Powerful Secret to Understanding Two Verb Tense Errors Is Super Saver on Editing Time

Getting to know your verb tense friends well will no doubt save you precious time editing articles so you can publish more regularly. However, to get on well with them, beware of someone else…

First Language Lisa is a kind well-meaning lady, but a little later I’m going to explain why you should be aware of her interfering. First, you need to be reacquainted with a popular verb tense guy who, unfortunately, is sometimes exploited.

Present Simple Simon is generally a rational-thinking man of habit, who talks about routines and gives factual information, like in the following two examples (with present simple in italics).

1. A TikTok user made commenters fume when she shared that she only?showers?once a week (Talking about a routine).
2. Climate change?is?the long-term, continued shifting of temperatures and weather patterns on planet Earth (Giving factual information).

The problem is that Some of my students are quite demanding of Present Simple Simon, asking him to do things that are not in his nature. For example, they typically make the following two errors.

A. John?is?a pilot since 2006. ?

Sometimes it’s because they are listening to First Language Lisa too much. Here she’s being nosy and recommending they get help from the wrong friend ;)?

The thing is that Present simple Simon might be the best person for the job in their mother tongue, which is the case in:

Spanish- Juan?es?piloto desde 2006;

French- Jean?est?pilote depuis 2006;

And German- Johannes?ist?seit 2006 Pilot.

But Present Simple Simon doesn’t appreciate being called on here in English.?

Simon’s personality and outfit are totally wrong for this occasion, and it’s actually Present Perfect Patsy who is best suited:?

John?has been?a pilot since 2006. ??

She talks about actions that start in the past but continue in the present, and she dresses like this: have/has+past participle.

B. A number of high-powered global businesses?call on?Texas Governor Greg Abbott to abandon the state’s anti-LGBTQ+ initiatives. ?

Call?on is wrong here in the main body of your article.

Because we are talking about something that is happening right now, so this is not Present Simple Simon’s territory. But students sometimes argue that:

They refer to Present Simple Simon’s counterpart in their mother tongue to talk about something happening at the time of writing.

For instance, our example works in French in the present simple:

Un certain nombre d’entreprises mondiales de grande puissance?demandent?au?Gouverneur du Texas, Greg Abbott, d’abandonner les initiatives anti-LGBTQ+ de l’état.

I totally understand them, but languages are different, and in English this is very much Present Continuous Cornelius’s domain:

A number of high-powered global businesses?are calling on?Texas Governor Greg Abbott to abandon the state's anti-LGBTQ+ initiatives. ??

His all-action outfit is the verb BE (am/is/are) + verb-ing, and he creates a crucial sense of immediacy in a story.

When reporting on events happening at the time of writing, he also likes to use verbs of exhortation (call on, demand, encourage etc) like in our example, and here are a couple more:

1. Aid workers?are demanding?government action to stop the fighting in the Middle East.
2. the Farmers’ Union of Wales?is encouraging?consumers to choose sustainably produced PGI Welsh Beef and PGI Welsh Lamb.

Now you understand why you need to stop following First Language Lisa's advice in these two cases, but there are so many others.

So how can you understand all the differences between English and your first language so you can write clearly, correctly and save on valuable editing time?

Feel free to contact me if you'd like me to message you some tips.

And good luck with the writing :)