past tense my essay

Polish Your Writing With Past Tenses Checker

Past tenses are some of the most widely used tenses in English writing. And as the name suggests, they are used to refer to actions or states that happened in the past. Depending on the past tense verb you are using, you can also use past tenses to indicate that the state or action ended in the past or it continues to happen presently. 

Unfortunately, correct and effective use of past tenses in writing tasks can be challenging for students, teachers, journalists, and even editors, especially those that are non-English native speakers. Incorrectly used past tenses make it hard for readers to understand your texts and even determine exactly when the action was completed. 

Luckily, an online past tense sentence checker like ours can help you identify and fix issues past tense-related mistakes, as well as other grammar-related errors. Our tool leverages AI, ML, and English grammar-based rules to analyze your work, and with a single click of a mouse, you can identify all errors in your texts, as well as implement the most-appropriate suggestion.

Different Types of Past Tenses

Whether you are a student, teacher, or a professional writer, there are different types of past tenses that you’ll come across when writing. They include:

Simple past tense

These types of tense are used to indicate that an event or action started and ended in the past. As such, it has not related to anything happening in the present time. 

For example: “My volleyball team won a game last month.”

Past continuous tense

As the name suggests, past continuous tenses are used to describe actions or events that began in the past and continue to happen through the sentences’ time frame. Generally, it comprises a past tense followed by a verb that ends with “-ing”.

For example: “Jeff was eating pizza with his friends yesterday.”

Past perfect tense

Used to refer to past actions or events that preceded another past event.

For example:  “When I went home everyone had left for the movie.”

Past perfect continuous tense

This type of tense is used to discuss an event or action that started in the past and will continue to happen up until some point in the past.

For example:  “The kid had been crying for 10 minutes when the mum arrived.”

Typical Past Tense Errors

The best way to identify and possibly avoid past tense errors is to put yourself in the hurricane’s eye. In this section, we have compiled some of the common past tense errors and how you can avoid them.

Mixing past tenses with present tenses

This mistake is pretty straightforward. It comes by mixing past and present tenses in a sentence.  

For example:

Wrong: I just went to the movie and come back home. 

Correct: I just went to the movie and came back home.

Extrapolating long and complex sentences using tenses

When describing complex past actions or events, many people tend to extrapolate simple past tense further and mix different types of past tense.

Subject/Verb disagreement. When it comes to writing a sentence, the subject has to agree in number with the verb.

For example:  

The boy is singing.

The girls are playing.

Mistakes when using words with singular tones

Naturally, words like ‘nobody’ and ‘everyone’ have a singular tone, meaning they must follow singular tenses in verbs.

Everyone needs a drink.

Nobody needs unnecessary criticism.

Using the past form with the word ‘did’

When using the word ‘did’ in a sentence, it needs to be in present tense form. On the other hand, using the word ‘did’ together with past tense is a grave error in English writing.

Incorrect: John did not went to the hospital yesterday.

Correct: John did not go to the hospital yesterday.

Simple past with adverbs of time mistake

Past perfect or present perfect tenses are never used with time-related adverbs of the past, but with simple past tenses only. 

For example: 

Incorrect: I went to the church yesterday.

Correct: I had gone to the church yesterday.

Past perfect usage in dual action mistakes

When two actions have happened in the past, the first action should use past perfect, with the second action using simple past.

The mechanic had left before I arrived.

The alarm had rung before the mum woke him up.

Future tense and subordinate clause usage mistake

If the primary clause in a sentence is in the imperative mood, you should not use a future tense in the subordinate clause.

Incorrect: See that you’ll complete the task. 

Correct: See that you complete the task.

How Our Grammar Past Tense Checker Can Help

Two of the most searched phrases on Google and other search engines are ‘how to check if my essay is past tense’ and ‘how can I check my essay for past tense. Luckily, our tool not only helps you conduct past tense check/s as well as other mistakes. Common mistakes that you can fix with our past and present tense checker include:

Mixed-up tenses check

One of the biggest mistakes that our past tense checker can help with is identifying mixed tense errors in your work. It can help create a distinction between past perfect, continuous, and simple tenses, and ultimately help fix the mistake.

Splice checker

A comma splice is constructed when two independent clauses in a sentence are separated using the wrong punctuation mark. Luckily, our grammar check past tense tool can help correct this mistake.

Grammar mistake check

Along with helping check past tense, our past tense fixer can help correct grammar, spelling, and word usage mistakes in your texts.

Plagiarism checker

Our past tense verb checker can also help analyze your work and compare it against billions of academic databases and web pages to detect accidental plagiarism. 

How to Use Our Past Tense Paper Checker

Using our past tense checker online tool is quite simple. Just follow these easy steps:

Copy-paste your text into the blank field. Alternatively, you can type directly into the field.

Click the “Check” button to start text analysis.

After a few seconds, our check for past tense tool will provide a detailed report highlighting past tense mistakes and other grammar-related errors in your text. It will also offer the most-appropriate suggestions.

Click on the mistake to accept the suggestion.

Try our check past tense online tool and take your writing to the next level!

Benefits of using our past tense essay checker.

Whether you are a student, teacher, instructor, journalist, or even a professional writer, there are many benefits that come with using our past tense detector. They include but are not limited to the following:

One of the key benefits of our checker for past tense lies in its versatility. Along with detecting and correcting tense-related problems, it can help correct grammatical errors, punctuation mistakes, run-on sentences, sentence fragments, and pronoun-related errors. Along with that, it also examines word and tone usage used in your text, not forgetting plagiarism check.

When it comes to editing and proofreading, every second and minute counts. This is especially the case if you are working on a tight deadline. Luckily for you, our check my paper for past tense online tool analyzes your text and provides instant feedback, letting you use the extra time towards research.

Unlike most editing and proofreading tools available on the market, our tool is engineered to ensure the utmost accuracy. Our engineering team leverages Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning,  and English grammar rules to analyze your texts, ensuring it produces the most accurate results.

24/7 availability

Another benefit of our past tense checker is that it is hosted on the cloud, which makes it available anytime and from anywhere. Most importantly, it doesn’t save your texts, reducing the chances of them ending up in the wrong hands.

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Verb Tenses

What this handout is about.

The present simple, past simple, and present perfect verb tenses account for approximately 80% of verb tense use in academic writing. This handout will help you understand how to use these three verb tenses in your own academic writing.

Click here for a color-coded illustration of changing verb tenses in academic writing.

Present simple tense

The present simple tense is used:

In your introduction, the present simple tense describes what we already know about the topic. In the conclusion, it says what we now know about the topic and what further research is still needed.

“The data suggest…” “The research shows…”

“The dinoflagellate’s TFVCs require an unidentified substance in fresh fish excreta” (Penrose and Katz, 330).

“There is evidence that…”

“So I’m walking through the park yesterday, and I hear all of this loud music and yelling. Turns out, there’s a free concert!” “Shakespeare captures human nature so accurately.”

Past simple tense

Past simple tense is used for two main functions in most academic fields.

“…customers obviously want to be treated at least as well on fishing vessels as they are by other recreation businesses. [General claim using simple present] De Young (1987) found the quality of service to be more important than catching fish in attracting repeat customers. [Specific claim from a previous study using simple past] (Marine Science)

We conducted a secondary data analysis… (Public Health) Descriptional statistical tests and t-student test were used for statistical analysis. (Medicine) The control group of students took the course previously… (Education)

Present perfect tense

The present perfect acts as a “bridge” tense by connecting some past event or state to the present moment. It implies that whatever is being referred to in the past is still true and relevant today.

“There have been several investigations into…” “Educators have always been interested in student learning.”

Some studies have shown that girls have significantly higher fears than boys after trauma (Pfefferbaum et al., 1999; Pine &; Cohen, 2002; Shaw, 2003). Other studies have found no gender differences (Rahav and Ronen, 1994). (Psychology)

Special notes

Can i change tenses.

Yes. English is a language that uses many verb tenses at the same time. The key is choosing the verb tense that is appropriate for what you’re trying to convey.

What’s the difference between present simple and past simple for reporting research results?

• Past simple limits your claims to the results of your own study. E.g., “Our study found that teenagers were moody.” (In this study, teenagers were moody.)
• Present simple elevates your claim to a generalization. E.g., “Our study found that teenagers are moody.” (Teenagers are always moody.)

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Biber, Douglas. 1999. Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English . New York: Longman.

Hawes, Thomas, and Sarah Thomas. 1997. “Tense Choices in Citations.” Research into the Teaching of English 31 (3): 393-414.

Hinkel, Eli. 2004. Teaching Academic ESL Writing: Practical Techniques in Vocabulary and Grammar . Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Penrose, Ann, and Steven Katz. 2004. Writing in the Sciences: Exploring the Conventions of Scientific Discourse , 2nd ed. New York: Longman.

Swales, John, and Christine B. Feak. 2004. Academic Writing for Graduate Students: Essential Tasks and Skills , 2nd ed. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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• Writing Tips

Grammar Tips: Using the Past Tense

• 3-minute read
• 13th March 2018

The past includes everything that has ever happened . And with every second that passes, the past gets bigger and bigger! As such, there’s plenty of stuff in the past we might want to write about .

Lucky for us, then, we have the past tense to talk about things in the past. But to make sure your work is error free , you need to know how to use the different forms of this tense. We explain all here (with a little help from Isaac Newton).

Simple Past Tense

The most basic form is the simple past tense. We use this to discuss something that both began and ended in the past:

Isaac Newton invented the cat flap.

Here, for example, we use the simple past tense verb “invented” to show that the act of invention occurred entirely in the past.

Most simple past tense verbs are, like “invented,” formed by adding “-ed” to the end of a base verb (e.g., invent → invented ). However, you need to watch out for irregular verbs that don’t fit this pattern, such as “swim” (simple past tense = swam ).

Past Continuous Tense

As the name suggests, the past continuous tense is used to refer to an ongoing action in the past:

Newton was sitting under a tree.

The key phrase here is “was sitting,” which combines the simple past tense “was” with the present participle “sitting.” This gives us a sense of a continuous action (“sitting”) occurring in the past.

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The past continuous tense can also be used to frame another action:

Newton was sitting under a tree when an apple fell to the ground.

The past continuous “was sitting” here describes an action that is then interrupted by something else. We can therefore see the difference between the ongoing “was sitting” and the sudden fall of the apple, which is described using the past simple verb “fell.”

Past Perfect Tense

We use the past perfect tense to describe something that happened before, up until, or since something else. It is formed by combining the word “had” with a past participle :

Newton had studied many subjects by the time he graduated.

The key here is a sense of completion: the past perfect phrase “had studied” implies that the action had finished by the point the second part of the sentence occurred.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

The past perfect continuous tense combines the past perfect and past continuous tenses. It is therefore most commonly used to describe an ongoing action that occurred before something else. We form the past perfect continuous tense by combining “had been” and a present participle:

Newton had been acting as Master of the Royal Mint for five years when he was knighted.

Here, we get the sense of a continuous action from the present participle “acting.” But the “had been” gives it a sense of completion similar to the perfect tense. The result is that “had been acting” frames the later action of being “knighted.”

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Present Tense Checker

Past tense checker.

• Perfect Tense Grammar Corrector

Online Tense Checker: Be Sure You're Using the Right Tense

Why Do You Need an Online Tense Checker?

Whether you are a student or a professional you need to ensure that your writing is spot on to get the right results. Poor grammar and spelling can have a real impact on how your writing is perceived and this is especially true of issues with tense. A good tense checker can ensure that you do not have any problems confusing your past, present and future tenses within your writing. Our free verb tense corrector is simple to use and can ensure that any grammatical issues within your writing are corrected to a high standard.

What Can Our Tense Fixer Improve for You?

There are three tenses that are used within everyday speech and our writing. These need to be used consistently if we are not to confuse our readers. Our tense tester can help you to see when you have inadvertently changed tense, something that is all too easy to do within your writing. It will help you to not only see where you have errors, but also how to correct them. The following tenses are highlighted and corrected by the tool.

The present tense is when we are talking about the here and now as well as actions that can be considered continuous. Examples of present tense could be “Bill is walking towards the door” or “I love to read each and every day”

The past is something that has already happened, this could be something that has just been done or something that was done days, weeks or even years before. Examples of the past tense are “Bill had already walked to the door” or “I had read the Lord of the Rings by the time I was twelve”

Future Tense Verb Checker

The future tense is used to describe things that have still to happen. This can be at any time in the future from a few minutes away to years. Examples of the future tense can be “Bill will walk to the door tomorrow” or “I will read 20 fiction books next year”

This tool will highlight when you have mixed your tenses within the writing allowing you to clearly see what needs to be improved. This allows you to avoid those issues slipping through to confuse your readers. Not only are the issues highlighted, the tool also provides you with some options as to how you can correct those problems. It is up to you if you select the corrections that are suggested, or you can make other changes that may be more in keeping with your own style of writing. Just remember to always recheck your writing again after you make freehand changes.

Is It Really Important to Get the Tense Correct in Your Writing?

It does not matter what the subject is of your writing, confusing the tenses can make it very difficult to understand by your readers. This can lead you to get lower grades if you are a student or far more serious consequences if you are writing in a more professional setting. Imagine a sales pitch that is poorly written, how persuasive would it be if the reader can easily see your errors? Using a free verb tense consistency checker can help you to avoid any problems and it will only take a few minutes of your time.

You need to ensure that your writing will always convey the correct impression. Yet it is so easy to make simple mistakes and overlook them when you proofread your own writing. This is why using a tense checker online is something you should always do. It will take only a few minutes of your time and could avoid problems that are so simple to correct.

How Can You Use Our Tense Shift Checker?

There really is nothing difficult when it comes to using our past or present tense detector. We have made our free tool as simple as possible to use while giving you a full review of your writing. Our tool does not simply check your work for the perfect use of tenses. Our verb corrector is able to highlight and correct a wide range of issues within your writing that could cause you problems. This includes all of the following.

From spelling words incorrectly to confusing similar works such as dessert and desert, our tool will highlight and correct any mistakes in your writing

Punctuation

From the incorrect use of colons and semicolons through to misplaced commas our tool will find any punctuation marks that you may have used incorrectly

The English language has many rules that define how it should be written. While we follow many of them unconsciously there are still times when we get things wrong in our writing

 Our tool checks for hundreds of different rules which can include all the following:

• Fragments and run on sentences
• Comma splices
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• Pronoun errors
• Subject-verb agreement

How to Use Our Online Tense Checker

Highlight the text that you wish to check: this can be a single sentence, a paragraph, or a whole document.

Paste the text into the box provided: simple use of copy and paste is all that is required to provide the tool with text that needs to be tested.

Press “Start”: the tool will quickly check all your writing to highlight any errors that it discovers within your text. The whole check will take just a few seconds depending on the length of your writing.

Review and make correction: our faulty tense sequence checker will highlight all problems that need work. You can either select the suggestions that the tool makes for correction or you can make alternative changes.

Recheck : after you have finished making your alterations it is best practice to recheck the work to ensure that there are no issues within the changes that you have made.

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Enhance your writing by correcting all types of tense verbs in your text through our tense checker online free application. Our professional-grade software platform is designed to offer numerous advantages in the shape of a range of highly appropriate capabilities and features. All types of writers can make the most of those features and capabilities of our free tense checker tool in polishing their respective writings to achieve the desired objectives perfectly. A few top benefits of using our online tense checker essay app include:

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Our grammar checker past tense tool is an online software application, which checks your text automatically with very electric speed to save you huge time. Online and automatic applications can save you time in two major ways – faster processing speed and round-the-clock availability. You can submit your text to our online platform at any time from anywhere in the world through supported web browsers without any waiting queue for your turn as it happens in the manual time-consuming process. You are not affected by any holidays, weekends, festivals, weather conditions, or any other similar kind of hindrance to waste your time. The other way to save your time is the faster speed of text checking and correcting. The process of checking for any kind of verb-tense or other grammatical issues in your writing is accomplished within a few seconds. After identifying the errors in your writing, the process of correction is also very fast to help you save enormous time.

Unified Solution

Another benefit offered by our software platform to find the tense of a sentence online error is comprehensiveness. Our reliable verb tense checker online tool is capable of finding a wide range of writing issues to make your writing a perfect piece of text. The most important errors that our online platform can find in your text include present, past, and future tense errors and their verb conjugate mistakes, all types of active voice and passive voice misuses, parts of speech mistakes, spelling and punctuation issues, incomplete sentences, comma splices, run-on sentences, prepositional phrase issues, incorrect referencing of a noun to pronoun, dangling qualifiers of adjectives and adverbs errors, direct and indirect narration problems, misuses of articles, incorrect word choices, faulty degrees of adjectives, mistakes in irregular and regular verbs, incorrect citation or referencing styles, titles, and sub-title issues, capitalization of words as well as headings, and many other writing matters under one single roof.

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The accuracy and reliability are other very attractive benefits offered by our online verb tense error checker tool. The accuracy of the results checked through our specialized platform is unparalleled among the competitors in the market. A wide range of writers, industries, and academic institutes heavily appreciate the reliability of our online platform. Our online application to check present tense and other grammatical errors offers this level of accuracy due to numerous factors. A few most important factors that produce a higher level of reliability and correctness in the results include the incorporation of expert input and feedback into the automated algorithms, implementation of cutting-edge technologies such as machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), artificial intelligence (AI) and many others, and the adoption of continual improvement mechanism in our algorithm as well as software backbone infrastructure. You will get extremely impeccable results by checking your text through our online platform easily.

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Our online grammar and present tense essay checker tool are capable of organizing and aligning your writings as per the formats, setups, and criteria required for compliance with different industrial, academic, and linguistic standards. A large number of referencing styles such as American Psychological Association (APA), Modern Language Association (MLA), Chicago, Harvard, and Oxford are supported by our online platform. These standards are used in a large number of academics as well as in journalism. Different papers and essays are created based on different versions of accents of the English language. Our tense checker online platform supports many versions of the English language so that the criteria of different standards and industries can be accomplished. A few of the most important English versions supported by our online platform include American English, British English, Australian English, Indian, Middle-East, Malaysian, Brazilian, and many others.

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A large number of additional features and capabilities that provide different types of advantages to different types of writers are also offered by our specialized grammar and tense verb checker online platform. A few of those additional benefits associated with our online app include the detection of plagiarized text in your writing to make them free from any plagiarism and copyright infringement. To achieve 100% results from the text, the tone of the text should be appropriate to the mood of the audience or reader. Our online tool assesses the tone of your text and helps you streamline the text in terms of sentiments, effectiveness, and other attributes of the writing to leave a great impression on the readers. By using our online tool, you can improve your editing, proofreading, and grammatical skills through corrective suggestions continually. Every correction offered by our online tool is supported by proper explanation and logic to keep you learning always.

What Issues Can Our Verb Tense Finder Correct?

A simple grammar tense check such as ours can quickly correct a wide variety of issues within your writing to help you to get the best results. Often, we make mistakes without thinking and can rarely see those mistakes when we read through our own work. Most of us are blind to our own writing mistakes no matter how hard we look. This is why a software tool is so important. Software does not get tired or overlook anything. By using a tool, you can easily find problems that would otherwise slip through. The following are a few examples of mismatched tense use that would otherwise be able to get through to your readers:

Some examples of poor use of the future tense:

“I will give you the job when your studies will be complete.”

While this may look ok at first glance as everything is constructed in the future tense it is not. If the main clause uses a verb in the future tense the subordinate clause’s verb will be in the present tense. So the above sentence should be:

“I will give you the job when your studies are complete.”

Mixing tense use within your writing:

“My instructor really liked to bully me and is always shouting at me to keep up with the others.”

Within the above sentence the verb “to bully” is being used in the past tense whilst the “shouting” is being done in the present tense. To maintain the tenses, it should be:

“My instructor really liked to bully me and was always shouting at me to keep up with the others.”

 When you write, always decide right from the start what tense you will use. While your story may connect with the reader if you draw them along using the present tense, suddenly slipping into past tense could quickly lose them.

What Is the Quickest Way to Correct Your Grammar and Tense Use?

Many people still prefer to read through their own work, often simply skimming through what they have written and hoping that they catch any errors. This is rarely effective, and you will often submit writing that is full of problems that will stand out like a sore thumb to the reader.

While this can be made more effective by a more methodical approach it will take time. Checking through a sentence at a time and considering the construction of each part of your writing piece by piece can help you discover more. But for many this is simply too time consuming.

One of the most effective ways of finding the most common errors in writing is to simply read the work aloud. With the gadgets we have today it is easy to record your work and play it back to yourself. Often incorrect tense use and other grammar problems will be easier to hear than to read. But again, this can take time and you may still miss things that others may see. Asking a friend to proofread your work is also an effective way of improving your writing. However, few of us have friends that are willing or have the time to help us in that manner. Therefore, it is often best to have your grammar tense check completed by a software tool. Software does not get tired, nor will it miss anything. Using our tense checker is free and will quickly find issues that you would otherwise overlook.

Make full use of our free online tense checker to ensure that you always submit writing of the highest standard every time!

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Verbs are direct, vigorous communicators. Use a chosen verb tense consistently throughout the same and adjacent paragraphs of a paper to ensure smooth expression.

Use the following verb tenses to report information in APA Style papers.

Verb tense is covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Section 4.12 and the Concise Guide Section 2.12

From the APA Style blog

Check your tone: Keeping it professional

When writing an APA Style paper, present ideas in a clear and straightforward manner. In this kind of scholarly writing, keep a professional tone.

The “no second-person” myth

Many writers believe the “no second-person” myth, which is that there is an APA Style guideline against using second-person pronouns such as “you” or “your.” On the contrary, you can use second-person pronouns in APA Style writing.

The “no first-person” myth

Whether expressing your own views or actions or the views or actions of yourself and fellow authors, use the pronouns “I” and “we.”

Navigating the not-so-hidden treasures of the APA Style website

This post links directly to APA Style topics of interest that users may not even know exist on the website.

Welcome, singular “they”

This blog post provides insight into how this change came about and provides a forum for questions and feedback.

What Is The Past Tense?

• I jumped in the lake.
• I was happy.

Table of Contents

Video Lesson

The four past tenses explained, simple past tense, examples of the simple past tense, past progressive tense, examples of the past progressive tense, past perfect tense, examples of the past perfect tense, past perfect progressive tense, examples of the past perfect progressive tense, interactive verb conjugation tables.

Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer video to text? Here is a list of all our grammar videos .

More about the Four Past Tenses

• I played when I was younger.
• I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free. (Italian sculptor Michelangelo)
• Drawing on my fine command of the English language, I said nothing. (Actor and comedian Robert Benchley)
• Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do . (French writer Voltaire)
• I wanted to buy a candle holder, but the store didn't have one. So I got a cake. (Comedian Mitch Hedberg)
• I have never played a hero before so I jumped at the chance. (Actor Adrian Edmondson)
• My fake plants died because I did not pretend to water them.

• I was playing for an hour.
• I was falling asleep when the phone rang.
• We were preparing a picnic, and then it started to rain.
• I feel like I sort of missed the eighties. At the time, we didn't know we were having fun, which is probably the way it always is. (Novelist Tama Janowitz)
• She was seeing a psychiatrist, two plumbers, and a bartender. (Comedian Rodney Dangerfield)
• I told my therapist I was having nightmares about nuclear explosions. He said don't worry it's not the end of the world. (Comedian Jay London)
• I have an idea that the phrase 'weaker sex' was coined by some woman to disarm the man she was preparing to overwhelm. (Poet Ogden Nash)
• I was having trouble making ends meet, and my beginnings weren't meeting either. (Author Allan Sherman)

• I had played already.
• I had crossed the line. I was free, but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land. (Political activist Harriet Tubman)
• I had seen birth and death but had thought they were different. (Poet T S Eliot)
• There are so many things that we wish we had done yesterday, so few that we feel like doing today. (Journalist Mignon McLaughlin)
• I phoned my dad to tell him I had stopped smoking. He called me a quitter.
• When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not.
• If we had had more time for discussion we should probably have made a great many more mistakes. (Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky)
• What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I' d realized it sooner. (Author Sidonie Gabrielle Colette)
• I had always seen myself as a star; I wanted to be a galaxy. (Dancer Twyla Tharp)

• I had been playing since I was ten.
• I had been weeding my garden for weeks, but I just surrendered to the weeds in the end.
• The jury had been considering its verdict for several hours when the judge effectively ordered them to find Jones guilty.
• I was coming home from kindergarten. Well, they told me it was kindergarten. I found out later I had been working in a factory for ten years. (Comedian Ellen DeGeneres)
• I had been writing fiction since I was in eighth grade, because I loved it. (Author Thomas Perry)
• I thought that I was learning how to live, but I had been learning how to die. (Polymath Leonardo da Vinci)
• Even though I had been boxing for three years, I had no idea that I could beat somebody in the ring.
• Many people had been asking me to write an autobiography. I thought I'd better tell my story before other people told it for me. (Comedian Michael Palin)
• It was funny to read a script that was so similar to what had been going on in my life. (Actress Piper Perabo)
• I' d been shouting and shouting and no one wanted to hear me. (Singer Brenda Fassie)

Top 10 Regular Verbs

Top 10 Irregular Verbs

All 4 Past Tenses

All 4 Present Tenses

All 4 Future Tenses

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Free Past Tense Checker To Prevent Wrong Tense Usage

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Tenses are the proverbial backbone of the English language. Without tense, everything seems to be absurd. Along with helping you describe actions that took place at different periods, tenses make it easier to construct complex sentence structures. But given that huge number of tenses, it can be easy for you to confuse them in your writing. Verb tense errors come in different forms including verb inconsistencies and tense shifts, which can affect the meaning and clarity of your texts. 

Luckily, our online past tense checker can help eliminate the guesswork of whether you are using past tenses correctly in your writing. The tool also comes with a suite of other tools including a grammar checker, a passive voice checker, and a plagiarism checker. Simply copy and paste your texts on the tool and receive instant feedback. 

But before we get “under the hood” to show how our free tense checker works, let’s discuss the different types of tenses in English.

What Are the Main Tenses in English?

There are three primary categories of tense forms in English writing i.e past, present, and future. These tense forms can further be divided into simple, continuous, and perfect tense. 

Let’s briefly take a look at each.

Simple Past

Used to describe actions that occurred before now.

Example: I wrote a book last month.

Past Continuous

Used to denote an ongoing event in the past.

Example: He was eating a cookie yesterday evening.

Past Perfect

Used to describe an event that concluded before a particular time in the past.

Example: By morning, she had exercised for 30 minutes.

Simple Present

Describes a habitual action or actions happening currently.

Example:  She prays in her room by the corner.

I want a kitchen like that.

Present Continuous

Used to denote an ongoing event happening right now.

Example: I am composing a future hit!

Present Perfect

Describes an event that commenced in the past and continues to happen now. It can also be used to denote an action that occurred at an unspecified time.

Example:  He has participated in the event since he was 11.

I have composed 2 songs.

Simple Future

Describes events that’ll occur and stop.

Example: I will visit the gym tomorrow.

Future Continuous

Events that will happen in the future and continue to happen for some time.

Example: I will be visiting her in school.

Future Perfect

Events that will end in the future at some point.

Example: I will have visited her by Friday.

Common Tense Errors That Our Verb Tense Checker Online Tool Can Help With

Whether you are a proficient English writer or a beginner, identifying tense-related errors in your writing can be challenging. As such, the best way to avoid them is to master grammar rules that govern tense usage. 

Here are some of the most common errors that you can potentially make when using verb tenses.

Tense Shifts

In linguistics, tense shifts occur when a writer alternates between present to past tenses or vice versa. 

Incorrect: There was a storm and all the houses are carried away.

Correct: There was a storm and all the houses were carried away.

Our tense checker online free tool can help catch and fix instances of unmotivated shifts between past and present tenses.

Overusing Continuous Tenses

Another common tense-related entail sparingly using continuous tenses, which makes writing sound clunky.

 I  ncorrect: It was pouring ice while we were in church, and the kids were complaining because they were getting sweaty.

Correct: It poured ice while we were in church, and the kids complained because they got sweaty.

The past tense verb checker will help streamline your texts by eliminating unnecessary continuous tenses.

Confusion with Irregular Verbs

Most past participles and simple past tenses are formed by pairing base verbs with the suffix- ed. For example, open – opened. However, there are irregular verbs, which don’t follow this obvious pattern. 

Incorrect: It costed $20.

Correct: It cost $20.

Just like all the other above-related tenses, the past tense finder can eliminate irregular verbs in your texts.

Other Features of Our Tense Checker Online

On top of fixing verb tense errors, our perfect tense checker comes with a suite of other editing and proofreading features. They include:

Grammar Checker

Whether you are a student, teacher, journalist, or business professional, you want your readers to easily understand what you are trying to communicate. And the best way to achieve this is by ensuring your texts are free from silly grammar mistakes. Fortunately, our past tense essay checker also doubles as a grammar check, letting you catch hundreds of English grammar mistakes.

Spelling Checker

Spelling mistakes make your writing appear sloppy and can hurt your reputation and credibility as a writer. The grammar tense checker enables you to identify and fix the most arduous spelling mistakes with a high level of accuracy and speed.

Punctuation Checker

Wrong punctuation can interfere with the logical flow of your texts and confuse your readers. And in today’s increasingly digital world, proper punctuation can make all the difference between being the most-read website and receiving good grades, or not being so fortunate. Luckily, our correct tense checker will ensure your texts are correctly punctuated.

Parts of Speech Finder

Every word or phrase in the English language belongs to word categories known as parts of speech. These word classes include nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions, interjections, and determiners. Our online tense checker also comes with comprehensive parts of speech checker, which lets you identify and profile the different word categories in your writing.

Plagiarism Checker

Plagiarism is the illegal act of using or presenting someone else’s idea or content as yours. The practice is highly detested in academia and the professional world and can lead to a damaged reputation and even expulsion from school. Our tense checker will crawl through the internet and academic databases to catch accidental plagiarism in your writing.

How Our Past Tense Checker Online Tool Works

Our past tense checker online free tool is one of the easiest to use on the market. You can use it online or download it as a Chrome Extension. 

Simply follow these easy steps to edit past tense in your texts.

• Copy-paste your texts into the blank text editor or type directly on the tool. 
• Hit the “Check” button and wait for the tense shift checker to scan the document. 
• In a couple of seconds, the tool will return feedback highlighting all the spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors in your work. It will also provide contextual suggestions on how to fix them.
• Accept the suggestions by clicking on the highlighted mistake.

Benefits of Using Our Tense Identifier Online Tool

As a student or writer dealing with a huge workload, it’s almost impossible to juggle between manually editing your documents and searching for an editing tool at the same time. Worse still, finding the best tool to past tense proofread and convert to past tense can be a daunting task given the huge number available on the market.

So, what makes our past tense changer stand out from the rest? Consider these four main benefits.

Proofreading is a critical step of any writing process and you should never overlook it. On the flip side, however, its meticulous and time-consuming nature means proofreading can pose a major challenge to even the most experienced writer. With our tool, you can check past tense errors or any other grammar-related mistakes in your writing within one sitting.

Multipurpose

Our writing tense checker also comes with several other powerful proofreading tools including a grammar checker, punctuation checker, and plagiarism checker. It can also be deployed in all forms of writing including academic papers, articles, blog posts, emails, and Google Docs, making it an all-rounded editing tool.

Working on a tight budget and don’t have enough budget to hire a professional editor or purchase a premium tense detector? Our past tense checker free tool doesn’t require any subscription fee, which makes it ideal for everyone looking to polish their writing without spending a fortune.

24/7 Accessibility

Today, there are multiple tense checker essay tools out there that require users to pay a subscription fee to use them. Our tense fixer, on the other hand, is 100% free to use. All you need is Internet connectivity and you are good to go.

Tips on How to Check Verb Tense in Your Writing

Generally speaking, most tense-related errors can be avoided by mastering the basic grammar rules and taking extra caution when writing. Let’s take a look at useful tips that you can deploy to avoid tense-related mistakes:

• Always concentrate when writing
• Avoid shifting verb tenses in your sentences or paragraphs
• Ensure consistency in your verb forms
• Always try and use past, simple present, and present perfect tenses in your writing
• Avoid confusing tenses that look similar

Use our tense finder to catch verb-usage-related errors.

Try Our Online Tense Finder Today and Get Your Texts Polished to Perfection Within Seconds.

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ProWritingAid helps you unlock the full potential of your story by fixing grammatical errors, improving sentence clarity, and creating more engaging prose. Plus, it integrates with any writing app, so you can get support in whichever one you use.

It’s like having an English teacher, professional editor, writing buddy and honest critic sitting inside your favorite writing app.

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A free account allows you to edit and run reports on up to 500 words. It also gives you three AI Sparks per day, which is needed to convert text to past tense. If you want more, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan .

How do I change tense in-app?

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Highlight the text you want to change.

Click “ Sparks. ”

Then select the "Past tense" option from the drop-down menu.

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What Tense Should I Use in Writing?

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When writing, people are often confused about what tense they should use. Should I write this MLA history paper in past tense? Should I write my short story in present or past tense? How about a resume: should I write my job entries in present or past? And these people are right to be confused because what tense you should use varies widely depending on your writing style and your purpose.

Academic (Four Main Styles)

APA/Harvard: Per APA (and its non-American variant, Harvard), you should primarily use past tense, especially in literature reviews where you’re talking about authors’ past studies. It should be:

“Johnson (2008) argued . . .”

“Johnson (2008) argues . . . .”

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The same is true for your Results and Method sections, but APA makes an exception for Discussion sections (where you examine your conclusions and the implications of the study), which can be in present tense if it better conveys your meaning.

MLA: This style is a bit more straightforward. Per MLA, you should be almost always using present tense:

“In To Kill a Mockingbird , Atticus Finch argues . . .”

If you need to differentiate time, you should use present perfect tense:

“For many years, Scout has been worrying about . . . .”

If you must, you can use some past tense, but keep it to a minimum.

Chicago: This style is a bit more lenient. Per Chicago, you can use either present or past (Though it’s best to use present when discussing literature and past when writing about history.), but make sure you stay consistent. If you switch, make sure you need to, such as:

The Romans used various military strategies, some of which are still in use today.

AP: AP, which is used by news media, is also more flexible. There is no set tense; instead, you should be endeavoring to use present/past/future as necessary to make sure the events you are describing are as clear as possible. AP also recommends using time words (today, tomorrow, March 17, etc.) to anchor your piece and further reduce ambiguity.

When talking about your job experience in resumes, the rule is simple: Use present tense for current positions:

Lead team in HVAC solutions

And use past tense for past positions:

Led team in HVAC solutions

Business Plan

Professors and potential investors have different views on what tense a business plan should be written in, but definitely you should be using either future or present tense. Some people argue that you should always write a business plan in future tense because you’re talking about your future plans.

But there’s another school of thought that recommends using present tense instead because this will allow your plan to stay current as you develop it and you develop your business. In other words, as you develop your business, you develop your plan, and it stays current with what you’re doing.

Above all, fictional writing needs to be consistent in its tense. Just as above, don’t switch unless you must. (BTW, fictional writing is done in Chicago Style.)

Everything Else

For everything else, such as business letters, admission essays, and e-mails, and especially in more informal contexts, just use your best judgment and write in whatever tense feels right to you. Go with your instincts and remember that, unless you’re writing in a formal academic context, you have more leeway to do whatever you like.

Just remember, for all styles and purposes, always be consistent. Try to pick one tense and stick with it throughout your piece. If you have to switch tenses, make it very obvious why you are doing so, and at least try to start new paragraphs for new tenses.

That’s it, I hope you have/had/will have good luck in your writing!

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• Present Tense Checker
• Past Tense Checker
• Tense Checker Online

• Essay Tense Checker: Effective Way to Get an A-Grade Essay

What Tense Should an Essay be Written in?

The tense an essay is written in will depend to a degree on what type of essay it is as well as on the instructor’s rules. One constant for writing essays is that the verb tense should be consistent and you may want to use an essay tense checker to ensure tense consistency. The following are some of the grammar rules that apply to the use of tenses in essays:

• Most essays will be written primarily in present tense
• Use past tense if referring to events that occurred in the past or if discussing an author’s ideas in a historical context
• When pointing out the focus or main argument of an essay use the present simple tense
• Use the present tense for general facts and conclusions
• As much as possible be consistent when using verb tenses. Select a primary tense to write the essay in and make sure verbs and verb tenses align with the primary tense

How to Check Tense Change in an Essay

The verb tenses in essays should be consistent throughout the paper unless it is necessary to show a change in the time frame of an event or action. If you are concerned some part of your essay is in the wrong tense then you will need to proofread essay for tenses that are inconsistent with your primary tense:

• Establish what your primary tense is (past, present, future)
• Take note of all verbs and verb phrases in the portion of the essay you are concerned with
• Verbs and verb phrases that aren’t in the same tense as your primary tense are likely in the wrong tense unless they are being deliberately used to show a change in the time frame .

Checking for tenses in essays sounds easy but can actually be a long and tedious process. Is there another way to check verb tense in my essay you ask? Fortunately there is an alternative method as we have a tool that check if essay is in same tense all the way through.  You can check verb tense online using our past tense essay checker. It will analyze your entire essay and identify any tense problems for you. Now you may be wondering how can I convert my essay to present tense once a problem has been detected.  Our online essay editor for verb tense has you covered there as well. After identifying any verb tense problems in your essay it provides recommendations on how to fix mistakes.

Verb Tenses for Different Types of Essays

During the course of your school career you will most likely be assigned several different types of essays to write. The following are some specifics for using verb tenses in different types of essays:

• Argumentative essay. This type of essay is intended to test your skills in forming an opinion through research and building evidence-based arguments. Present tense will be the primary tense and used to present general facts and conclusions. Use simple past tense to refer to completed actions/events in the past and present perfect tense for events that began in the past and are still ongoing. The future tense may be used if discussing plans or predictions for the future.
• Expository essay. These essays are meant to test knowledge of a topic and the ability to communicate information clearly.  Generally they are written in the present tense with occasional shifts to the past tense to show a difference in time frames.
• Descriptive essay. As the name implies, in a descriptive essay you are describing something. This may be a person, an object an experience or something else. They will be written in either past or present tense.
• Narrative essay. Narrative essays tell about an event or an experience. They may be written in past or present tense. As with all essays the verb tense should be consistent with no unnecessary shifts in tense.

Performing a tense check online using an essay present tense finder like ours is one way to make sure your paper is free of tense-related problems.

Essay Tenses Checker Characteristics for Successful Essay Submission

Editing an essay for tense with a verb tense corrector will greatly improve your papers chance of being well received as long as the tool possesses the right features and functions.  The following are some of the features of our online essay tense corrector that makes it such a great tool:

• Identifies all tense related problems. Our tool detects any issues related to verb tense so that you can be sure you are using the correct tense in your essay.
• Corrects detected verb tense problems. After verb tense errors have been identified the tool recommends corrections to fix all these mistakes.
• Identifies and corrects other types of errors. Our online essay tense corrector detects many types of grammar mistakes including run on sentences, sentence fragments, wrong use of pronouns and others. It also checks for punctuation and spelling mistakes as well as for use of passive voice
• Provides accurate results. Our tense corrector tool has a high degree of accuracy to ensure all mistakes are identified and fixed.

Benefits of Editing an Essay with Our Online Essay Tense Checker

It is well worth editing an essay for tense with our online verb tense corrector. The following are just a few of the benefits to be gained using our tense editing tool.

• Submit better essays. You will be able to submit essays that are free of verb tense mistakes and other errors which is a huge benefit.
• Learn more about verb tenses. By using the tense corrector you will gain more knowledge about verb tenses from seeing what constitutes a verb tense mistake as well as how to correct these types of errors
• Save time and effort. Proofreading and editing an essay could take hours. Our tool will analyze your entire essay and recommend corrections in a minute or less depending on the length of your paper.
• Tool works with any type of writing. Our tense check tool can be used to edit any type of writing. Academic papers, research papers, letters or any other type of text can be edited with our tool.
• Tool is easy on the budget. Our writing tool is free so you can use it even if you are on a tight budget.

Start submitting great essays free of verb tense mistakes by using our online essay tense checker and corrector to proofread and edit your paper for tenses!

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• Present Tense Checker
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• Essay Tense Checker. Transforming Your Essay from Good to Great

The tense to use in your writing depends on the type of the essay and instructions from your college. Most essays are written in either the present or past tense. However, in the course of the essay, the writer may move from the past to the present and future to describe some events in the essay. It is important that you determine the tense to use in your essay at the start, as you will not change it in the course of your writing.

The type of the essay that you would like to write affects the choice of verb tense that you use in your essay. Here are a few examples:

• Descriptive essays use the present tense as they describe an object or a subject and its features. These truths do not change hence the present tense requirement.
• Historical essays describe actions that took place in the past. Therefore, you use past tense to describe events
• Process essays normally use present tense to describe processes used in accomplishing various goals or products.

Tenses change at particular points where the writer wants to describe events that happen in different time periods. However, he or she takes the readers back to the primary verb tense used in the essay. While answering the question, “What tense should an essay be written in?” it is vital to note that tenses are not static and change as per your work.

7 Secrets of How to Maintain One Tense in an Essay

Pick the main tenses for the paper

Determine the tense to use in your academic paper before writing the first word. This will be the base tense for all the events in the article. You can move to other tenses but should always bring your users back to the primary verb tense. Evaluate the paper you are writing and learn how to maintain one tense in an essay.

All theories and generalizations should be in present tense

Facts are not attached to a specific time. Therefore, they should be stated in present simple time. Here is an example, “A teaspoon of a neutron star material weighs about 6 billion tons.” Besides, generalizations based on theories are also expressed in present simple tense. For example, there is a high-income disparity in capitalist economies.

Use past simple tense to report research steps and historical events

Use past simple to report events that have been completed including historical background information and research process steps. Here is an example, “We recruited 20 participants for the study.” The tense is also used to describe historical events. For example, “Queen Bohemian Rhapsody pioneered music video production.”

When summarizing results of previous studies, use present perfect tense

Present perfect tense helps build a link between research done in an unspecified time and your own work. This also involves summarizing results of the study. For example, “Various studies have shown a connection between uric acid in meat and gout.”

Use future simple to state intentions and make predictions

Future simple is commonly used in research proposals to show your intention and state hypothesis. Use words such as assume, predict and expect to avoid implying high level of certainty in your statements. Here is an example, “We expect a strong positive correlation between skills and per capita income.”

Use past perfect when differentiating different points in the past

Use the past perfect when writing a historical essay and would like to different time periods in the past. For example, “He had won two trophies when retired from sports.”

Always proofread your essay before submitting work

If you ask, “Is it a must that I check verb tense in my essay?” Know that this is important. Go through your work to determine if there are tenses that are not in line with the tips shared above. After doing manual proofreading, it is important that you use a verb tense checker online or tense shift checker to polish any errors that you have missed.

How to Maintain One Tense in an Essay: Tips and Tricks

There are various guidelines on how to check tense change in an essay. Here are a few ways to maintain the same tense throughout your essay.

Pick the best tense according to your paper

Read the guide on choosing the tense in the section above and pick one that best matches your essay. This makes it easy to maintain it throughout the essay.

Take your time when proofreading essays

Proofread essay for tenses. By reading through your work, you are able to tell when the tenses change and paragraphs that are not clear. Always complete your work on time so that you have time to go through the work and make the necessary corrections. Professors always know rushed work.

Use software tools to check tenses

Pick a tool that checks if the essay is in the same tense. This helps find and fix errors with verb tenses that you may have missed during the manual editing stage. Our online essay tense corrector provides a comprehensive verb tense service and is able to help any student who asks, “How can I convert my essay to present tense?”

Features of Essay Tense Shift Checker

We have created an ultimate essay tense finder, corrector and converter online. Here are some features that you can use to check your essay for past tense online, present or the future tense.

An in-built past tense checker

The essay past tense corrector and grammar tense checker finds and fixes errors in the past tense. It helps fix wrong verb tense changes if you are writing in past tense. The past tense finder essay tool ensures proper verb noun agreement across all verb forms in past tense.

Present tense essay checker

Our essay present tense finder helps you correct any mistakes that you have made with the present verb tense. It is also a solution to students asking, “How do I convert my essay to present tense?’’, as it converts all the wrong tenses to the present.

In-built proof-reader

Our tense fixer is able to find and fix errors in punctuation, noun-verb agreement and other grammar errors in your work. Its versatility makes it a popular tool among students all over the world. If you are asking, “Is all my essay in the correct tense?” This tool will help you ensure that.

Set the right tense for your essay with our essay tense corrector!

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Frequently asked questions

What tense should i write my college essay in.

In a college essay , you can be creative with your language . When writing about the past, you can use the present tense to make the reader feel as if they were there in the moment with you. But make sure to maintain consistency and when in doubt, default to the correct verb tense according to the time you’re writing about.

Frequently asked questions: College admissions essays

When writing your Common App essay , choose a prompt that sparks your interest and that you can connect to a unique personal story.

No matter which prompt you choose, admissions officers are more interested in your ability to demonstrate personal development , insight, or motivation for a certain area of study.

The Common App essay is your primary writing sample within the Common Application, a college application portal accepted by more than 900 schools. All your prospective schools that accept the Common App will read this essay to understand your character, background, and value as a potential student.

Since this essay is read by many colleges, avoid mentioning any college names or programs; instead, save tailored answers for the supplementary school-specific essays within the Common App.

Most importantly, your essay should be about you , not another person or thing. An insightful college admissions essay requires deep self-reflection, authenticity, and a balance between confidence and vulnerability.

Your essay shouldn’t be a résumé of your experiences but instead should tell a story that demonstrates your most important values and qualities.

When revising your college essay , first check for big-picture issues regarding your message and content. Then, check for flow, tone, style , and clarity. Finally, focus on eliminating grammar and punctuation errors .

If your college essay goes over the word count limit , cut any sentences with tangents or irrelevant details. Delete unnecessary words that clutter your essay.

If you’re struggling to reach the word count for your college essay, add vivid personal stories or share your feelings and insight to give your essay more depth and authenticity.

If you’ve got to write your college essay fast , don’t panic. First, set yourself deadlines: you should spend about 10% of your remaining time on brainstorming, 10% on outlining, 40% writing, 30% revising, and 10% taking breaks in between stages.

Second, brainstorm stories and values based on your essay prompt.

Third, outline your essay based on the montage or narrative essay structure .

Fourth, write specific, personal, and unique stories that would be hard for other students to replicate.

Fifth, revise your essay and make sure it’s clearly written.

Last, if possible, get feedback from an essay coach . Scribbr essay editors can help you revise your essay in 12 hours or less.

Avoid swearing in a college essay , since admissions officers’ opinions of profanity will vary. In some cases, it might be okay to use a vulgar word, such as in dialogue or quotes that make an important point in your essay. However, it’s safest to try to make the same point without swearing.

If you have bad grades on your transcript, you may want to use your college admissions essay to explain the challenging circumstances that led to them. Make sure to avoid dwelling on the negative aspects and highlight how you overcame the situation or learned an important lesson.

However, some college applications offer an additional information section where you can explain your bad grades, allowing you to choose another meaningful topic for your college essay.

Here’s a brief list of college essay topics that may be considered cliché:

• Extracurriculars, especially sports
• Role models
• Dealing with a personal tragedy or death in the family
• Struggling with new life situations (immigrant stories, moving homes, parents’ divorce)
• Becoming a better person after community service, traveling, or summer camp
• Overcoming a difficult class
• Using a common object as an extended metaphor

It’s easier to write a standout essay with a unique topic. However, it’s possible to make a common topic compelling with interesting story arcs, uncommon connections, and an advanced writing style.

Yes. The college application essay is less formal than other academic writing —though of course it’s not mandatory to use contractions in your essay.

The college admissions essay gives admissions officers a different perspective on you beyond your academic achievements, test scores, and extracurriculars. It’s your chance to stand out from other applicants with similar academic profiles by telling a unique, personal, and specific story.

Use a standard font such as Times New Roman or Arial to avoid distracting the reader from your college essay’s content.

A college application essay is less formal than most academic writing . Instead of citing sources formally with in-text citations and a reference list, you can cite them informally in your text.

For example, “In her research paper on genetics, Quinn Roberts explores …”

There is no set number of paragraphs in a college admissions essay . College admissions essays can diverge from the traditional five-paragraph essay structure that you learned in English class. Just make sure to stay under the specified word count .

Most topics are acceptable for college essays if you can use them to demonstrate personal growth or a lesson learned. However, there are a few difficult topics for college essays that should be avoided. Avoid topics that are:

• Overly personal (e.g. graphic details of illness or injury, romantic or sexual relationships)
• Not personal enough (e.g. broad solutions to world problems, inspiring people or things)
• Too negative (e.g. an in-depth look at your flaws, put-downs of others, criticizing the need for a college essay)
• Too boring (e.g. a resume of your academic achievements and extracurriculars)
• Inappropriate for a college essay (e.g. illegal activities, offensive humor, false accounts of yourself, bragging about privilege)

To write an effective diversity essay , include vulnerable, authentic stories about your unique identity, background, or perspective. Provide insight into how your lived experience has influenced your outlook, activities, and goals. If relevant, you should also mention how your background has led you to apply for this university and why you’re a good fit.

Many universities believe a student body composed of different perspectives, beliefs, identities, and backgrounds will enhance the campus learning and community experience.

Admissions officers are interested in hearing about how your unique background, identity, beliefs, culture, or characteristics will enrich the campus community, which is why they assign a diversity essay .

In addition to your main college essay , some schools and scholarships may ask for a supplementary essay focused on an aspect of your identity or background. This is sometimes called a diversity essay .

You can use humor in a college essay , but carefully consider its purpose and use it wisely. An effective use of humor involves unexpected, keen observations of the everyday, or speaks to a deeper theme. Humor shouldn’t be the main focus of the essay, but rather a tool to improve your storytelling.

Get a second opinion from a teacher, counselor, or essay coach on whether your essay’s humor is appropriate.

Though admissions officers are interested in hearing your story, they’re also interested in how you tell it. An exceptionally written essay will differentiate you from other applicants, meaning that admissions officers will spend more time reading it.

You can use literary devices to catch your reader’s attention and enrich your storytelling; however, focus on using just a few devices well, rather than trying to use as many as possible.

To decide on a good college essay topic , spend time thoughtfully answering brainstorming questions. If you still have trouble identifying topics, try the following two strategies:

• Identify your qualities → Brainstorm stories that demonstrate these qualities
• Identify memorable stories → Connect your qualities to these stories

You can also ask family, friends, or mentors to help you brainstorm topics, give feedback on your potential essay topics, or recall key stories that showcase your qualities.

Yes—admissions officers don’t expect everyone to have a totally unique college essay topic . But you must differentiate your essay from others by having a surprising story arc, an interesting insight, and/or an advanced writing style .

There are no foolproof college essay topics —whatever your topic, the key is to write about it effectively. However, a good topic

• Is meaningful, specific, and personal to you
• Focuses on you and your experiences
• Reveals something beyond your test scores, grades, and extracurriculars
• Is creative and original

Unlike a five-paragraph essay, your admissions essay should not end by summarizing the points you’ve already made. It’s better to be creative and aim for a strong final impression.

You should also avoid stating the obvious (for example, saying that you hope to be accepted).

There are a few strategies you can use for a memorable ending to your college essay :

• Return to the beginning with a “full circle” structure
• Reveal the main point or insight in your story
• Look to the future
• End on an action

The best technique will depend on your topic choice, essay outline, and writing style. You can write several endings using different techniques to see which works best.

College deadlines vary depending on the schools you’re applying to and your application plan:

• For early action applications and the first round of early decision applications, the deadline is on November 1 or 15. Decisions are released by mid-December.
• For the second round of early decision applications, the deadline is January 1 or 15. Decisions are released in January or February.
• Regular decision deadlines usually fall between late November and mid-March, and decisions are released in March or April.
• Rolling admission deadlines run from July to April, and decisions are released around four to eight weeks after submission.

Depending on your prospective schools’ requirements, you may need to submit scores for the SAT or ACT as part of your college application .

Some schools now no longer require students to submit test scores; however, you should still take the SAT or ACT and aim to get a high score to strengthen your application package.

Aim to take the SAT or ACT in the spring of your junior year to give yourself enough time to retake it in the fall of your senior year if necessary.

Apply early for federal student aid and application fee waivers. You can also look for scholarships from schools, corporations, and charitable foundations.

To maximize your options, you should aim to apply to about eight schools:

• Two reach schools that might be difficult to get into
• Four match schools that you have a good chance of getting into
• Two safety schools that you feel confident you’ll get into

The college admissions essay accounts for roughly 25% of the weight of your application .

At highly selective schools, there are four qualified candidates for every spot. While your academic achievements are important, your college admissions essay can help you stand out from other applicants with similar profiles.

In general, for your college application you will need to submit all of the following:

• Your personal information
• List of extracurriculars and awards
• College application essays
• Transcripts
• Standardized test scores
• Recommendation letters.

Different colleges may have specific requirements, so make sure you check exactly what’s expected in the application guidance.

You should start thinking about your college applications the summer before your junior year to give you sufficient time for college visits, taking standardized tests, applying for financial aid , writing essays, and collecting application material.

Yes, but make sure your essay directly addresses the prompt, respects the word count , and demonstrates the organization’s values.

If you plan ahead, you can save time by writing one scholarship essay for multiple prompts with similar questions. In a scholarship tracker spreadsheet, you can group or color-code overlapping essay prompts; then, write a single essay for multiple scholarships. Sometimes, you can even reuse or adapt your main college essay .

You can start applying for scholarships as early as your junior year. Continue applying throughout your senior year.

Invest time in applying for various scholarships , especially local ones with small dollar amounts, which are likely easier to win and more reflective of your background and interests. It will be easier for you to write an authentic and compelling essay if the scholarship topic is meaningful to you.

You can find scholarships through your school counselor, community network, or an internet search.

A scholarship essay requires you to demonstrate your values and qualities while answering the prompt’s specific question.

After researching the scholarship organization, identify a personal experience that embodies its values and exemplifies how you will be a successful student.

A standout college essay has several key ingredients:

• A unique, personally meaningful topic
• A memorable introduction with vivid imagery or an intriguing hook
• Specific stories and language that show instead of telling
• Vulnerability that’s authentic but not aimed at soliciting sympathy
• Clear writing in an appropriate style and tone
• A conclusion that offers deep insight or a creative ending

While timelines will differ depending on the student, plan on spending at least 1–3 weeks brainstorming and writing the first draft of your college admissions essay , and at least 2–4 weeks revising across multiple drafts. Don’t forget to save enough time for breaks between each writing and editing stage.

You should already begin thinking about your essay the summer before your senior year so that you have plenty of time to try out different topics and get feedback on what works.

Your college essay accounts for about 25% of your application’s weight. It may be the deciding factor in whether you’re accepted, especially for competitive schools where most applicants have exceptional grades, test scores, and extracurricular track records.

In most cases, quoting other people isn’t a good way to start your college essay . Admissions officers want to hear your thoughts about yourself, and quotes often don’t achieve that. Unless a quote truly adds something important to your essay that it otherwise wouldn’t have, you probably shouldn’t include it.

Cliché openers in a college essay introduction are usually general and applicable to many students and situations. Most successful introductions are specific: they only work for the unique essay that follows.

The key to a strong college essay introduction is not to give too much away. Try to start with a surprising statement or image that raises questions and compels the reader to find out more.

The introduction of your college essay is the first thing admissions officers will read and therefore your most important opportunity to stand out. An excellent introduction will keep admissions officers reading, allowing you to tell them what you want them to know.

You can speed up this process by shortening and smoothing your writing with a paraphrasing tool . After that, you can use the summarizer to shorten it even more.

If you’re struggling to reach the word count for your college essay, add vivid personal stories or share your feelings and insight to give your essay more depth and authenticity.

Most college application portals specify a word count range for your essay, and you should stay within 10% of the upper limit to write a developed and thoughtful essay.

You should aim to stay under the specified word count limit to show you can follow directions and write concisely. However, don’t write too little, as it may seem like you are unwilling or unable to write a detailed and insightful narrative about yourself.

If no word count is specified, we advise keeping your essay between 400 and 600 words.

In your application essay , admissions officers are looking for particular features : they want to see context on your background, positive traits that you could bring to campus, and examples of you demonstrating those qualities.

Colleges want to be able to differentiate students who seem similar on paper. In the college application essay , they’re looking for a way to understand each applicant’s unique personality and experiences.

You don’t need a title for your college admissions essay , but you can include one if you think it adds something important.

Your college essay’s format should be as simple as possible:

• Use a standard, readable font
• Use 1.5 or double spacing
• If attaching a file, save it as a PDF
• Stick to the word count
• Avoid unusual formatting and unnecessary decorative touches

There are no set rules for how to structure a college application essay , but these are two common structures that work:

• A montage structure, a series of vignettes with a common theme.
• A narrative structure, a single story that shows your personal growth or how you overcame a challenge.

Avoid the five-paragraph essay structure that you learned in high school.

Campus visits are always helpful, but if you can’t make it in person, the college website will have plenty of information for you to explore. You should look through the course catalog and even reach out to current faculty with any questions about the school.

Colleges set a “Why this college?” essay because they want to see that you’ve done your research. You must prove that you know what makes the school unique and can connect that to your own personal goals and academic interests.

Depending on your writing, you may go through several rounds of revision . Make sure to put aside your essay for a little while after each editing stage to return with a fresh perspective.

Teachers and guidance counselors can help you check your language, tone, and content . Ask for their help at least one to two months before the submission deadline, as many other students will also want their help.

Friends and family are a good resource to check for authenticity. It’s best to seek help from family members with a strong writing or English educational background, or from older siblings and cousins who have been through the college admissions process.

If possible, get help from an essay coach or editor ; they’ll have specialized knowledge of college admissions essays and be able to give objective expert feedback.

When revising your college essay , first check for big-picture issues regarding message, flow, tone, style , and clarity. Then, focus on eliminating grammar and punctuation errors.

Include specific, personal details and use your authentic voice to shed a new perspective on a common human experience.

Through specific stories, you can weave your achievements and qualities into your essay so that it doesn’t seem like you’re bragging from a resume.

When writing about yourself , including difficult experiences or failures can be a great way to show vulnerability and authenticity, but be careful not to overshare, and focus on showing how you matured from the experience.

First, spend time reflecting on your core values and character . You can start with these questions:

• What are three words your friends or family would use to describe you, and why would they choose them?
• Whom do you admire most and why?
• What are you most proud of? Ashamed of?

However, you should do a comprehensive brainstorming session to fully understand your values. Also consider how your values and goals match your prospective university’s program and culture. Then, brainstorm stories that illustrate the fit between the two.

In a college application essay , you can occasionally bend grammatical rules if doing so adds value to the storytelling process and the essay maintains clarity.

However, use standard language rules if your stylistic choices would otherwise distract the reader from your overall narrative or could be easily interpreted as unintentional errors.

Write concisely and use the active voice to maintain a quick pace throughout your essay and make sure it’s the right length . Avoid adding definitions unless they provide necessary explanation.

Use first-person “I” statements to speak from your perspective . Use appropriate word choices that show off your vocabulary but don’t sound like you used a thesaurus. Avoid using idioms or cliché expressions by rewriting them in a creative, original way.

If you’re an international student applying to a US college and you’re comfortable using American idioms or cultural references , you can. But instead of potentially using them incorrectly, don’t be afraid to write in detail about yourself within your own culture.

Provide context for any words, customs, or places that an American admissions officer might be unfamiliar with.

College application essays are less formal than other kinds of academic writing . Use a conversational yet respectful tone , as if speaking with a teacher or mentor. Be vulnerable about your feelings, thoughts, and experiences to connect with the reader.

Aim to write in your authentic voice , with a style that sounds natural and genuine. You can be creative with your word choice, but don’t use elaborate vocabulary to impress admissions officers.

Admissions officers use college admissions essays to evaluate your character, writing skills , and ability to self-reflect . The essay is your chance to show what you will add to the academic community.

The college essay may be the deciding factor in your application , especially for competitive schools where most applicants have exceptional grades, test scores, and extracurriculars.

Some colleges also require supplemental essays about specific topics, such as why you chose that specific college . Scholarship essays are often required to obtain financial aid .

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The Polls Have Shifted Toward Harris. Is It Real, or Something Else?

A review of the Trump team’s critique of our surveys, and the surprising fact that a lot of people don’t seem to remember how they voted.

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By Nate Cohn

Last week’s New York Times/Siena College polls showing Vice President Kamala Harris leading in three swing states led some Republicans and Democrats to ask the same question: Is this real?

At the center of this question is whether the Times/Siena polls have enough voters who supported Donald J. Trump in 2020. The Trump campaign released a memo arguing that our polls would have actually showed a Trump lead if we had weighted the results properly.

The Trump campaign’s critique focused on something pollsters refer to as “recalled vote.” In the polls of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, respondents recalled backing President Biden over Mr. Trump by six points, 52 percent to 46 percent, even though Mr. Biden actually won these three states by an average of about 1.5 points. The Trump campaign used this data point to say Mr. Trump would have led if the poll had the “right” number of Trump 2020 supporters.

This isn’t an absurd argument. In recent years, many pollsters have embraced recalled vote in exactly the way the Trump campaign describes: as an accurate measure of how people voted in the last election, which can then be used to evaluate the partisan balance of the sample. As an idea, it makes logical sense.

But over the longer run, recalled vote hasn’t usually been very reliable. Oddly enough, this is one of the first things I remember learning when I started getting interested in polling methodology in the fall of 2004 . Back then, it was George W. Bush who led the polls, and it was the Democrats trying to prove that the polls were skewed. Among other things, they argued the polls had too many Bush ’00 voters, based on recalled vote.

A CBS News/Times poll at the time, for instance, found Mr. Bush and John Kerry tied, but Bush ’00 voters outnumbered Al Gore ’00 voters by six points. Mr. Gore won the popular vote in 2000; if the poll had the “right” number of Gore supporters, Democrats thought, Mr. Kerry would have led — perhaps by a lot. Plausible, right?

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