"Evans, Ann" wrote:
>
> I have noticed that naming of the tenses is changing as our understanding of
> syntax deepens.  Would you please tell me what you would call the tenses
> used in the following sentences. I feel kind of dumb asking this question,
> but find that I often call a tense one thing, only to find there is a more
> sophisticated or "modern" word for it.
>

The names of the tense forms do not always reflect their functions.
Names of tenses are just names; the fact that these names include words
like 'past' and 'present' is derived from some of their primary
functions, but does not tie a tense form to always expressing that time.
For instance, a present tense can be used to describe a past event (see
'narrative present' below); a past tense can be used to express an event
that never happened at all (as in 'if you had called me (past perfect),
I would have come sooner').

> The gardener called,

simple past tense (with past-event-naming function)


> and we are sitting there

present progressive (or pres. continuous) tense/aspect; this could be
being used as 'narrative present', in other words a present tense/aspect
used to name a past event. Sometimes also called 'historical present'

and she comes in

> simple present tense; could also be narrative present

>and we called  him back

simple past tense (with past-event-naming function)


>
> We were sitting there

past progressive/continuous tense/aspect

>
> He comes every week
>
simple present tense; used to express habitual aspect

> We must have been sitting there for an hour

present perfect progressive tense/aspect with a modal auxiliary
>
> And what about this sentence:
>
> She used to make the soup,

past habitual aspect, in simple past tense form with to-infinitive
('used to' as a special form in English)


>and then would bring it to him in the bedroom.

past tense form expressing past habitual aspect


To understand the use of verbs in English, it is extremely important to
recognize the difference between tense and aspect and the difference
between the name of the verb form and its function/meaning in a given context.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Johanna Rubba   Associate Professor, Linguistics
English Department, California Polytechnic State University
One Grand Avenue  • San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
Tel. (805)-756-2184  •  Fax: (805)-756-6374 • Dept. Phone.  756-2596
• E-mail: [log in to unmask] •  Home page: http://www.cla.calpoly.edu/~jrubba
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