Ling 140: English Grammar for Teachers Winter, 2014 Dr. Jan Frodesen Lecture 4, Wed., January 22 Verb Tense and AspectTense and Aspect Consider the following sentences. What are the verb tenses of the underlined verbs? What are the time frames referred to (past, present, future)? a. Sonia Shah is speaking in Campbell Hall on April 18th. b. So as we’re driving through Yellowstone, all of a sudden a bear wanders into the road right in front of our car. c. Waiter: Did you want a salad with your dinner? d. If you took the PCH this afternoon rather than the 101 into the valley, I think you could get to L.A. faster. Conclusion: Verb tenses do not always indicate the time frame their names suggest!Tense and aspect An overview • Tense relates to time, aspect has to do with the internal structure of an action at any time “English has no future tense”(strictly speaking) simple perfect progressive perfect progressive Ø have + part. be + ing have+part. /be+ing present write(s) has/have written am/is/are writing has/have been writing past wrote had written was/were writing had been writing future will write will have written will be writing will have been writingTense and Aspect Tense and aspect: an overview prior past perfect PAST incomplete past progressive complete simple past prior present perfect PRESENT incomplete present progressive complete simple present prior future perfect FUTURE incomplete future progressive complete simple futureTense and Aspect • Simple aspect refers to events that are conceptualized as a complete wholes • Progressive aspect is incomplete and imperfective Compare: Simple aspect Progressive aspect Chris works in Phelps. Chris is working in Phelps.Tense and Aspect Simple present tense • immediate factuality: 1. My brother likes science fiction. 2. Today is April 15th, 2013. • habitual actions: 3. She works in a homeless shelter every Saturday. • general timeless truths: 4. Two hundred and thirty-one cubic inches of water equals one gallon. • indicating states (with be and other stative verbs): 5. Scott is happy. 6. I know that actor.Tense and Aspect Simple present tense • In subordinate clauses of time/condition when the main clause contains a future-time verb: 7. When Mike finishes work, he’ll go to the gym. • expressing (the certain) future: 8. She leaves for Brazil tomorrow. • present event/action: 9. Jeremy Lamb steals the ball and races toward the basket! • present speech acts: 10. I promise to do the best I can. • conversational historical present: 11. So this guy gets on the plane and refuses to take his seat.Tense and Aspect Simple past tense • Simple past tense also states facts, and adds a sense of remoteness (Knowles 1979) • in time: 12. Hurricane Ike struck in 2008. • recent time: 13. She just came up the driveway. • from reality (conditional, hypothetical): 14. If I walked home from UCSB, it would take me almost 3 hours. • from directness (social distancing): 15. Did you want some help with that math problem?Tense and Aspect Simple future tense with will • the will-future is used for strong predictions (rather than factual reports) • of an action to take place at some definite future time 16. Many of you will graduate from UCSB in June. • of a future habitual action or state 17. From now on, I will take the 24x bus to campus. • of an action with some future termination in sight 18. Sam will live in Goleta until he finishes his degree. • of future conditionals 19. If Pat doesn’t take 4 more units, she’ll need to go to summer school.Tense and Aspect Perfect aspect • The core meaning of the perfect is “prior” in relation to some other point in time • Present perfect: • a situation began at a prior point in time and continues into the present 20. Marianne has been a professor since 1980. • an action (not) occurring at an unspecified prior time that has current relevance 21. I have already taken Linguistics 170. • a very recently completed action 22. David has just finished his breakfast.Tense and Aspect Perfect aspect • Present perfect: • an action that occurred over a prior time period and that is completed at the moment of speaking 23. UCSB has completed several major building projects during the last several years. • with verbs in subordinate clauses of time/condition 24. If you have completed the quiz, you can turn it in and leave.Tense and Aspect Perfect aspect • Past perfect: • an action completed in the past prior to some other past event or time 25. Jack DuBois had taught at UCLA before 1986. • imaginative conditionals in subordinate clauses (referring to past time) 26. If she had trained harder, she would have won the race.Tense and Aspect Perfect aspect • future perfect: • a future action that will be completed prior to a specific future time 27. She will have finished all of the data gathering by tomorrow. • a state of accomplishment that will be completed in the future prior to some other future time or event 28. At this time next year, my family will have lived in their house for 25 years. Perfect aspect allows us a retrospective point of view from particular points in time: present, past, and future.Tense and Aspect Progressive aspect • Progressive aspect is associated with imperfective, incomplete, or somehow limited events • Present progressive (present continuous): • activity in progress 29. He is attending a meeting, can he call you back? • extended present (with endpoint in sight) 30. I am working towards a degree in chemistry. • repetition or iteration in a series of similar ongoing actions 31. Henry is kicking the ball around in the backyard. • expressing future 32. She’s coming tomorrow. • emotional comment on present habit 33. He’s always stirring up a fight.Tense and Aspect Progressive aspect • present progressive: • a change in progress 34. She is training to be a physical therapist. • past progressive: • action in progress at a specific point of time in the past 35. Tim was boarding the plane at 6 this morning. • past action simultaneous with some other event (usually stated in the simple past) 36. I was talking to my sister when there was a knock on the door. • repetition or iteration of some ongoing past action 37.