tailieunhanh - The grammar of the english verb phrase part 25

Grammars are typically written without systematic references to the linguistic literature (unless they are added to a quotation or arc really unavoid¬able), and without discussion of conflicting analyses. This also applies to this grammar, even though it aims to be a linguistic study as well as a grammar. | VI. Summary 161 VI. Summary The basic terminology of tense We started this chapter with some basic terminology and definitions. These included terms such as tense temporal zero-time orientation time etc. Below we review the definitions that have been given. A tense is the pairing of a particular verbal form with a meaning the meaning being the specification of the temporal location of a situation. A tense relates the temporal location of a situation to the temporal zero-point see below which is usually speech time or to some other known time which is itself related either directly or indirectly to the temporal zero-point. A tense form may be an inflected main verb or a main verb plus one or more auxiliaries. Thus in the future tense the form will present infinitive is paired with the meaning here slightly simplified location after speech time . Every tense expresses a tense structure. A tense structure is a blueprint for one particular way of locating a situation in time. The structure expresses the temporal relation between a situation time see below and a known time which we call an orientation time. If the orientation time is not speech time the tense structure also characterizes the orientation time by reference to its ultimate not necessarily direct relation to speech time. For example the past perfect locates a situation time prior to an orientation time which in turn either a directly precedes speech time or b is ultimately related to a time that precedes speech time. We will only consider the simpler case of a here. In Meg announced that the elephant had arrived the time of Meg s announcement provides the orientation time before which the elephant s arrival took place and that orientation time itself precedes is past relative to speech time. Any time that can provide the known time required for the expression of the temporal relation s encoded in a tense form is an orientation time. There are five types of orientation time t0 .