IA901 2012 Session Five
The English Verb
• Tense, Aspect, Mood
“This is going to sound really stupid, but is a verb a doing word?”
(a question asked by an English Literature undergraduate in a
writing class, Autumn 2011)
Link to last week…
Collocations
______ verb
subject and
auxiliary
modal
main
lexical
delexical
transitive
intransitive
phrasal
multi-word
phrasal-prepositional
active
passive
finite
non-finite
regular
irregular
linking
copular
state
dynamic
nominalized
verb
Frequency
What do you think?
What’s behind this
square?
And this one?
Preparatory task
Look at these words for 10 seconds…
How many VERBS can you remember?
How many VERBS can you see?
Identify the verbs in the following sentences:
1. Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dine like a pauper.
2. I just text her five minutes ago.
3. Our father, which art in heaven.
4. Prodromou argues very persuasively that core chunks such as sort of and you
know membership speakers within cultural communities and project a ‘deep
commonality’ amongst interlocutors which the learner or even the highly
successful non-native user may not wish to claim nor has any reason to
claim.
5. Closed like confessionals they thread loud noons of cities
6. Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe[5]
1. Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dine like a pauper.
2. I just text her five minutes ago.
3. Our father, which art in heaven…
4. Prodromou argues very persuasively that core chunks such as sort of and you
know membership speakers within cultural communities and project a ‘deep
commonality’ amongst interlocutors which the learner or even the highly
successful non-native user may not wish to claim nor has any reason to
claim.
5. Closed like confessionals they thread loud noons of cities
6. Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe[5]
Culpepper et al (2009 : 115) in classifying a word (as a verb or otherwise),
FUNCTION comes before FORM and MEANING.
Consider the following examples taken from writing produced by international
students on an EAP course. How would you describe the underlined errors?
How would explain the problem to the writer?
7.
In fact, in my childhood, I enjoyed such trips to the full because I could
experience various things I could not do in daily life such as long driving,
getting on bullet trains, and seeing scenes I have never seen.
8.
For example, in Japan family structure has changed dramatically for 25
years.
9.
This problem is existed for many years.
10. Something strange was happened before I could open to door.
Finally, how would you explain the difference in meaning between the following
pair of sentences?
11. I have lived in Essex for 2 months.
I have been living in Essex for 2 months.
Can you think of any other tricky questions you’ve been asked relating to
English verbs?
Tense
Tense: True or false?
1. There are only two tenses in English.
2. “Present continuous” is not the name of a tense.
3. In English, there is no relationship between time and
tense.
3. In English, there is no relationship between time and tense.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Melody makes the best soup in Colchester.
Term ends on the 14th of December.
Christie’s train leaves at 4.30.
Would you mind if I opened the window?
Have you been beyond the fifth floor in the paternoster lift?
Tense and aspect
TENSE
ASPECT
Briefly, tense is the
representation in grammar of
the distinction that we make
between past, present and
future in our view of time. In
English we encode the
distinction between present
and past tense in different
forms of verbs. (Jackson, 1990)
Aspect, typically, expresses
whether actions or events are
finished or unfinished,
temporary or protracted.
(Parrot, 2010)
To the linguist tense is a
technical term. It means that
there is a morphological
change in the base form of the
verb. A verb form which is
made with an auxiliary is not,
in this technical meaning, a
“tense”. (Lewis, 1986)
Aspect indicates the speaker’s
perspective on time as
indicated in a verb phrase,
particularly whether an action
is treated as finished or is still
in progress or still relevant to
the moment of speaking.
English has two aspects:
perfect and progressive
(sometimes known as
continuous). (Carter and
McCarthy, 2006)
In your opinion, does the low frequency of a particular
tense/aspect combination mean that we should not teach it?
Describing tense and aspect
in context
From Thornbury (1997 : 77)
1. It’s raining.
2. It was raining.
3. I propose a toast.
4. I live in Oxford.
5. Wood floats on water.
6. I play tennis most weekends.
7. I’m taking the car every day this week.
8. I lived in Cambridge for 4 years.
9. I was living in Cambridge for 4 years.
10.I swear it wasn’t me.
11.I’ve seen him already.
12.I’m going to see him tomorrow.
13.I saw him yesterday.
14.I’d seen him before.
15.I was going to see him in the afternoon.
16.I’ll see him tomorrow.
17.I’ll have seen him before Saturday.
18.I’ll be going to see him when I get to London.
from Lewis (1986: 172)
from Lewis (1986: 172-173)
A1. I swear it wasn’t me.
A2. I’ve seen him already.
A3. I’m going to see him tomorrow.
from Lewis (1986: 173-4)
B1. I saw him yesterday.
B2. I’d seen him before.
B3. I was going to see him in the afternoon.
C1. I’ll see him tomorrow.
C2. I’ll have seen him before Saturday.
C3. I’ll be going to see him when I get to London
from Lewis (1986: 175)
A complication…
What do the verb tense and aspect combinations tell us
about the difference between the following statements?
a) I live in Colchester.
b) I lived in London for 10 years.
c) I’ve lived in Colchester for 2 years.
d) I’ve been living in Colchester for 2 years.
They’ve painted their house
or
They’ve been painting their house?
But…
a) I’ve lived in Colchester for 2 years.
b) I’ve been living in Colchester for 2 years.
c) They’ve painted their house.
d) They’ve been painting their house.
Shouldn’t the distinctions be the same?
Lexical aspect
How useful (or not) is Jackson’s classification of verbs?
Modal verbs
Palmer, cited in Lewis (1986):
There is no doubt that the overall picture of the modals is
extremely “messy” and untidy and that the most the linguist
can do is to impose some order, point some regularities,
correspondences, parallelisms…This subject is not one that
lends itself to any simple explanation.
Is this true of your experience, either as a teacher or as a
learner (or both)? Can you give examples of any difficulties
you have experienced?
Think of a context in which you might encounter the following statement:
You must be exhausted.
Now consider possible contexts for the following:
1. She can’t drive.
2. She could drive when she was 12!
3. She can’t be 50!
4. They’ll be arriving about now.
5. You mustn’t do that to your sister!
6. You should stop smoking.
7. I’ll get it.
8. She just won’t move.
9. May I?
10.Can I leave the table?
Modal verbs belong to the larger category of auxiliary
verbs, i.e. we don’t use them on their own; we have to
use them in conjunction with another (main) verb. They
are thus sometimes also called ‘modal auxiliaries’.
(Parrot, 2010)
Modality refers to a speaker’s or a writer’s attitude
towards, or point of view about, a state of the world. It
is centrally concerned with the expression of certainty,
volition, possibility and obligation. Core modal verbs
(can, could, may, might, will, shall, would, should, must)
and semi-modals (dare, need, ought to, used to) are the
principal way in which modal meanings are expressed.
(Carter and McCarthy, 2006)
PURE
MODALS
MARGINAL
MODALS
SEMIMODALS
can
could
may
might
must
shall
should
will
would
dare
need
ought to
be going to
be supposed to
had better
had best
have got to
have to
Are these categories useful?
Cowan (2008):
Responsible for the categories on the previous slide.
Identifies 27 different functions for the pure modals
alone!
Jackson (1990):
Possibility
Necessity
Possibility of an AGENTIVE
participant may be related to:
- ability
- permission
- willingness
Yule (1998):
Epistemic
= deductions from speaker / writer
From STRONG conclusion (necessity) to
WEAK conclusion (possibility)
Root
= requirements from the speaker /
writer
Obligation (necessity) and Permission
(possibility)
Lewis (1986):
can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must –
revealing as a “closed group” (not abnormalities)
Omission from this list of HAVE TO and OUGHT TO is
significant.
“Essentially grounded in the moment of speaking –
based on an assessment ‘in the present circumstances’”
Express the speaker’s judgement about the non-factual,
non-temporal elements in an action.
1. She can’t drive.
2. She could drive when she was 12!
3. She can’t be 50!
4. They’ll be arriving about now.
5. You mustn’t do that to your sister!
6. You should stop smoking.
7. I’ll get it.
8. She just won’t move.
9. May I?
10.Can I leave the table?
How can I explain:
a) The difference between “must” and “have to”?
b) The difference between “You didn’t need to” and “You
needn’t have”?
c) Why “would” can have the same meaning as “used to”
(but not always)?
d) Why “I could swim when I was five” and “I was able to
swim when I was five” have the same meaning, but “I
was able to finish my essay before the deadline” and “I
could finish my essay before the deadline” have different
meanings?
Review
Consider the following examples taken from writing produced by
international students on an EAP course. How would you describe the
underlined errors? How would explain the problem to the writer?
7. In fact, in my childhood, I enjoyed such trips to the full because I
could experience various things I could not do in daily life such as
long driving, getting on bullet trains, and seeing scenes I have never
seen.
8. For example, in Japan family structure has changed dramatically for
25 years.
9. This problem is existed for many years.
10. Something strange was happened before I could open to door.
A Moment In Venice
They collided in St Mark’s Square.
As they apologized, in their different languages, he
sensed that something had passed between them.
His heart had been touched.
In that second, something magical had occurred.
He watched her vanish amongst the gathering of
people and pigeons.
She had stolen his wallet.
There were 9 verbs in the story. Can you remember them all?
A Moment In Venice
They COLLIDE in St Mark’s Square. As they APOLOGIZE, in
their different languages, he SENSE that something PASS
between them. His heart TOUCH. In that second, something
magical OCCUR. He WATCH her VANISH amongst the
gathering of people and pigeons. She STEAL his wallet.
They collided in St Mark’s Square. As they apologized, in their
different languages, he sensed that something had passed
between them. His heart had been touched. In that second,
something magical had occurred. He watched her vanish
amongst the gathering of people and pigeons. She had stolen
his wallet.
Revenge is Sweet
They ARGUE bitterly the night before. He COME IN from the
garage with oil on his shoes. Fed up, desperate, she STAB
him. Horrified at what she DO, she DRIVE away from the
house along the cliff road. Suddenly she REALISE that the
brakes NO WORK.
They had been arguing bitterly the night before. He had
come in from the garage with oil on his shoes. Fed up,
desperate, she stabbed him. Horrified at what she had done,
she drove away from the house along the cliff road.
Suddenly she realised that the brakes weren’t working.
Can you add the grammar to these two stories?
Sergeant Boxwell know he catch burglar at last. “You no have say
anything at all” he tell him, “but your bootprints find scene eleven
burglaries”. Then triumphantly, “you got anything say?” “Only
this”, reply suspect. “Yesterday, I steal those boots”.
School he be no good maths, but outstanding writing and reading.
But who need arithmetic? He enter competition with enthusiasm,
and produce brilliant, witty, profound, and paradoxical story. He
inspire. It be absolute masterpiece. judges sigh. Another one
with 51 words.