Question

directions: select a button to identify whether the tense shift in each sentence (or pair of sentences) is appropriate or is not appropriate and would need to be edited.
sentence(s) appropriate not appropriate
last night, three students saw a coyote behind the biology building. today, the administration is considering how to deal with the problem.
phoebe took back the doll after arlo makes a face at her.
the first major league baseball game played at night was in 1935, and now the vast majority of games are night games.
in europe, the so - called dark ages preceded the renaissance, and the enlightenment comes in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Explanation:

• For the first sentence pair: The past tense “saw” is used for the event last night (a past - time event), and the present - continuous “is considering” is used for the current situation (today). This tense shift is appropriate as it reflects different time frames.
• For the second sentence: “Took” is past tense and “makes” is present tense. The events should be in the same time frame. Since “took” is past, “makes” should be “made” (past tense). So, the tense shift is not appropriate.
• For the third sentence: “Was” (past tense) is used for the event in 1935 (a past - time event), and “are” (present tense) is used for the current situation (now). This tense shift is appropriate as it reflects different time frames.
• For the fourth sentence: “Preceded” is past tense, but “comes” is present tense. The Enlightenment was a past - time event (in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries), so “comes” should be “came” (past tense). So, the tense shift is not appropriate.

Answer:

1. Appropriate
2. Not Appropriate
3. Appropriate
4. Not Appropriate