VERB TENSES IntroductionThe verb tenses you use in each section of your FYP will depend on the nature of your subject area and the style of your project. Some generalisations can be made however.For example, in the abstract, the present tense is normally used in the background section, which sets the scene of the research topic.The past or present perfect are most common when stating the purpose, method and results.The conclusion lends itself to the present tense, and possibly modals.

The Introduction also usually uses the present tense for the background and to explain the purpose of the project in report forme.g. The purpose/aim/objective of this project is to...

Modal auxiliaries are often used to explain the value of the study or justify researche.g. This project may/could/should help in understanding...

In the Literature Review, verbs for paraphrasing and quoting are commone.g. showed, demonstrated, suggested, proved, indicated, reported, found

The simple past tense tends to be the most frequent, to refer to the findings of another author's research.However, the present perfect tense is often used when the focus of the work is on several authors.e.g.Chomsky demonstrated that deep grammatical structure was inherent.The latest samples have shown...

The simple past is usually used in the Methodology section, as you are describing what happened, or what you did. The passive voice is common, as it is the method which is important, not the person who conducted it.

The results or findings generally also take the past tense.Tables, charts and diagrams are generally described in the present howevere.g. Figure 3 shows...

The discussion refers back to the original hypothesis by using the past tense.e.g. We assumed that workers were knowledgeable about...

It explains findings in the past tense or by using modal verbs.e.g. An explanation for the variations found could be because...

Comparison of results with other data is usually in the present however.e.g. Previous findings suggest that obesity is genetically influenced...

Implications or extrapolations may use the present tense or modal verbs.e.g. The results imply that pollution may be highest in...

The present tense is often used to refer to generally accepted scientific facts, in any section of the FYP.Modal verbs convey possibility or probability: tentative language (may be, might be, should be, would be) is often used if you are not sure of a fact or an outcome.The choice of modal verb will vary according to your attitude.