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Mingresque Posted 14 years ago
Essay & Composition Writing
Reporting a plan: which tense?
Hello EnglishForward.com,
I am doing a written report about a building design plan. My problem is I don't know which tense I should use for the report. I am thinking that it should be the future tense but I doubt it since the plan was already executed. Should I use "would's" instead of "will's"?
Also, is it okay to shift the tense in a paragraph wherever I find it appropriate?
Thanks.
Lilbert
P.S. I would also appreciate if you'll comment about the grammar of this post. Thank you!
I am doing a written report about a building design plan. My problem is I don't know which tense I should use for the report. I am thinking that it should be the future tense but I doubt it since the plan was already executed. Should I use "would's" instead of "will's"?
Also, is it okay to shift the tense in a paragraph wherever I find it appropriate?
Thanks.
Lilbert
P.S. I would also appreciate if you'll comment about the grammar of this post. Thank you!
Top answer
Hello, mingresque—and welcome to English Forums. Please post at least a portion of the text that concerns you. It is difficult to judge verb tense in isolation.
- Hello, mingresque—and welcome to English Forums.
- Please post at least a portion of the text that concerns you.
- It is difficult to judge verb tense in isolation.
- However: yes, of course you need to change tenses as appropriate.
- Your post is OK.
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9 Answers
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Hello, mingresque—and welcome to English Forums.
Please post at least a portion of the text that concerns you. It is difficult to judge verb tense in isolation. However: yes, of course you need to change tenses as appropriate.
Your post is OK.
Please post at least a portion of the text that concerns you. It is difficult to judge verb tense in isolation. However: yes, of course you need to change tenses as appropriate.
Your post is OK.
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Hello Mister Micawber,
Thanks for the response (and also for the welcome)!
And sorry for not including the text. Here's a portion of the rough draft:
The design, which involved the entire façade of the building, was a collaboration between the three programs of the college belonging to the Façade committee. According to the committee, it would be the college’s first time
Thanks for the response (and also for the welcome)!
And sorry for not including the text. Here's a portion of the rough draft:
The design, which involved the entire façade of the building, was a collaboration between the three programs of the college belonging to the Façade committee. According to the committee, it would be the college’s first time
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Your extract has various other problems, the most noticeable being the overuse of parenthetical remarks, which should not be used at all in well-composed formal writing.
The design, which involved/involves the entire façade of the building, was a collaboration among the three programs of the college belonging to the Façade Committee. According to the committee,
The design, which involved/involves the entire façade of the building, was a collaboration among the three programs of the college belonging to the Façade Committee. According to the committee,
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Hello again Mister Micawber,
Thank you for the corrections! About your comment on my overusing parenthetical remarks, I'll keep that in mind.
Anyway sir, despite your having corrected a portion of the draft, I still cannot justify why I should use present tense in this case. The plan was executed though not every part of it was followed. The designs the text is referring to are a
Thank you for the corrections! About your comment on my overusing parenthetical remarks, I'll keep that in mind.
Anyway sir, despite your having corrected a portion of the draft, I still cannot justify why I should use present tense in this case. The plan was executed though not every part of it was followed. The designs the text is referring to are a
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The design is completed, but the facade is not yet built, right?
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The facade we're talking about is the face of the building, so it's already built.
Also, the text that I posted above talks about the plan for the design.
The design is completed, though it does not completely stay true to the original plan, i.e., the plan mentioned in the text.
I apologize if I sound too confusing sir.
Lilbert
Also, the text that I posted above talks about the plan for the design.
The design is completed, though it does not completely stay true to the original plan, i.e., the plan mentioned in the text.
I apologize if I sound too confusing sir.
Lilbert
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So if both the design and the facade are completed, use precisely what I gave you in my previous post. You have a choice of past or present in the first verb because the design is still in evidence today. The paper it is drawn on is irrelevant: the design is a concept which is still there. Whether the facade adheres exactly to the design or not is irrelevant also.
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