Future Static and Future Dynamic

Only the Future Static.is used in sentences in which the verb indi­cates, together with other words of the context, a feature or relationship permanently characterizing the subject, e. g.:

1. I think, even if I ever die, and they stick me in a cemetery, and I have a tombstone and all, it'll say "Holden Caulfield" on it, and then what year I was born in and what year I died (J. Salinger) (The tomb­stone will have the words "Holden Caulfield» on it); 2. But steel will break and iron will bend (E. Seton-Thompson) (Steel and iron are liable to break and bend owing to the nature of the substance); 3. "My hair is brittle, with lots of split ends, and it just won't curl" (D. Worker) (My hair is not liable to curl).

Some of the typical examples of oppositions:

1. "Here! I'll carry her. She's too heavy for you" (A. Bennett) // H ar-r y: You'll have to carry this case, Peter. Nora: He can't because he'll be carrying my hatbox, besides his own case (D. Hicks) (I'll be

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the one to carry her // He will be in the process of carrying my hatbox and his own case); 2. "I'll count slowly. I won't cheat" (D. Parker) //"Yes. In a cell. But in my cell I'll be counting the days before my release. Here you'll be counting the days before ... before the tide closes in on you for good" (D. Carter) (My counting will' be slow // I shall be in the process of counting); 3. Six of them will play for Scotland at Wembley next week (D. Worker) // As well as the four new forwards, Frank Myler and John Stopford will be playing in their first Test (D. Worker) (Six of them will be among the players for Scot­land // Frank Myler and John Stopford will be in the process of playing).

Model III

In oppositions by Model III some feature or relationship character­izing the subject at a certain moment or period of time is compared with that in a period of time anterior or posterior to it, a static form representing the subject as relatively static, irrelative of its actual changes in respect to the anterior or posterior period of time, a dy­namic form as relatively dynamic, as changing.

Present Static and Present Dynamic

In the example "You haven't the same body now that you had then. You are putting on flesh, and it is not healthy flesh" (J. London) the italicized verbal process is not developing overtly at the moment of speaking, no changes of the subject taking place before the speaker's eyes. And yet Miss Mason represents Mr. Harnish as changing, seeing he looks different from what he did before when she saw him last. Natu­rally, the speaker's reaction to Mr. Harnish' looks could have been "You've been putting on weight* (Cf.: "Ever since I gave up smoking, I've been putting on weight" — J. Lindsay), "You've put on weight" (Cf.: "She's put on four pounds" — D. Cusack), etc. In such cases the speaker would have represented Mr. Harnish as changing or changed in a period of time before the moment of speaking. In her actual speech reaction, Miss Mason represents Mr. Harnish as changing in the pres­ent.

More examples of this kind:

1. "I detected more tiny crowfeet round her eyes. She's ageing fast" (J. Lindsay); 2. "Daddy, my winter jasmine is coming into flower" (D. Worker); 3. "But, my, how nice you look, Clyde. You've got such nice clothes now. And you're getting taller" (Th. Dreiser); 4. The next forenoon Ben planted the seed. Day after day he waited for it to grow. At last he spied a tiny green leaf pushing its head above the earth. "It's growing! It's growing!" Ben shouted (W. S. Gray). 5. "One of his eyes is damaged but, I am glad to hear, is healing well" (D. Worker); 6. "At her house she always has green hand towels. But the ones she is using now are wearing rather thin" (D. Hicks).

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Consider now the following oppositions:

1. "He's as thin as a bone. He hardly eats a bite" (Th. Wolfe) // "You're not eating very much," she commented when she saw his ribs begin­ning to arc through the skin (I. Stone) (He is a very poor eater, no changes as to the kind of eater he was before being implied by the form // You are not a good eater, you were a better eater before); 2. "My name is Foyle — I live in Darroch" (A. Cronin) // i'Where is he now?" — "He is living in Sanary" (W. S. Maugham) (My home is in Darroch, no chang­es of residence being implied by the static form // His home now is in Sanary, the dynamic form implying that there has been a change of residence); 3. "He talks charmingly, dances divinely" (G. Meredith) // // When a baby begins to talk, he at first uses single words to proclaim what he sees or what he wants. Later on, as his wants and discoveries become more complicated, he puts words together. Soon he is talking fluently (A. Strong) (He is a charming talker, no change in his ability to talk being implied by the form // He is able to talk fluently, the form implying that there has been a change in the child's ability to talk); 4. "I teach and do the Appeals work, that's all" (A. Maltz) // "Pete, I often think of what your Dad used to tell me about teaching. Now I'm teaching myself, I see what he meant" (J. Updike) (I am a teacher, no changes of the speaker's occupation being implied by the form // Now I am a teacher myself, the form implying that there has been a change of the speaker's occupation); 5. "You know", said Terry, "it's funny Dickie does not walk. The baby book says he should when he's about a year old. Penny is walking. I saw her." — "She's a girl," said Chris. "Boys are slower" (D. Russell) (Dickie cannot walk, no changes in his ability to walk being implied by the form // Penny can walk, the form implying that there has been a change in Penny's ability); 6. "I work in a mill, I know good cloth" (J. Braine) // "She's working now for Joe. I saw her just now" (G. Greene) (I am employed in a mill, no changes of the place of employment being implied by the form // She is now employed by Joe: she was unemployed before).

Frequently the speaker represents the subject as changing with respect to a posterior period of time, e. g.:

1. "Your father and mother are living, I presume?" — "Yes sir." (Th. Dreiser) (The possible change is their death); 2. "All over your country there are people who have not yet begun to live, Swartz. They are your people. And they are existing, not living. Young people like you must go to them and give them a chance to live and grow and de­velop as social human beings. If that is done they will release a tremen­dous new vitality (P. Abrahams) (Their life is but existence, not the life of human beings, the form implying that in future things will be different); 3. "He's pulling down 85 dollars a month. After this let him draw thirty-five" (J. London); 4. "This investment of mine is taking a lot of money just now. I expect to get it all back shortly, but just at present I am running close" (Th. Dreiser).

Compare now the following oppositions:

1. A season family ticket costs 150 dollars (Th. Dreiser) // To keep up such nuclear forces is costing about 1,900 million pounds this year and

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is expected to rise to 2,000 pounds by next year (D. Worker) (The price of a family season ticket is 150 dollars, no change of price in the future being implied by the form // The cost of keeping up such nuclear forces is about 1,900 million pounds, the dynamic form implying that in future it will be different); 2. "What do you make, Ralph? Four thousand a year or four hundred thousand?" (S. Lewis) // "Why, Gray at his age of twenty-five is making 50,000 a year, and that's only a beginning" (W. S. Maugham) (What are your yearly earnings? No change in the amount of the money earned in future being implied by the form // The amount of money made by Gray yearly is 50,000 dollars, the form implying that in future it will change); 3. Another complete castle before you. This was the inner shell-keep, with its eight enormous round towers which still stand {Th. White) // The Castle is still standing, and you can see its lovely ruined walls with ivy on them (Th. White) (The towers are not yet ruined, the form implying no changes in the condition of the towers in future // The Castle is not yet completely ruined, with time there will be nothing left of it).