The Figurative Use of the Present

In Modern English the Present Tense is often used figuratively, to express a future action, a general truth or even a past action (historic or dramatic present).

E.g. Still waters run deep (general truth).

If he does not come, we'll go later (future).

When morning comes, we'll be far away.

What do we do next?

Later she sits down in a chair, says she does not feel well, gasps a bit and dies (historic or dramatic present).

The historic present is used in literary style to describe a succession of actions in the past - to make a vivid narrative of past events. Some linguists have tried to explain the use of the Present instead of the Future in clauses of time and condition as follows:

1) for economy's sake (E. Kruisinga);

2) the meaning of the conjuction is enough to show futurity (будущность) (Curme);

3) the present is used instead of the future only when a great degree of supposition - certainty is meant by the speaker, but the future tense remains in a clause of time or condition if a great degree of improbability (uncertainty) is expressed.

E.g. If you will come to me I will receive you as I say he may one day receive me.

Yes, if they will behave themselves (Shaw).

Summary

1) In Modern English there are only 3 pure tenses - Present, Past, Future Indefinite.

2) Perfect forms are forms of the category of correlation.

3) Future in the Past are forms of the category of posteriority (relative).

4) Continuous forms are forms of the category of aspect.

5) The English tense - aspect forms may be used in main and secondary meaning.

6) English tenses are used absolutely and relatively.

Lecture 7

The English Categories

Category of Aspect

The category of aspect shows the manner in which the action is presented. The members of the aspect opposition are the Indefinite and the Continuous forms. The Indefinite form presents an action as a mere fact. That's why it is used to denote habitual, recurrent actions, well-known facts, succession of events, etc. The Continuous form presents an action as a developing process. It is used to denote an action going on at a given moment or period of time.

Professor Smirnitsky was the first to prove that aspect is inherent to the English verb and that it is expressed in a two - member opposeme: writes - is writing, the marked member of which is the Continuous aspect, the unmarked one is the common aspect.

The Continuous aspect may stress the development of the action or its temporary character: Are you feeling cold? You are not seeing him to advantage now. Some of the English verbs, which usually have no aspect opposites, can be used in the Continuous form to stress one of the above meanings.

1) verbs of objective relation: belong, possess, resemble, contain;

2) link-verbs: appear, prove, seem, turn out;

3) verbs of perception: see, hear, feel, smell, believe, dislike, hate, hope, know;

4) verbs of point-action: burst, jump, drop, pick up, etc.

Besides, the Common aspect has a very broad meaning; it can express even a continuous action if it is one of many in a succession (I worked in the garden for 2 hours, then I had a rest for an hour and after that I went for a walk).

As the main function of the common aspect is naming facts, it is used in stage directions: He covers his face. She runs to the door.

On the contrary the Continuous aspect gives an action a descriptive character or emphasis on the action itself: e.g. But I’m hoping she’ll come soon. The Continuous form may denote emotion: (irony, disapproval). E.g. somebody has been eating from my plate.

In general the use of aspect forms in M.E. is often connected with the lexical character of the verb: durative verbs are generally not used in the Continuous form, while terminative verbs in the continuous express a repeated action or an action which hasn’t come to an end.

E.g. He was bringing flowers (repeated action). He was stopping and leaning over gates.

Various aspective meanings of the verb can be expressed in M.E. lexically.

E.g. He used to bathe. He would gaze at the sea. She fell in love at first sight.

The category of aspect has for a long time been a problem because it has been treated with the same approach towards different languages. The category of aspect in Russian is based on a different principle, as the main meaning of the perfective aspect is the completion of the action. There is no correspondence between the meaning of the members of the aspect opposition in English and Russian.

E.g. ел – съел; but he ate – he was eating.

Some foreign grammarians consider the aspect to be a semantic category some others do not recognize the existence of this category in M.E. at all (Sweet, Gespersen). Still others do not separate it from the category of tense. A V. Plotkin point out that category of aspect includes the opposition 1) perfect vs. non-perfect and 2) continuous vs. non – continuous. The existence of the aspect category in English is still a disputed matter.