"Chip away at" describes change that builds up slowly, over time. The tense you pick should show that. Most of the time, you need a continuous form, not the plain present tense.
Getting this right matters, because it shows the reader whether an issue is still active, or already closed.
Quick check: show that the pressure is still live
Choose the tense that connects the past two quarters to the current one.
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Learn "Chip Away" in depth →Continuous and perfect continuous for active trends
When a trend is still happening now, use the continuous form ("is/are chipping away at") or the perfect continuous form ("has/have been chipping away at"). Both work well here.
"Rising support costs have been chipping away at our margin for the past two quarters." This is perfect continuous. The erosion started in the past and is still happening now.
"The team is chipping away at the backlog this sprint." This is present continuous. It's happening now, and it isn't finished yet.
Both examples tell the reader that the story is still live, and that something is still moving, with more news likely later. That's the right signal to send in a status update, an incident note, or a progress report.
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Start the "Chip Away" learning path →Plain present tense for general or headline statements
The plain present tense ("chips away at") is correct too. But it sounds different. It reads more like a headline or a general summary, not a live, unfolding event.
"Inflation chips away at fixed-income returns." This is plain present tense. It states a general pattern, not one specific event happening right now.
That's a valid use, but a different one, and it works better for a general truth or a summary line than for a live, developing situation.
The mistake to avoid
The main risk is using plain present tense for a trend that's still happening now. This can make a live, developing situation sound like an old, settled fact. Say margin erosion is happening this quarter. If you write "discounting chips away at margin" instead of "discounting has been chipping away at margin," it reads like a textbook note, not a live update.
Here's a simple check. If you mean "this is happening right now, and it's still going," use a continuous or perfect continuous form. If you mean "this is generally true, as a pattern," plain present tense is the right, headline-like choice. Just be sure that's the tone you want.
Practice scenarios
Practice using chip away at in situations like these.
- writing a live status update while a trend is still unfolding
- telling a general statement apart from a report on an active situation
- using perfect continuous to show a trend across several quarters
- checking a draft to see if present simple makes an issue sound less current than it is
Useful practice phrases to try.
- "Rising [issue] has been chipping away at..."
- "We're chipping away at [target] this sprint."
- "[General pattern] chips away at [general target] — as a rule."
- "This is still unfolding, so let's use the continuous form here."
Keep Yarrow's queue reduction in progress
The tense you pick tells readers whether to keep watching, or to move on.
Use continuous for what's still happening. Use present tense for what's generally true.
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