Tense

TENSE AND MEANING

Trabalho apresentado à disciplina Princípios de Semântica da Língua Inglesa, ministrada pela professora Wanessa Froes Quadros, como requisito parcial de avaliação referente ao 1º Semestre de 2008.

Equipe composta pelos acadêmicos: Ariana Nogueira Eleutério, Cléber Gomes Reis, Danilo Almeida, Débora Castro, Lívia Sanguinete, Mayara Cristine Rocha e Taís Alves de Souza.

INTRODUCTION What time the verb tense communicate? Past and Present are misleading.

PAST<----------------------X------------------>FUTURE PRESENT

PAST TENSE (PRETERIT) 

Does communicate past time

THE PAST TENSE VERB USUALLY LIMIT THE TIME FRAME IN SOME WAY

(primary fuction). 

Used in conjuntion with events that



are over and done with. Ex: I PLAYED VOLLEYBOLL

constrains the time frame. 

YESTERDAY. 

Used to annouce without preamble. Ex: I BROKE A GUY’S ARM.

The broader discourse usually

Time in narratives. Ex: the novel example.



Speaker use the past form to appear more polite.

PRESENT TENSE “Present” is misleading. Called “nom’past”. Is rarely used in conjuction with na event that is ongoing in present time. Ex: I GO TO BED NOW. Used to express habitual activities. Ex: TRACY WORKS AT THE ZOO. MY BROTHER GOES TO SCHOOL BY BUS.  Used to express state (with copula verb). DANI IS HAPPY. Used to express universal truths and permanent states. Ex: TWO AND TWO EQUALS FOUR.

To express future event (used with a word or phrase that express time. Ex: WE LEAVE ON TUESDAY. THE TRAIN ARRIVES AT NOON. Can not be used to an unscheduled event. Ex: IT RAINS TOMOROW.* Historical or narrative present: use the present tense to relate past events.

Performative. Used to communicate present time. They have social implications and they all have the same shape. Ex: I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU HUSBAND AND WIFE. I SENTENCE YOU TO LIVE IN PRISON. I BET YOU FIVE DOLLARS THAT THE BULLS WILL WIN. I BEG YOU TO LEAVE. Commentary present: used to describe an event which is ongoing in the present. Except the historical present, all the present tense constructions discoursed above actually incorporate present time in some way.

SUMARY OF THE USES OF THE PRESENT TENSE Habitual action I EAT RED MEAT EVERY DAY. State

MARYLYN IS THIN.

Universal truth

HOT AIR RISES.

Planned future event

JENNY LEAVES FOR COLLEGE TOMOROW.

Commentary

MIGHT CASEY STRIKES OUT.

Performative

I WARN YOU NOT TOUCH ME.

Historical

I WALK UP TO THIS GUY AND I SAY...

FUTURE In English there is no suffix to make the future. So, the time frame is communicated by addicional words in the sentence. Ex: ABIGAILCE WILL MARRY. WE ARE GOING TO GRADUATE.

THE BABY ARRIVES NEXT YEAR. THE PLANE ARRIVES AT NIGHT.

When we " predict " the future we use “will”, and when we intend to do something in the future we use “be going to”. Ex: YOU NEED TO CLEAN THE HOUSE! OK, I WILL DO IT TOMORROW. I KNOW THE HOUSE IS DIRTY. I AM GOING TO CLEAN IT TOMORROW.

FINITE AND NON-FINITE VERBS FINITE

verb phrase that carry tense. Is the first verb that actually carry the

tense. Ex: LEWIS AND CLARK EXPLORED THE WEST. I HAVE FORGOTTEN YOUR NAME. GEORGE IS CHOPPING DOWN THE CHERRY TREE.

NON-FINITE

not carry tense. Infinitive, present participles, past participles. Can

occur without tensed verbs in subordinate clauses. I DON’T WANT BIA TO BORROW MY BOOK. BROKEN IN A FIGHT, THE WINDOW OFFERED LITTLE PROTECTION FROM THE WIND.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!