advances in the 19th century. The discovery of anesthesia by Crawford Long in 1842 and W. T. G. Morton in 1846 gave doctors greater freedom to put their new anatomical knowledge to practical use. After Louis Pasteur discovered that microorganisms caused infections, Joseph Lister (1827-1912), a young Scottish surgeon, realized that antiseptic surgical techniques would allow surgeons to suture wounds and avoid infection. Finally, Roentgen reported his discovery of X-rays (or roentgenograms) in 1895, which was immediately put to practical use in surgical diagnosis.

--Linglei Xu, "Bone Talk," SciTech Magazine (modified)


See also the discussion of sequence of tenses.

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## Inappropriate Shifts in Tense ##
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