Using the Past Tenses of English Verbs in Theses and Dissertations

Using the Past Tenses of English Verbs in Theses and Dissertations

Postgraduate students writing in English must master a wide variety of linguistic and structural skills, but one challenge repeatedly emerges across disciplines: choosing and forming the correct verb tenses. Theses and dissertations rely heavily on past-tense forms because much of the research being described has already taken place—experiments have been completed, data has been collected, participants have been interviewed and earlier scholarship has been reviewed. Misused past tenses can obscure meaning, disrupt chronology, and confuse examiners about what happened when. Clear command of these forms is therefore central to high-quality academic writing.

This article explains the four major English past tenses—the simple past, the past continuous, the past perfect and the past perfect continuous—and provides detailed guidance for using them effectively in theses and dissertations. Examples appear with the verb forms in uppercase for clarity only; this styling must not be used in scholarly writing.

1. The Simple Past: The Foundation of Academic Narration

The simple past tense is the most frequently used of all the past-tense forms. It describes actions or events that occurred in the past and are now fully complete. In thesis writing, it is particularly common in literature reviews (“Smith found”), methodology sections (“Data were collected”), and findings (“Participants reported difficulties”).

Examples of the simple past include:

• I WAS busy.
• You SANG well.
• He RAN daily.
• They SLEPT this afternoon.

To create emphasis, English sometimes uses the simple past of the auxiliary verb to do:

You DID SING in the choir.

The verb did also appears in negative constructions:

We DID NOT SLEEP in the afternoon.

And in questions:

DID she SING in the choir?

The verb to be forms negatives and questions slightly differently:

• You WERE NOT ill.
• WERE you ill?

In academic writing, use the simple past when referring to completed research actions or historical findings. For example:

• “Interview transcripts were coded using NVivo.”
• “Jones (2018) demonstrated that…”
• “The instrument measured reaction time.”

2. The Past Continuous: Describing Ongoing Actions in the Past

The past continuous describes actions or states that were in progress at a specific time in the past. It is created using the simple past of to be plus the present participle of the main verb:

• She WAS DOING well.
• You WERE SHOPPING when I left.
• They WERE READING at the library.

Negative form:

We WERE NOT READING at all.

Question form:

WAS she WRITING when you arrived?

In thesis writing, the past continuous is especially useful for setting scene, describing actions happening simultaneously, or explaining background details that support the narrative of your methods or results.

The past continuous commonly works alongside the simple past to show one action interrupting another:

• You WERE SHOPPING when I LEFT.
• They WERE READING when the announcement WAS MADE.

In academic contexts:

• “The participants were answering the questionnaire when the fire alarm sounded.”
• “The sensors were recording data when the equipment failed.”

3. The Past Perfect: Showing Prior Actions in the Past

The past perfect tense expresses an action that occurred before another action in the past. It is formed using the simple past of to have plus the past participle of the main verb:

• They HAD VACATED the building that afternoon.
• He HAD RUN through the park before the festival.
• You HAD BEEN ill.

Negative form:

We HAD NOT WRITTEN the paper that afternoon.

Question form:

HAD he SUNG for an audience before?

In thesis writing, the past perfect is frequently used to clarify sequence:

• “Before data analysis began, the interviews had been transcribed manually.”
• “We incorporated variables that had been identified in earlier pilot studies.”
• “Participants who had completed the pre-test were invited to join the second phase.”

Use the past perfect to avoid ambiguity about what happened first, especially when describing complex methodologies.

4. The Past Perfect Continuous: Describing Duration Before Another Past Action

The past perfect continuous is the most structurally complex of the past tenses. It uses two auxiliary verbs and the present participle:

• They HAD BEEN READING that morning.
• He HAD BEEN SINGING in the choir for months.
• We HAD BEEN SHOPPING every day.

Negative form:

I HAD NOT BEEN READING that morning.

Question form:

HAD you BEEN SINGING for long?

This tense describes a longer action in the past that continued up to another moment or event. In a thesis or dissertation, it is useful for indicating duration:

• “The team had been collecting samples for three years before the analysis began.”
• “Participants had been using the app daily before the testing period started.”
• “The devices had been recording environmental data continuously prior to the system failure.”

Use this tense when time span is important to your narrative or argument.

5. Choosing the Correct Past Tense in Academic Writing

Academic writing demands clarity. Examiners must be able to follow the sequence, duration and completion of research actions. Confusing tense use can make even strong research appear unclear or poorly structured.

General guidelines for theses:

5.1 Use the Simple Past to Describe Completed Actions

• Completed methods: “Data were analysed… ”
• Completed findings: “Participants reported difficulties… ”
• Past scholarship: “Smith (2019) found that… ”

5.2 Use the Past Continuous for Background or Interrupted Actions

• “The researcher was observing the group when the incident occurred.”

5.3 Use the Past Perfect to Show Sequence

• “The participants had completed training before the trial began.”

5.4 Use the Past Perfect Continuous to Emphasise Duration

• “The equipment had been running for 48 hours before the malfunction.”

6. Common Mistakes Thesis Writers Make

Errors in past-tense usage often stem from uncertainty about sequence or duration, or from direct translation from another language. Typical mistakes include:

• Using the simple past when the past perfect is required.
• Switching tenses unnecessarily within the same paragraph.
• Overuse of the past perfect continuous.
• Using the past continuous to describe short, completed events.
• Using the past perfect when no “earlier” action exists.

Careful proofreading helps prevent these errors and ensures internal consistency.

Conclusion: Mastering Past Tenses for Clear Academic Writing

Understanding the four main English past tenses—and learning how to use them accurately—strengthens every part of a thesis or dissertation. These tenses allow you to describe your methodology precisely, present your findings clearly, report previous scholarship accurately, and guide examiners through the time-based logic of your research. The ability to express sequence, completion and duration accurately is a sign of academic maturity and enhances the credibility of your work.

By mastering these forms and proofreading carefully for tense consistency, you can produce academic prose that is polished, accurate and easy to follow—helping your ideas stand out and giving your research the presentation quality it deserves.