NickWood
New member
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2026
- Messages
- 7
In Japanese, we don't have past and present like English. Everything is... time is different. My professor writes on my paper: "tense change" and "inconsistent." I don't see the problem! 
For literature, I learn: present tense. "Hamlet struggles with indecision." Not struggled. OK. For history, past tense. "The war began in 1914." OK. For science, my TA says: methods = past, conclusions = present. "We measured... This suggests..."
But when I write, my brain... it is mixing everything. Past, present, future—all together in one paragraph. My friend says: "Choose one and stick." But WHICH ONE?
Please tell me: is there a simple rule for tenses in essays? I need help.
For literature, I learn: present tense. "Hamlet struggles with indecision." Not struggled. OK. For history, past tense. "The war began in 1914." OK. For science, my TA says: methods = past, conclusions = present. "We measured... This suggests..."
But when I write, my brain... it is mixing everything. Past, present, future—all together in one paragraph. My friend says: "Choose one and stick." But WHICH ONE?
Please tell me: is there a simple rule for tenses in essays? I need help.
