×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Tenses

Tenses

(OP)
I am a graduate engineer and have to do training report every three months. However, I faced a question about what tense should be used in my reports. Normally, the reports cover what I did over the last 3 months, in general, the tense should be past tense. However, when I talk about the client of a project which has not finished when I write the report. What tense should be used?

(For example: Over the last three months, I have been devoted to a project of which the client [is/was] XX company)

RE: Tenses

My first thought is that since the report is to describe what happened during the last three months, then I would lean towards past tense.

When you come across situations like your example, I would try to remove tense whenever possible.  "Over the last three months, I have been devoted to a project for client XX company."  If that is not possible, I would stay in past tense because during that period, company XX was the client, and to maintain consistency.

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

RE: Tenses

(OP)
Thank you for your help.

However, my understanding is (may be wrong) the project has not finished yet. I am still working for this client. Last time, when faced the same situation and used the past tense in my training report, my training advisor said I had to use present tense....It is very confusing....

RE: Tenses

I guess the argument for using the present tense is that you are writing the report now, however you have to consider that the report may be read some years into the future and that events happened in the past. Unfortunately business today is short sighted and can't see that far ahead. I'd write the report how best you feel it should be written. You can guarantee that supervisors will rewrite it no matter what style you adopt. It gives them that air of authority.

corus

RE: Tenses

I would say past tense is appropriate when writing about things that have occured, and future tense if writing a "look ahead".

"Last month we completed testing of the hydraulic system.  Next month we plan to validate the control software."

RE: Tenses

Client was xx company (was and is no longer)

Client has been xx company (was and still is)

RE: Tenses

(OP)
Thank for all your advice.............

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources