Hi!

Swan, M. 1998. Practical English Usage.  OUP: Oxford, p. 154 classifies such constructions as 'Discourse Markers: structuring.  He uses the example, 'In the first, second, third place.'  I think that it is the same as 'in the past X years'.  Swan says thaey are 'used to show the structure of what we are saying.'

All the Best,

Mike

  zhangyong <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

-----­鴝l郵件-----
寄件者: shun Tang <[log in to unmask]>
收件者: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
日期: 2001年5月15日 AM 12:10
主旨: Is it a kind of ritual?


>Is it a negligence or an intended avoidance?
>
>I am not talking of MANY. I am talking of ALL.
>
>In talking about English tenses, ALL grammar books are avoiding to talk
>about the family of the frequently-used adverbial IN THE PAST XX YEARS
(such
>as in the past, in the past year, in the past ten months, during the past
>two decades, over the past three weeks, for the past few years, etc.)
>
>Is it a negligence or an intended avoidance? Or is it a kind of ritual?
>
>Your opinion is welcome.
>
>Shun
>englishtense.com
>
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>under the subject question: "Is it a kind of ritual?"
>
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Dr. Mike Garant
English Philology Department  Room C 353

University of Tampere
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