# Tenses

There are a lot of very complicated rules when it comes to using tenses in English writing. The proper use of tenses is important because improper use could lead to ambiguity and the intended meaning can be inadvertently changed if the wrong tense is used. Without making it more complicated than it needs to be, the following rules are simply guidelines for using tenses to help avoid glaring mistakes:

Consistency in Tenses
  Description: If you shift the tense of verbs from one tense to another without a clear reason, it can confuse your readers. There are instances where it is necessary to change tense, even within the same sentence, but it should only be done when the reason is clear or to make things even more clear.
  Rules to follow: Follow these rules in regards to tense consistency:
  - In general, keep tenses consistent within sentences and paragraphs.
  - Avoid changing tenses when there is no time change for an action.
  - If you do need to change tenses, make sure that there is a clear reason for it.
  - Always avoid ambiguity.

  Example: Write the description of the problem that was encountered, send it to our support team, and we will reply as soon as possible. Notice that past, present, and future tenses are used in the same sentence. The reason for the switch to future tense ("we will reply") is quite clear. The part of the sentence that is in past tense ("that was encountered") could certainly be omitted without changing the meaning, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with keeping it because it simply makes it even more clear.

Future Tense
  Description: In English grammar, future tense is not considered a true tense because tenses express the time of a state or action and the future has not yet happened. Obviously, you need to future tense when referring to something that will clearly happen in the future, but in professional writing, using present tense (whenever possible) enhances your message by making it more clear and precise. However, in technical documentation it is much more common and acceptable to use future tense. This is because the instructions often refer to events that will happen in the future or that depend on certain conditions or actions before the events will occur.

  Rule to follow: Avoid future tense when present tense makes the meaning more clear. It is fine to use it when you are referring to something that will specifically happen in the future or requires certain things to happen before it will occur.

  Example of when NOT to use it: Our sample documentation framework will be very simple. This was an actual example from our User Guide. Notice how ambiguous this sentence is. It will be simple when? Why is it not simple now? Does the user need to do something to make it simple? Clearly, this sentence should be "Our sample documentation framework is very simple."

  Example of when you should use it: We will reply as soon as possible. You have to use future tense in this case because the action will very clearly happen in the future.

Progressive Tense
  Description: The progressive tense is formed with a form of the helping "to be" verb, plus the present participle of a main verb with an "ing" ending. The use of progressive tenses is not grammatically incorrect, but it requires the use of extra auxiliary verbs and makes your ideas less precise, and possibly less clear. Particularly in technical writing, it should only be used to refer to something that is very clearly an ongoing action and present tense cannot be used in the precise context.

  Rule to follow: Simply avoid progressive tense unless it is absolutely necessary (for example, when referring to a specific on-going event).

  Example of when NOT to use it: Oxygen is changing the way you edit documents. This sentence should be "Oxygen changes the way you edit documents." Notice that the second version is more powerful and precise.

  Example of when you should use it: Unfortunately, you cannot minimize the dialog box while the operation is processing. In this instance, it is actually better to use progressive tense since it is referring to the time period during an ongoing event. You could replace "is processing" with "processes", but the progressive form is actually more clear and precise in this case.