Hello Sophie, All for one and one for all If we say that "He lives in Hong Kong" is some kind of action such as habit, eternity, repeated action, endless action, you-name-it. We may use any other tense to describe the action: Ex: He has lived in Hong Kong for 18 years. He is still living there. He said that he will live there for some more years and then go back to Australia. All the tenses here are in fact describing the same action. Different tenses describe different part, that is, time of the action. All tenses are for the same action, and so the same action is for all the tenses. This is therefore very different to the conventional view that we use Simple Present to describe habit, and Present Perfect to describe result. Actually, every tense can denote habit, or result. What do you say to this new idea? Shun englishtense.com ================ Please post your message to the following address: http://www.englishtense.com/forum.asp under the subject question: "All for one and one for all" N.B. Answers directed to me will be reposted to the above address and discussed by all. ----- Original Message ----- From: Sophie Johnson To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2001 7:48 AM Subject: Re: `Clause' in TG My many thanks for Jeff's encouragement. Typically, I shall take unfair advantage of it, together with a walloping load of cheek, like this: Please will anyone who has nothing better to do visit the page `Introduction' on my site: http://www.englishgrammartutor.com/ . I ply an earnest argument for dropping the notion `clause' from TG's terminology. No-one so far has so much as cocked a snook at it. I am deadly serious but beginning to fear I might have misfired. Sophie ----- Original Message ----- From: Glauner, Jeff To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2001 2:23 AM Subject: Re: `Clause' in TG Sophie, Don't be too good. You won't fit in. Throw your bait in the water. See if anyone bites. Jeff Glauner Associate Professor of English Park University, Box 1303 8700 River Park Drive Parkville MO 64152 [log in to unmask] http://www.park.edu/jglauner/index.htm -----Original Message----- From: Sophie Johnson [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2001 11:23 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: `Clause' in TG Hello! I have just been admitted to your list and I am quite sure I sound like someone who walks into a room and bellows. Please forgive me, but I am anxious to find out what you are all talking about, and more anxious still to off-load my thoughts on the notion `clause' in Trad Gram's system. But promise: I shall be good hereafter. Sophie Johnson [log in to unmask] English Grammar Tutor http://www.englishgrammartutor.com/ To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/