When is a tense shift appropriate?

Reported speech, general truths in a past narrative, or to show a change in time frame.

How does the checker detect tenses?

It uses pattern matching for regular verbs (-ed, -s) and an irregular verb lookup table (over 100 verbs).

Tense Consistency Checker ⚡

Detect unnecessary tense shifts • color‑coded verbs • timeline • suggestions

📖 When tense shifts ARE appropriate

✅ Reported speech — “She said she is tired.” (past reporting + present state)

✅ General truth in past narrative — “The teacher explained that water boils at 100°C.”

✅ Change of time frame — “He lived in Paris, but now he lives in London.”

❓ FAQ

When is a shift flagged? If a sentence uses a tense different from the paragraph’s dominant tense, and the shift is not a standard exception (reported speech, general truth). The tool marks it as a potential unnecessary shift.

Irregular verb coverage: 100+ verbs (be, have, do, go, say, get, make, know, think, see, come, take, etc.)