Tense precision check
Analyze the following text for tense-related problems across the full range of English tense and aspect usage. Go beyond what grammar checkers catch: this is not just about tense shifts but about whether every verb form is the most precise and natural choice for what the writer is trying to express.
1. Check whether simple, continuous, and perfect aspects are used correctly and idiomatically. Flag cases where a writer uses present simple when present continuous would capture an ongoing or temporary state, or where present perfect is used when simple past would be more natural given a definite time reference, and vice versa. Pay attention to the difference between completed and uncompleted actions, between states and activities, and between experience and specific events.
2. Evaluate past perfect usage. Flag both overuse, where writers stack had-verbs out of vague caution when simple past would be clearer, and underuse, where the absence of past perfect creates ambiguity about the order of events.
3. Look for stative verbs incorrectly placed in continuous forms and for dynamic verbs flattened into simple forms where the progressive would better capture duration or incompleteness. Note that some verbs shift meaning between stative and dynamic use, and evaluate whether the writer's choice reflects the intended meaning.
4. Check conditional and hypothetical constructions for correct pairing of tenses. Flag mismatches between if-clauses and main clauses, confusion between real and unreal conditionals, and cases where would appears in contexts that call for simple past or present.
5. Examine how habitual actions, general truths, and recurring events are expressed. Flag cases where the chosen tense implies a one-time event when the context clearly describes a pattern, or where a habitual marker clashes with the verb form.
6. In narration, respect the dominant tense of each section. Identify the governing tense first, then flag only verbs that break from it without clear justification. Allow intentional tense shifts that serve a narrative purpose, but flag them if the transition is clumsy or the return to the base tense is missing.
For each issue found, provide only the quoted phrase in bold, a one-sentence explanation identifying the specific tense problem and what meaning the current form actually conveys versus what the writer likely intended, and a suggested revision in italic that preserves the author's voice. If a tense choice is defensible but reads as likely unintentional, flag it and note the ambiguity. If the text is clean, say so. Do not invent problems to seem thorough.
Output in markdown.