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Advanced C1 – C2. Joining. Grammar Forces. Unit 3 – Presentation 1. What is a Tense ?. “ a way people came up with in an effort to describe human experience through time in such a manner as to be meaningful to the listener/ reader ”. How many Tenses are there?.
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Advanced C1 – C2 Joining Grammar Forces
Unit 3 – Presentation 1 • What is a Tense? “a way people came up with in an effort to describe human experience through time in such a manner as to be meaningful to the listener/ reader” • How many Tenses are there? Strictly speaking, 2 (the Present Simple & the Past Simple) but we can form 10 more, which gives us the overall 12-tense system in English.
Notes on Tense Formation 1 Simple: habit, completion, a generally held fact, a permanent state, repetition
Notes on Tense Formation 2 Continuous: duration, incomplete- ness, changing or temporary situation, progress at or around the time of speaking
Notes on Tense Formation 3 Present: helping verbs conjugated in the present tense Past: helping verbs conjugated in the past tense Perfect= “complete(d)”, therefore, simple perfect tensesdescribe actions finished at the time stated by the first constituent of their names
REMINDERS • Simple & Continuous = opposite • The Perfect Continuous tenses = the most difficult to grasp & use because Greek does not have counterparts • The Perfect tenses link time points and are therefore not on the time lines
SIMPLE CONTINUOUS TENSE TIME-RELATED DIAGRAM FAR PAST Past Perfect Simple Past Perfect Continuous Past Simple Past Continuous PAST Present Perfect Simple Present Perfect Continuous Present Simple Present Continuous PRESENT Future Perfect Simple Future Perfect Continuous Future Simple Future Continuous FUTURE Completion, repetition, habitual routine, statement of fact, permanent states Incomplete actions, progress, stressing duration, changing situations, temporary nature
I) The Greek ‘Imperfect’ Tense (A) • A tense that does not exist in English. It is rendered by 6 different tenses/ forms, under the following conditions: • Simple Pastfor routines, habitual, repeated actions or permanent past states. • Used to + infinitivefor past habits or states that are no longer true. • Would + infinitivefor an occasional past action/ habit (that the speaker now misses). • These three ‘Imperfect tenses’ show repetition & habit & are used interchangeably except for ‘would’ that CANNOT be used for states!
I) The Greek ‘Imperfect’ Tense (B) • Past Continuousfor a single action that was in progress at a specific time-point in the past or which had a certain duration. • Present Perfect Continuousfor a long action which began in the past, has just finished and has obvious results now. • Past Perfect Continuous for a long action which began in the far past, had just finished in the past and had obvious results then. • These three ‘Imperfect tenses’ are for a single action of duration, NOT for habits, routines, states!
IΙ) The 3 Perfect Continuous Tenses Present Perfect Continuous, Past Perfect Continuous & Future Perfect Continuous: the three singularly most difficult tenses to grasp and use because there are no equivalent tenses in Greek. Remember that all three express the same notion, which is: there has been/ there had been/ there will be + such and such time + that sb has been/ had been/ will have been doing sth (έχω/ είχα/ θαέχω + τόσονκαιρό + πουκάνωκτ)
IΙI) Frequency Adverbs The words that show how often something happens and are therefore only used with Simple Tenses (with exceptions!) Mid position, i.e. after the first auxiliary/ modal verb and before the main verb. EXCEPTIONS?
IV) State Verbs (A) Verbs denoting states rather than processes or actions and lack the dynamic that would enable them to be used in Continuous tenses, which is why they are ONLY USED WITH SIMPLE TENSES. Normally they are categorised as follows: • 1) VERBS OF PERCEPTION (+ others with related meaning): see, hear, feel, smell, taste, notice, observe, look, seem, appear, overhear, sound. • 2) VERBS OF POSSESSION: have, possess, own, belong, afford. • 3) VERBS OF LIKE & DISLIKE: love, hate, like, dislike, enjoy, despise, adore, detest, fancy, loathe, prefer, can’t stand/ bear, (I don’t) mind. • 4) VERBS OF DESIRE: desire, wish, want, hope, need.
V) State Verbs (B) • 5) COGNITIVE VERBS: remember, recall/ recollect, forget, regret, forgive, know, recognise, understand/ realise. • 6) VERBS OF OPINION & CONVICTION: think, believe, reckon, agree, suppose, imagine, expect, doubt, mean, trust, refuse, consider/ regard, guess, suspect, fear. • 7) MISCELLANEOUS: apply, be, fit, include, contain, matter, cost, owe, amount to, measure, weigh, find, depend (on), resemble, differ, consist (of), deserve, hold, accommodate. Exceptions Sometimes, they are used as action verbs and then, if necessary, they can be in Continuous forms. They also usually have a different meaning when this happens.
V) State Verbs (C) i Exceptions • You have been seeing a lot of Jack recently, haven’t you? (meet, go out with/ συναντώ, βγαίνω με) • I’ve been hearing rumours about you two, you know. (learn/ μαθαίνω) • I could hear him as he was feeling his way through the darkness. (search by touching/ ψηλαφίζω) • Look at the dog; what’s it smelling the air like that for? (perceive by smell/ οσφραίνομαι, μυρίζω) • Our new chef is always tasting the dishes he prepares. (sample/ γεύομαι, δοκιμάζω) • She’s appearing live tonight, I think. (make an appearance/ εμφανίζομαι)
V) State Verbs (C) ii Exceptions (cont’d) • The school bus is here and the children are still having breakfast. (take, eat/ παίρνω/ τρώω) • I can’t begin to tell you how I’m loving my stay here. (coll.: greatly enjoy/ «τη βρίσκω με») • Are you enjoying the trip, kids? (experience pleasure/ χαίρομαι κτ, το διασκεδάζω) • She’s hoping for a quick closure. (depend on, expect/ βασίζομαι σε, περιμένω πως και πως) • I’m sorry but I’m forgetting your name. (slip one’s mind/ μου διαφεύγει) • It’s a funny feeling to be realising your childhood dreams. (make come true/ πραγματοποιώ)
V) State Verbs (C) iii Exceptions (cont’d) • What are you thinking about? (consider, go through the mind/ σκέφτομαι) • We’ve been expecting you for hours! Where have you been? (wait for/ περιμένω) • Are you doubting me by any chance? (to question sb‘s words]/ αμφισβητώ κπ/ τα λόγια κπ) • It’s not as if we hadn’t been meaning to tell you. (intend/ σκοπεύω) • They are considering relocating to bigger premises. (think about/ σκέφτομαι) • Are you applying for the post then? (formally request/ αιτώ)
V) State Verbs (C) iv Exceptions (cont’d) • Stop that! You are being impossible! (exhibit a temporary attitude/ γίνομαι • They are fitting new locks tomorrow so make sure you get a key. (equip, install/ εξοπλίζω, τοποθετώ) • Are they measuring the floor today? Shall I move the furniture? (find out the exact size/ μετρώ) • Oh, God! He’s weighing the dog again! (find out the exact weight/ ζυγίζω) • You are depending on them for everything, aren’t you? (need, count on/ βασίζομαι) • He was holding something red this morning but I didn’t pay attention. (have in my hands/ κρατώ)
IV) When/ If/ Wh-Relatives & -ever Clauses IN • TIME CLAUSES(when, while, as soon as, until, etc), • CONDITIONAL CLAUSES(if, unless, as/ so long as, etc), • RELATIVE CLAUSES(who, which, that, etc) & • INTENSIVE -EVER CLAUSES(whoever, whichever, whatever, wherever, etc) we don’t use will/ would. • Instead, we use Present Simplefor future & Past Simplefor past reference. • Especially in Time Clauses, we can use Present & Past Perfect respectively. THIS RULE DOES NOT APPLY IN NOUN CLAUSES!
VΙ) Other Ways to Express Future I Apart from the seven future forms, there are certain set expressions with the verb ‘be’, and individual verbs that, though in the present or present perfect forms themselves, refer to future time. • EXPRESSIONS WITH ‘BE’ Be to = for arrangements Be about to (do) Be on the point of (doing) Be due to Be set to Be likely that/ to Be possible that Be bound/ sure/ certain that/ to
VΙ) Other Ways to Express Future II • INDIVIDUAL VERBS I’m planning to (do)/ on (doing) I’m thinking of/ considering (doing) I intend/ mean to (do) I have arranged to (do) I have decided to (do) • OTHER CASES Modal Verbs & other defective forms (like: had better, would rather) • Shall is nowadays found only in the question forms: shall I …?for offers & shall we …?for suggestions OR bothto ask for suggestions/ instructions. In very formal writing (e.g. legal papers) also in the affirmative with other person references.
VΙ) Other Ways to Express Future III • FUTURE IN THE PAST The four mainstream Future Tenses change ‘will’ to ‘would’ (Conditional Future) while all expressions with ‘be’ become ‘was’/ ‘were’ + set expression. What they all have in common is uncertainty as to the result. e.g. He was just about to leave the house when he noticed he wasn’t holding anything in his hands. He was to pick me up at 7.00. I don’t know why he hasn’t shown up yet.
VII) Present Perfect Simple – Special Constructions • The Verb ‘Have been/ gone’ (to) i)Have been (to) = have visited (now I’m back) ii)Have gone (to) = have left (for) (I’m on the way there OR there already) • It is/ has been + time phrase + since + S. Past e.g. It’s three years since I saw my cousins ALSO I haven’t seen my cousins for three years.
VII) Present Perfect Simple – Special Constructions • After Superlatives e.g. It’s the best meal I’ve had in years! • After the phrase: it’s the first/ second/ etc time e.g. It’s the second time I’ve driven a van. (switch!) • Negatives with ‘yet’/ ‘still’ e.g. We haven’t seen anyone yet.(‘yet’ normally comes at the end of a negative ‘perfect’ sentence)BUT - We’ve yet to see someone! - We still haven’t seen anyone! (Both emphatic)
VIII) Time Markers Certain expressions are shared among tenses, e.g. ‘for’ is used with nearly all the tenses, except the Present. There are, however, certain time expressions that unmistakably point at particular tenses: • ago = only Past • how long/ since = mainly with Perfect tenses • frequency adverbs = only Simple (exc. ‘always’) • all …/ this time … = only Continuous (exc. with ‘state verbs’)
