Download Unit 3 - EnglishGrammarI-2012

Time, Tense, Mood and
Aspect
Time is a universal, non-linguistic concept with three
divisions: past, Present and future.
Tense is a linguistic concept. It is the correspondence
between the form of the verb and our concept of time.
Aspect concerns the manner in which the verbal action is
experienced or regarded, for example, completed or in
progress.
Mood refers to grammatical manifestations of the way the
speaker views the reality of the sentence. English has two
moods, indicative and imperative, used by all speakers,
and a third rather marginal mood used by some speakers,
the subjunctive.
English tenses have two elements of meaning:
TIME Is the verb action present, past or future?
ASPECT
How does the speaker see the verb action?
Examples:
She’s talking on the phone.
TIME: Present
ASPECT: activity in progress now.
I saw a good film last night.
TIME: Past
ASPECT: action completed at a specific time.
Have you ever seen “Gone with the Wind”?
TIME: before now
ASPECT: the exact time when is not important. The question
asks about the experience at any time in the past.
I’ll give you my phone number.
TIME: future
ASPECT: spontaneous intention.
There are two aspects in the English tense system. They are called
CONTINUOUS and PERFECT.
CONTINUOUS ASPECT
The continuous aspect expresses the following ideas:
a. activity in progress
Don’t interrupt me. I’m thinking. Why aren’t you working?
I was going out of the hotel when someone tapped me on the shoulder.
Don’t phone her at eight. She’ll be having dinner.
b. temporary activity
We are living in a hotel until we find a house to buy.
You are being very silly today. Usually you’re so sensible.
c. possibly incomplete activity
Who’s been eating my sandwich? (Compare Who’s eaten my sandwich?)
I was writing the report on the plane. (Compare I wrote my report on
plane)
PERFECT ASPECT
The perfect aspect expresses the following ideas:
a. the exact time of the verb action is not
important
I’ve bought a new car.
Have you seen my wallet anywhere? I’ve lost it.
b. The action is completed before another time
Have you ever been to America? (Some time before
now)
When I arrived, he had already left. (Some time
before I arrived)
I’ll have finished the report by tonight. (Some time
before tonight)
PRESENT SIMPLE TENSE
Form of the simple Present Tense
Each verb tense/aspect has three major forms: Positive
(Statement), Negative (Statement), and Question.
POSITIVE
In most persons, the Positive form is the same as the basic form
(infinitive without to):
I walk.
You stay.
We go.
They hurry
In the Third Person Singular, most verbs end in s:
He walks.
She stays.
It goes.
John hurries
NEGATIVE
In most persons, you put DO NOT / DON’T in front
of the basic
form of the verb:
I don't walk.
They don't hurry.
We do not smoke.
In the Third Person Singular, you put DOES NOT /
DOESN’T in front of the basic form:
He doesn't walk.
It doesn't go.
Jane does not hurry.
QUESTIONS
In most persons, the question is made in this way:
DO + SUBJECT + BASIC FORM OF VERB
Do they walk ?
Do we go ?
Do I know ?
In the Third Person Singular, the question is made this way:
DOES + SUBJECT + BASIC FORM OF VERB
Does she smoke?
Does it work?
Does Bill know?
When there is a question word, it normally goes at the beginning
of the clause:
When do they leave?
How do I start?
Why does she smoke?
Where does it go?
Spelling of the 3rd person singular
Most verbs add –s
work – works
drive –drives
run – runs
Verbs normally add -es to verbs ending in: -o, -ss, -x, sh, -ch:
do – does
pass – passes
catch – catches
fix – fixes push – pushes
When there is a consonant before -y, the -y changes to ies:
fly – flies cry – cries
Exception: if there is a vowel before the –y, the –y does not
change
play – plays
pray – prays
Uses of the Simple Present Tense
The simple present is used:
1. Permanent truths
We use the simple present for statements that are always
true:
Summer follows spring.
Gases expand when heated.
2. Unchanging situations
We use the simple present to refer to events, actions or
situations
which are true in the present period of time and which, for
all we
know, may continue indefinitely. What we are saying, in
effect, is
“this is the situation as it stands at the present”.
My father works in a bank.
My sister wears glasses.
3. Habitual actions
The simple present can be used with or without an adverb of time
to describe habitual actions, things that happen repeatedly.
I get up at 7 o’clock.
John smokes a lot.
I sometimes stay up till midnight.
She visits her parents every day.
4. Future events
The simple present is used to make statements about events at a
time later than now, when the statements are based on present
facts, and when these facts are something fixed like a time-table,
schedule, calendar.
The plane arrives at 18.00 tomorrow.
She has a yoga class tomorrow morning.
The restaurant opens at 19.30 tonight.
Next Thursday at 14.00 there is an English exam.