Editing Encyclopedia:Manual of Style (section)

===Verb tense<span class="anchor" id="Tense"></span><span class="anchor" id="TENSE"></span><span class="anchor" id="VERBTENSE"></span>===
{{Shortcut|MOS:TENSE|MOS:VERB|MOS:ISWAS|MOS:WAS|MOS:COMPNOW}}
{{redirect|MOS:PRESENT|text=For the guideline on words such as "currently", "soon", and "recently", see {{slink|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers#Statements likely to become outdated}}}}
{{See also|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Biography#Tense|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Words to watch#Relative time references|Wikipedia:Writing better articles#Tense in fiction}}

By default, write articles in the [[present tense]], including those covering works of fiction {{crossref|pw=y|(see {{section link|Wikipedia:Writing better articles|Tense in fiction}})}} and products or works that have been discontinued. Generally, use past tense only for past events, and for subjects that are dead or no longer meaningfully exist, such as deceased people or defunct companies. Use [[Past tense#English|past tense]] for articles about periodicals no longer produced, with common-sense exceptions.<!-- RfC that resulted in preceding sentence at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Permalink/974747679#RfC:_Should_"is"_or_"was"_be_used_to_describe_periodical_publications_that_are_no_longer_being_published? -->
*{{xt|The PDP-10 is a mainframe computer family manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation from 1966 into the 1980s.}}
*{{xt|''Earth: Final Conflict'' is a Canadian science fiction television series that ran for five seasons between October 6, 1997, and May 20, 2002.}}
*{{xt|The Gordon Riots of 1780 were several days of rioting in London motivated by anti-Catholic sentiment.}}
*{{xt|The Beatles were an English rock band that formed in Liverpool in 1960.}}
*{{xt|Barack Obama is a former president of the United States}} (not {{!xt|Barack Obama was a president of the United States}}).
*{{xt|Jumbo Comics was an adventure anthology comic book published by Fiction House from 1938 to 1953.}}
*{{xt|''A Prairie Home Companion'' is a radio show that aired live from 1974 to 2016}} (not {{!xt|''A Prairie Home Companion'' was a radio show}}).
*{{xt|''Flappy Bird'' is a mobile game developed by Vietnamese video game artist and programmer Dong Nguyen}} (not {{!xt|''Flappy Bird'' was a mobile game}}).

Tense can be used to distinguish between current and former status of a subject: {{xt|Dún Aonghasa {{strong|is}} the ruin of a prehistoric Irish cliff fort. Its original shape {{strong|was}} presumably oval or D-shaped, but parts of the cliff and fort have since collapsed into the sea.}} (Emphasis added to distinguish the different tense usages; Dún Aonghasa is a structure that was later damaged by an event.)

Always use present tense for verbs that describe genres, types, and classes, even if the subject of the description (e.g. program, library, device) no longer exists, is discontinued, is unsupported or is unmaintained. Present tense is also used for discontinued [[MOS:TVNOW|television shows]].