• He took the money when he wants* it.

This sentence says that he took the money (in the past) “when he wants it” (in the present). This meaning does not make any sense; it is impossible to do something in the past as a result of something you want in the present. This sentence can be corrected in several ways, depending on the desired meaning.

• He took the money when he wanted it.
• He takes the money when he wants it.

The first example means that he took the mono (in the past) “when he wanted it” (in the past). This meaning is logical, and the sentence is correct. The second example means that “he takes the money” (habitually) “when he wants it” (habitually). This meaning is also logical, and the second example is also correct.

It is necessary to point out, however, that it is possible for a logical sentence in English to have both the past and the present tense.

• I know that he took the money yesterday.

The meaning of this sentence is logical: “I know” (right now, in the present) that “he took the money” (yesterday, in the past). You can see from this example that it is possible for an English sentence to have both the past and the present tense. The error you need to avoid is the switch from the past to the present for no particular reason. Therefore, when you see a sentence on the TOEFL test with both the past tense and the present tense, you must check the meaning of the sentence carefully to see if it is logical in English.

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