Can you please explain an example of consistent use of staying within a tense (i.e. past tense), and...?

Question

Please explain the practice, in grammar and writing, of consistent usage of staying within a tense, as well as staying within a person (i.e. first person, second person, etc.)

Thanks! : )

Answer 1

Consistent use of tense, in a summary of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, quoted from Strunk & White's Elements of Style:

"An unforeseen chance prevents Friar John from delivering Friar Lawrence's letter to Romeo. Juliet, meanwhile, owing to her father's arbitrary change of the day set for her wedding, has been compelled to drink the potion on Tuesday night, with the result that Balthasar informs Romeo of her supposed death before Friar Lawrence learns of the nondelivery of the letter."

Notice that the summary keeps all its verbs in the present tense. It's easy to accidentally slip into past tense, especially when you're summarizing the events of a novel or play, but keeping the verbs all in the present tense (or, if you're writing about an event from history, all in the past tense), makes the writing smoother, more consistent, and easier to understand.

The same goes for keeping pronouns in the same person. A very common way writers are inconsistent with person is by switching between "one" and "you" (3rd and 2nd person). For example:

Error: One must always wash the dishes or your roommates will get angry. (changes from "one" to "you")

Better: One must always wash the dishes or one's roommates will get angry. (or, You must always wash the dishes or your roommates will get angry.)

Answer 2

It depends on what time you speak of. If you want to get your meaning past the reader you will need to have proper tenses. I could also have said " you need" which is the present tense. But here either the future or the present tense can be used.

Past= I did that. You did that. She did that.
Past=I did. You did. She did
Present= I am doing that. You are doing that. She is doing that.
Present= I do. You do. She does
Future= I will do that. You will do that. She will do that
Future= I am going to do that. You are going to do that. She is going to do that.
Past tense is used for history.