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I have a problem about the use of tense of a verb.

On the TOEFL test, there is a sentence mixed the past with the present. It it possible to use the past and the present in one sentence? When we can use and can not use these tenses in a sentence?

How about these sentences, are these correct or incorrect? And why?

  1. When I was child, he always goes to the circus.
  2. Last semester he reads seven books and wrote five papers.
  3. Steves wakes up early every morning because he went to work early.
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    If your question is whether it is possible to use past and present in the same sentence, it is. "I work hard today because I worked hard yesterday." If your question is whether the usage in those sentences is correct, it isn't.
    – Robusto
    Commented Oct 29, 2016 at 4:03

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It is OK to mix present tense with past tense, if the tenses follow the same chronological order as the events in the sentence.

This is OK:

I took a bath and now I am clean.

However, the three sentences you provided are not correct.

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Yes, you can use different tenses in the same sentence.

Example:

When I walk to school today I will think about all the boys I kissed yesterday.

As for your sentences, they should use the same tense

  1. When I was child, he always went to the circus.
  2. Last semester he read seven books and wrote five papers.
  3. Steves woke up early every morning because he went to work early.
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