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The Use of Present Tense
by Tara Gray

The following excerpt is from the book Writing at Work (1997) by Edward Smith and Stephen Bernhardt.

Report research results in the present tense.

Tense does not exactly represent time. Perhaps it is more useful to think of tense as representing the perspective of the speaker with respect to the event being described. One common use of tense-shift is to represent past time events in present tense in a presently existing report or document. . . Hence the use of present tense in the following sentence:

This study describes the effect of the new chip design on overall part performance.

The meaning of the present tense here is that, even though the study has been done in the past, it is doing its work in the present time, now, as the reader reads. The effect of the choice of the present form is to get added urgency and a sense of present relevance to the study as it is read....

A second example... occurs in reporting the conclusions of investigations or experiments. The writer may have described all the steps of the experiment in the past tense. Suddenly, in reporting the conclusion of the experiment, the writer shifts into the present:

The results indicate that the new chip design improves overall part performance.

Presumably, this conclusion is based on some experimental results in which the new chip design improved (note: past tense) past performance. Representing that finding in present tense suggests that the writer is making a generalization: not only did the new design improve performance in the past, but it will continue to do so in the present and future.

Good luck with it: if you have any questions or comments about writing, please contact me at tgray@nmsu.edu. I'd love to hear from you and will answer your questions.

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TAA launches new academic workshop series

TAA has launched a series of academic workshops entitled "Publishing Workshops for Faculty Authors" led by distinguished scholar and editor Dr. Robert Ginsberg. The aim of each workshop is to enlighten faculty members about their opportunities and challenges, their rights and responsibilities as they engage in publishing. The workshop format will include hands-on participation, show-and-tell activity, behind-the-scenes reporting, question-and-answer sessions, and round-table editing. Read more about the new workshop series here.

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Apply for doctoral level grad student award

All doctoral level graduate students who are planning for a career in higher education are eligible to be nominated for the K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award, which recognizes graduate students who are committed to developing academic and civil responsibility in themselves and others, and who show exemplary promise as future leaders of higher education. The student must be nominated by a faculty member or administrator. The Awards provide financial support for graduate students to attend the Association of American Colleges and Universities' 2007 Annual Meeting to be held in New Orleans, January 17-20. For more information about the Award, visit their web site or contact Suzanne Hyers at (202) 387-3760 (ext. 425) or hyers@aacu.org

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Looking for good research web sites?

TAA Vice President Chris Harris recommends the following list, taken from the New York Times Newsroom Navigator: click here

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How to send a message to Tara, TAA or the list

Feel free to email questions to Tara Gray at tgray@nmsu.edu

or

TAA at TEXT@tampabay.rr.com

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