Use of Correct Tense in OET

Grammar is an essential tool of the English language. In order to pass any language evaluation test successfully, like the OET Exam, you must have a firm grasp of the rules and usage of grammar in English.

The set of rules and etiquette that give languages their functionality is known as grammar. Verbs and tenses are crucial components of word-level grammar. In our daily lives, we utilise a variety of tenses in nearly all of our statements. So, in order to help you out when taking the various OET modules, we are here to provide you with a brief review of English tenses, their numerous varieties and usages and then move on to OET correct tenses.

Introduction to tenses

In the English language, verbs can take the form of three tenses – the past tense, the present tense and the future tense. Things that have already occurred are referred to as having occurred in the past, for example, earlier today, yesterday, last week, or three years ago. The present tense is employed to talk about things that are ongoing or that are currently happening now. The future tense refers to events that have not yet occurred, such as later tonight, in the upcoming weeks, next year, or in three years.

To put it simply, consider the following example.

Past Tense: We had dinner last night.

Present Tense: We have dinner at 9 p.m.

Future Tense: We will have dinner later in the evening.

The same activity is described, and the form of the verb changes according to the tense.

The verb here is Have.

Thus,

The Past Tense of Have is Had.

The Present Tense of having is Have.

Future Tense of Have is Will Have.

Thus, if you are describing an event in the past – such as a party, all verbs will be in the past tense. For example, “My parents threw me a birthday party on Wednesday. They invite all my classmates.”

Here, the verb ‘invite’ is in the Present Tense. Thus, it is an incorrect tense usage and must be changed to the Past Tense. So the correct full sentence will be as follows:

“My parents threw me a birthday party on Wednesday. They invited all my classmates.”

You may occasionally need to switch around the tenses in your writing to clarify concepts involving various time periods. For example, “I learned how to fish last year. Now I often go fishing with my friends.”

Here, the author describes a recent past occurrence as well as a typical present-day occurrence. This shift in tenses is appropriate because it enables the author to convey two thoughts that occur at various points in time.

You may use signal words to indicate a shift in tenses. In the English language, signal words are often used to indicate to the reader that the time period has changed.

In this instance, the author employs the phrasal verb “last year” to describe an event that took place in the past. The author then uses the word “now” to describe an event that is currently occurring in the following statement. This aids in avoiding confusion for the reader.

The tense of an action verb will tell us when the action has been completed. Learning the many verb tenses and when to utilise each one is necessary for understanding English grammar and writing.

Tenses in OET

In particular, referral and discharge letters will require you to convey information more clearly by using the appropriate tenses. On the other side, choosing the wrong tense could leave readers perplexed and may lead to serious misunderstandings in the medical field.

Thus, we will now go over the tenses you are most likely to use in the OET.

Present Simple Tense

Use the present simple to record basic information like the patient’s name, age, and status at the beginning of your referral letter or in case notes. When we are confident that the circumstances won’t change, we employ the present simple.

For example:

1. The patient is 20 years old.
2. The patient’s blood type is O+.
3. The patient is allergic to paracetamol.

Past Simple Tense

You’ll probably need to utilise the simple past once you start talking about the patient’s background and history. For activities that have already been finished, we utilise the past simple. We utilise the past simple to report discrete symptoms, appointments, etc., in the healthcare field.

You can come across phrases with time stamps like “two days ago” or “last month” in the OET writing notes. For such sentences, the past simple is typically used.

For example:

1. The patient fell and broke their right-hand last night.
2. The patient underwent Chemotherapy treatment in 1998.

Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous tense

Finally, you might need to relate the patient’s current state to their previous one while discussing it. If a situation hasn’t changed or is still extant, the present perfect might be used to describe it. We frequently relate the past to the present by using the present perfect to describe symptoms and illnesses. The time indicators “since” and “for” are acceptable with present perfect sentences.

For example:

1. The patient has been undergoing physical therapy for the past 3 weeks.
2. The vitals have remained stable over the course of the past 24 hours.
3. Although the patient has made a good recovery but requires continuous monitoring for the next few months.

If we wish to emphasise that an activity is ongoing or repeated, we can also employ the present perfect continuous.

For example:

1. The patient has been taking over-the-counter painkillers for pain management.
2. The patient has been experiencing severe nausea for the past three days.

Tenses Activity

1. Use the correct form of the verbs given in brackets to complete the sentences.

1. She has been _________ (take) a dose of medicine for two weeks.
2. The doctor has _________ (advise) the patient to take a daily walk.
3. The patient must _______ (eat) at regular intervals.
4. The patient has ________ (complete) the treatment yesterday.
5. The meds are ________ (work) well.
6. The patient will be _______ (discharge) tomorrow.
7. You will have to ______ (pay) for this medication out of pocket.
8. The patient will be _______ (move) to the general ward.
9. The treatment is ______ (progress) well.
10. The doctor is ________ (examine) her now.

1. Choose the appropriate tense for each of the following sentences and modify if necessary.

1. The patient has received their medication yesterday.
2. Miss Taylor suffered a stroke three years ago.
3. The patient is being allergic to penicillin.
4. The patient injured her right hand on Thursday.
5. Her condition has been steadily improving.
6. The accident has happened in the early morning.
7. The patient’s left ankle is painful for five days.
8. The night nurse carried out the initial assessment.
9. The patient is informed about the risks before the surgery.
10.  Mr Johnson was concerned about the correct use of the new medication.

ANSWERS

I.

1. Taking
2. Advised
3. Eat
4. Completed
5. Working
6. Discharged
7. Pay
8. Moved
9. Progressing
10. Examining

II.

1. The patient received their medication yesterday.
2. Correct
3. The patient is allergic to penicillin.
4. Correct
5. Correct
6. The accident happened in the early morning.
7. The patient’s left ankle has been painful for five days.
8. Correct
9. The patient was informed about the risks before the surgery.
10. Correct