vse_otvety / 37_Kategoria_vremeni

The category of Tense

Speaking about the grammatical categories of the verb we are:

1. to define the category;

2. to explain the grammatical meanings of the items included into the category;

3. to find out the type of the opposition;

4. to state neutralization.

The category of tense denotes the relation of the action expressed by the finite verb to the moment of speaking. It contains 4 forms: Present, which denotes coincidence with the moment of speaking, Past, denoting priority to the moment of speaking, and Future, which expresses an action posterior to the moment of speaking. There is one more form – Future-in-the-Past, which denotes a relation of the action to the moment in the past, (not to the moment of speaking). This fact gives rise to different controversial interpretations of the Future-in-the-Past. This tense-form was often excluded from the system of tenses. We should consider it to be an item of the category in question on the ground that it differs from Simple Future (Future 1) only syntactically. It’s used in subordinate clauses after the verb in the main clause in the Past.

In regard to tenses the problem of futurity in general is often discussed. Scholars in the west suppose that Future is a free syntactical word-combination, containing the modal verbs ‘shall’ and ‘will’, expressing the lexical meaning of obligation and volition, respectively. We should prove that pure futurity does exist in the English language as a grammatical notion. Let’s refer to some examples from the book “The Structure of English” by B.A.Iliysh:

”He will die in a week”, said the doctor.

‘I’ll be 20 next year’.

It’s evident that in these contexts the lexical meanings of the words ‘shall’ and ‘will’ are not preserved. They are lexically empty. Being devoid of any lexical meaning since there is neither obligation nor volition in them, they are auxiliaries here. Hence the whole combination is an analytical form. If so, what we are dealing here with is predication proper and such combinations are elements of the grammatical category of tense.

The tense category is realized through the oppositions. The binary principle of oppositions remains the basic one in the correlation of the forms that represent the grammatical category of tense. The present moment is the main temporal plane of verbal actions. Therefore, the temporal dichotomy may be illustrated by the following graphic representation (the arrows show the binary opposition):

Present Past

Future I Future II

Generally speaking, the major tense-distinction in English is undoubtedly that which is traditionally described as an opposition of past::present. But this is best regarded as a contrast of past:: non-past.

Present : : Past

weak strong

-ed

We can use weak instead of strong one in historical present

Present : : Future

Weak strong

Neutralization: actions according to time table are expressed by Present Simple

Exercises: define the function of the given tense form; correct the mistakes; put the verb into the necessary tense form.