1. Academic Tenses

Task 1: Grammar Review

Read the following paragraph on Saturday jobs for teenagers and underline the tenses. Why has the writer used those particular tenses? 

Saturday jobs for teenagers

A recent study by Resolution Foundation has revealed that the once popular custom of a Saturday job for teenagers is in decline. It claims that the percentage of 16- to 17-year-olds with weekend jobs fell by almost half between 1997 to 1999 and 2017 to 2019 (Busby, 2020). One of the reasons for this decrease may be the need for adolescents to focus more on their studies, particularly as places for university have become more and more stretched. It could also be argued that the traditional posts of shelf stacker or shop assistant no longer appeal to young people, and other ways of earning extra money, such as online bloggers and influencers, are far more attractive and easier to achieve. These particular jobs also offer far more flexibility, as they can be tailored around their schoolwork and completed at home. In light of the current global pandemic, it is predicted that fewer and fewer teenagers will opt for a conventional Saturday job in the future. Instead, they are much more likely to spend their free time on the Internet.

Busby. E. 2020. Number of teenagers doing Saturday jobs halves in two decades, study finds. [online] Available at https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/saturday-jobs-teenagers-school-work-students-resolution-foundation-report-a9270206.html [Accessed 31 March 2021].

Task 2: Language Review

Read the rules on these common tenses in academic writing. Are any of these new to you? 

Language Review

• According to corpus research, in academic writing, the four tenses used the most often are present simple, past simple, present perfect simple and future simple (will) (Biber et al., 1999; Caplan, 2012).

Tense	Use	Examples
Present Simple	To make statements that are generally true at the time of writing.	Many students apply to university during their A Levels.
	To make interpretations about findings of current or previous research.	The findings suggest that girls outperform boys in science.
	To show the aim of an essay or report etc.	This report explains how the flu virus spreads.
	To refer to charts, figures, tables or graphs.	The table shows the number of Twitter users in the UK.
Past simple    Past simple	To describe previous findings in your or another’s research that have now been replaced.	The theory of maternal impression suggested that some birth defects were influenced by the mother’s mental state.
	To report findings of a previous study at a specific point in the past in order to support a general statement or a finding in your or another’s research.	There was a rise in puppy sales in the COVID lockdowns. The RSPCA reported a 41% increase between 2020 and 2021.
	To describe the data gathered, the methods used or the results of a completed study.	The subjects were asked to decide if the word they heard was single or double stressed.
Present perfect	To connect information from some time in the past with the present.	House prices in London have almost doubled in the last ten years.
	To summarize previous research.	Several studies have shown that learning a second language can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s.
	To show emphasis of what has been done instead of what is known to be true.	Scientists have developed a new technique to understand how cells communicate with each other.
	To introduce a new topic.	The issue of wet markets has grown in importance in light of the recent pandemic.
	To show gaps or limitations in current research.	The current study has only examined the impacts of Covid-19 on wealthier nations.
	To draw conclusions.	This essay has discussed the reasons for and against the death penalty.
Future with will	To predict with certainty future findings or results.	It is evident that more UK High Street shops will cease trading.
	To state the purpose for writing especially in an introduction.	This essay will discuss the implications of augmented reality in the retail sector.

Note: all four tenses can be used in the active or the passive forms.

Present Simple Active	The table shows the number of Twitter users in the UK.
Present Simple Passive	The number of Twitter users in the UK is shown in the table.
Past Simple Active	The RSPCA reported an increase in puppy sales in the COVID lockdowns.
Past Simple Passive	Over the COVID lockdowns an increase in puppy sales was reported by the RSPCA.
Present Perfect Simple Active	This essay has discussed the reasons for and against the death penalty.
Present Perfect Simple Passive	The reasons for and against the death penalty have been discussed in this essay.
Future Simple Active	This essay will discuss the implications of augmented reality in the retail sector.
Future Simple Passive	The implications of augmented reality in the retail sector will be discussed in this essay.

For more information on active vs passive forms go here: www.academic-englishuk.com/passive-grammar-basics

Guided Practice

Task 3: Present simple vs past simple

Identify the mistakes in the following sentences. Not all are incorrect.

1. The online payment system Stripe was a trustworthy payment processor.
2. In the UK, the first zero-waste shop opened in 2017.
3. Google, YouTube and Facebook combined receive more than 150 billion visits per month.
4. In Labov’s social stratification study, all participants are asked questions with the same ‘fourth floor’ answer.
5. UNESCO state that over 200 languages died out between 1950 and 2010.

Task 4: Present simple vs present perfect

Highlight the correct form of the verb.

1. According to the BBC, almost 24,000 students apply/have applied to study medicine at UK universities next September.
2. Homeopathy uses/has used diluted substances which cause the body to heal itself.
3. Approximately 10% of the world’s population is believed/has been believed to be left-handed.
4. The findings do not support/have not supported the hypothesis.
5. Computer games as an educational tool are always/have always been a source of contention.

Task 5: Past simple vs present perfect

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb in brackets.

1. Green tea ________________________ a significant trend in the West. (become)
2. Dave Asprey ________________________ the first biohacking facility ‘upgrade labs’ in 2017. (set up) 
3. PayPal ________________________ charging customers whose accounts are inactive. (begin)
4. Since the first national lockdown, more and more people________________________ running in the UK. (take up)
5. According to The Office for National Statistics, the UK economy________________________ by almost 10% last year. (shrink)

Task 6: Present simple vs future simple with ‘will’

Highlight the correct option. If both are correct, highlight them both.

1. This essay argues/will argue that physical banks will disappear completely in the next decade.
2. In 2025, healthcare systems will adopt/adopt more preventative health approaches.
3. These findings suggest that more in-depth research in this field is required/will be required.
4. There is/will be clear evidence that being bilingual aids memory function.
5. Cryptocurrencies are predicted/will be predicted to replace cash within the next decade.

Task 7: Tense review

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb in brackets. Use only active or passive structures of past simple / present simple / present perfect simple / future simple.

1. Government income _____________ from indirect taxation such as import duties. (derive)
2. Unemployment _____________ when economic growth outstrips productivity growth. (fall)
3. Over the last five years, major exporting countries _____________companies caught bribing foreign officials to win contracts. (prosecute)
4. Once the new resolution is approved, countries _____________to inspect any suspicious land, sea or air cargo, including luxury goods. (require).
5. The findings are based on responses from 500 business owners around the country who _____________ fewer than 100 employees. (have)
6. Every year, member states _____________ more available funding for agriculture subsidies. (demand)
7. Early reports suggest that sales _____________ and now IBM is estimating profits of over 30%. (double)
8. Recently, automation in manufacturing   _____________ even to areas where labour has been relatively cheap. (expand)
9. Generally, scientific research on meditation practices _____________ to have a common theoretical perspective. (not appear)
10. In 2019, researchers at Harvard University _____________ a risk analysis and projected that motorists distracted by their cell phones caused 2,300 deaths each year. (do)
11. In developing countries, food waste _____________ usually a result of inadequate storage and distribution systems. (be)
12. Ever since the Financial crisis, critics _____________about the government’s failure to bring criminal charges against any major Wall Street players.  (complain)
13. For years, there have been many journalists who _____________ greater transparency and more legal protections for consumers. (call for)
14. In the next few weeks, these principles _____________as well as updated to put them in line with 21st century data processing activities. (clarified)
15. Over the last few years, McDonald’s _____________ to outcompete its rivals due to the challenging economic conditions around the world. (struggle)

Task 8: Paragraph Tense Review 1

Complete the gaps in the paragraph with the correct form of the verb in brackets. 

Exams versus coursework

The most effective way to assess students _____________________ (long debate) in the field of education. Two of the most common methods are examinations and coursework. On the one hand, examinations _____________________ (allow) teachers to assess several students at the same time on the same content. Exams are also seen by some as more flexible in relation to content, timing and question types. Indeed, a 2018 study led by Stanford University _____________________ (show) that male students _____________________ (achieve) higher scores with multiple-choice tasks whereas open-ended questions _____________________ (enable) female students to perform better. On the other hand, coursework encourages students to become more autonomous learners as more effort _____________________ (require) on their part to research and evaluate the material using their own time management skills. In addition, _____________________(claim) that coursework is less stressful than exams, especially for those who struggle to retain information or those who do not perform well under time pressure. Although it is unlikely that one ___________________ (supersede) by the other, it _____________________ (remain) clear that effective assessment _____________________ (involve) several criteria which cannot be fulfilled by one unique method.

Stanford Education. 2018 Question format may impact how boys and girls score standardized tests, Stanford study finds. [online]. Available at https://ed.stanford.edu/news/question-format-may-impact-how-boys-and-girls-score-standardized-tests-stanford-study-finds [Accessed March 31 2021].

Task 9: Paragraph Tense Review 2

Read the following paragraph on newspaper paywalls and see if you can identify the five errors. 

Newspaper paywalls

Due to the decline in readership of printed newspapers, many online newspapers chose to add a paywall to their website. It is a way for digital newspapers to charge readers to access certain content, usually through a subscription. According to a study of almost 80 print media firms in the US undertaken at Harvard Business School in 2019, online paywalls were successful in generating further revenue for large companies, in particular for those which can generate content with a certain degree of uniqueness and have an established reputation. The findings also reveal that smaller firms with fewer website visits incurred more losses due to paywalls, as a result of a fall in profits from digital advertising, which offsets digital subscriptions (Senz, 2019). Thus, for all existing and future online newspapers, a paywall undoubtedly had an effect on sales. However, it appeared that this effect will ultimately depend on the size of the media company and its exclusive content.

Senz. K. 2019 Why paywalls aren’t always the answer for newspapers. [online] Available at https//www.forbes.com/sites/hbsworkingknowledge/2019/08/01/why-paywalls-arent-always-the-answer-for-newspapers [Accessed 31 March 2021].

Freer Practice

Task 10: Paragraph Writing

Write a paragraph on salary caps in sports. Try and use all four tenses from the session. Compare with the sample answer.

Task: Extra Practice

• Select a topic from your subject.
• Write a short paragraph using a range of tenses.

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