Page 95 - Perfect English Grammar: The Indispensable Guide to Excellent Writing and Speaking

■ Here are some tips for college essays and other formal writing: When
commenting on what a source says, use the present tense.

Adichie explores the complex class and economic issues of her
era.

■ When describing a source’s dated, published work, use the past
tense.

Blue Highways was originally published in 1982.

■ When discussing current thinking of a domain or field, use the present
tense.

Experts now believe many illnesses are made worse by stress.

■ When narrating a chain of events, use the past tense.

The same year that France’s Academy of Science refused to grant
her membership for being a woman, she was awarded a Nobel

Prize in chemistry.

■ When narrating an exciting chain of events that lead to a big

conclusion, consider using the historical present tense. This uses
verbs conjugated as if they are the present tense in past tense

situations.
After he beheads him, Shiva then puts the elephant head on

Ganesha’s neck.

6.17 Phrasal Verbs

Sometimes a verb becomes joined with a preposition or adverb into a new phrase

that has its own meaning above and beyond its parts. This type of idiom is
known as a phrasal verb. Phrasal verbs that are made of a verb plus a

preposition are particularly difficult for English learners because it’s difficult to
remember which preposition is needed. Also, because these phrases are

idiomatic, it may be difficult to discern any meaning in the preposition, which in