Tenses
Tenses vs. Time
Aspects
Mood
WHAT A VERB IS AND WHAT IT DOES
➤A verb is a word or a phrase which expresses the
existence of a state or the doing of an action.
“love, seem” “take, play”
➤ Auxiliary verbs are used with full verbs to give other
information about states and actions.
➤ Finite verbs and non- nite verbs?
➤ Modals?
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Verbs
Full Auxiliary
➤Action & State ➤Be
➤Transitive & Intransitive ➤Have
➤Do
➤Linking
➤Modals
TENSE AND ASPECT
TENSE
PRESENT TENSE PAST TENSE
ASPECT
LEXICAL GRAMMATICAL
•Stative •Perfect
•Dynamic •Progressive
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
➤Why is it okay to say, Today I slept late and missed my bus,
with verbs in the past tense.
➤I just bought a car. Why can’t I say, I’m having a car now?
THE SPEAKER’S NOW
The time-line perspective:
past time —> present time —> future time
The speaker’s perspective:
remote <— non-remote —> remote
(Factual) (Non-factual)
TENSE
➤The basic tense distinction in English is marked only by two
forms of verb: the PAST TENSE and the PRESENT TENSE.
➤Future verb form is expressed via a modal verb which
indicates a relative possibility of an event.
FUTURE =remote + non-factual;
THE SPEAKER’S NOW
The speaker’s perspective:
remote <— non-remote —> remote
(Factual) (Non-factual)
(1) She said, ‘I am waiting here.’
(2) She said that she was waiting there.
The di erence between direct speech and indirect speech is not a
matter of time, but of “distance” from the reporting situation.
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THE HISTORIC PRESENT
Last night Blackie comes in with this huge dead rat in her mouth and drops
it right at my feet.
The time of the event: Past
The described action: Present
—> making storytelling events more “vivid” (or less remote)
Lexical and Grammatical Aspects
ASPECT
LEXICAL GRAMMATICAL
•Stative •Perfect
•Dynamic •Progressive
Aspect refers to how the event expressed by a verb is viewed
(e.g., complete, in progress, habitual, momentary)
THE LEXICAL ASPECT OF VERBS (VERB MEANING)
Stative Dynamic
Punctual Durative
Cognition Relation Acts Activities Processes
believe be hit eat become
hate belong jump run change
know contain kick swim flow
like have stab walk grow
understand own strike work harden
want resemble throw write learn
State verbs
Some verbs has a stative meaning and a different active meaning:
(1) I am tasting the soup. (deliberate action)
(2) The soup tastes salty. (state)
(Ex: depend, feel, measure, see, taste, weigh, think)
GRAMMATICAL ASPECT
Progressive aspect Simple aspect
BE + V-ing
- in progress, developing - nished
- uncompleted states - permanent
- temporary duration - habitual
- pre-arrangement What are some common types of verbs that are rarely
used with the continuous forms?
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GRAMMATICAL ASPECT
Perfect aspect
(HAVE) + PAST PARTICIPLE
- a relationship between one state/event and a later state/event or time
- a state/event that extends up to a point in time
- an event that occurred within a time period
- an event that has the result continuing up to a point
GRAMMATICAL ASPECT
Choose the correct sentence in the pairs:
a. Global weather patterns have changed for many years.
b. Global weather patterns have been changing for many years.
The simple or continuous aspect applies across the entire tense system.
GRAMMATICAL ASPECT
He has believed in Allah all his life. (Pre-existing state)
“has believed” here does not receive a “completion interpretation”
Actual meaning in English is compositional. Each feature of lexical and
grammatical aspect adds to the overall e ect in implicated meaning.
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THE PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE
1.I have been working for Exxon for Repeated Actions
15 years. Drawing conclusions
Actions in progress throughout a period
2.Jim has been phoning Jenny every
night for the past week.
3.Your eyes are red. You have been
crying.
OTHER GRAMMAR FOCUS
1. Since I left college, I’ve lived and worked in four di erent
European countries.
2. Since I lived here, there hasn’t been a day when the water
hasn’t been cut o .
Compare: We’ve been best friends as long as we’ve known
each other.
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MOODS
A set of contrasts shown by the form of the verb
Expressing the speaker’s/writer’s attitude towards what he/she is talking
about, and whether the event is considered fact or non-fact.
(1) Indicative
(2) Imperative
(3) Subjunctive
SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD
The form of the verb used to express uncertainty, wishes, desires, etc.
Referring to non-factual/hypothetical situations
Usually belongs to formal/written English
Present subjunctive
Past subjunctive
PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE
Formulaic: God save the Queen/ Su ce it to say/ Come what may.
Mandatory: That-clause + present subjunctive
(After nouns/verbs and adjectives expressing obligation, demand, suggestions,
advice, etc.)
The police insisted the car (should) be moved immediately.
Lest + present subjunctive
He spent whole days in his room, headphones on lest he disturb anyone.
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EXAMPLES OF VERBS
Insist
Suggest
Request
Order
Recommend
Propose
Think
EXAMPLES OF ADJECTIVES
Advisable
Essential
Desirable
Preferable
Anxious
EXAMPLES OF NOUNS
Decisions
Insistence
Demand
Requirement
Condition
PAST SUBJUNCTIVE (FORM: PAST SIMPLE/WERE)
1. He ordered me about as though I were his servant.
2. He orders me about as though I were his servant.
Structures used with Past Subjunctive:
As if/as though
It is (high/about) time…
Would rather + pronoun (you)…
Conditional sentences/ suppose (v.)/ imagine (v.)/Inversions
Wish
References
1.Explaining English Grammar/ George Yule, OUP 19
2.Longman English Grammar / L. G. Alexander
3.Grammar and Vocabulary for Cambridge Advanced and Pro ciency/
Richard Side and Guy Wellman
4.Advanced Language Practice: Grammar and Vocabulary/ Michael Vince &
Peter Sunderland
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