Consistency

Consistency means taht, in your writing, each sentence and paragraph moves along smoothly without confusing shifts in tense, number, and person.  One way to acheive consistency is through parrallel structure, which creates a sense of balance with similar words, phrases and clauses.

1.  Verb tense consistency is VITAL, however, most writers forget that just as important as time are the concepts of person and number, especially in dealing with pronouns.

• Consistency in number means that there is no confusing shift from singluar to plural or plural to singular. 
• In other words the pronoun must match the antecedent (or the word replacing must match what it is replacing) in number. 

Consider the following:

• The wise runner always chooses their running shoes carefully. 

Note that the noun (runner) is singular, however, the pronoun (their) is plural!  This can mislead the reader into believing he or she has missed an extra person you are writing about.  This inconsistency will distract your reader from your point. 

The sentence may be corrected in either of the following ways:

1. The wise runner always chooses his/her running shoes carefully.
2. Wise runners always choose their running shoes carefully

*PS--did you see the verb change?  We're going to get to that soon!

Try this practice:  Correct each sentence by using a consistent pronoun that matches each antecedent. 

1. An individual's self-esteem can affect their performance.
2. Jorge started drinking diet sodas last week, and already he hates the taste of it.
3. The headlines encourgaed us, be we feared it wasn't accurate.
4. The defendant has decided that he will represent oneself.
5. Dreams facinate me; it is like another world.
6. If a person doesn't know how to write well, they will face many challenges.
7. Oxford University boasts of the great number of manuscripts they own.
8. Always buy corn and tomates when it is in season.
9. The average American takes their freedom for granted.
10. Women have more opportunites than ever before.  She is freer to go to school, get a job, and choose the kind of life she wants.