Tenses of English

STUB

According to Huddleston and Pullum (2002), there are two primary tenses in English, 'present tense' and 'past tense' (also ‘present’ and ‘preterite’, respectively). Leech (1971) (as well as many others) also regard the grammaticalized means of expressing future time reference as tenses.

Present tense

Simple Present

The present tense in combination with the simple (non-progressive) aspect ('Simple Present') is used when the time of the situation coincides with the time of utterance. It occurs in the following contexts:

• performative sentences
  • I congratulate you.
  • I hereby pronounce you man and wife.
• running commentaries (esp. by sports commentators)
  • He takes the run-up, he takes off and he vaults six meters.
  • The referee blows the whistle and Ballack passes the ball to his teammate.
• with verbs denoting states and processes (including habits) which occupy a longer period but include the present moment
  • I prepare food (every day).
  • Berlin is the capital of Germany.
• with future time reference
  • The next high tide is at 4 o’ clock. (main clause)
• in specific types of subordinate clauses
  • Please bring the washing in if it rains.

Present Progressive

The Present Progressive occurs when the time of the situation includes the moment of speech.

• I am reading a book.

Past tense

The past tenses (Simple Past, Past Progressive) indicate that the time of orientation is located prior to the moment of utterance:

• I ate a steak for dinner.
• I promised to be back for lunch.

It can also be used in cases of 'modal remoteness':

• I wish they lived nearby.
• If he loved her, he’d change his job.

Finally, the past tense is used in backshifting (consecutio temporum):

• He said that he was happy.

(cf. Huddleston & Pullum 2005: 44ff.; Comrie 1993: 36ff.)

The aspectual categories 'progressive' and 'non-progressive'/'simple' can combine relatively freely with the past tense and are interpreted in a largely compositional way.

Future tenses/Future time reference

The future tense is used when the time of situation (or the point of orientation) are located after the moment of utterance. There are several ways of expressing future time reference:

Will/shall + infinitive

• prediction
  • Tomorrow’s weather will be cold and cloudy.
• in conditional sentences
  • If you pull this lever, the roof will slide back.
• 'prophetic' statements
  • In twenty years’ time, the average employee will work a twenty-five hour week.

Be going to' + infinitive

• future fulfillment of a present intention or cause
  • He is going to score a goal.
• What are you going to do today?

Present progressive with future time reference

• future fulfillment of a present arrangement
  • I’m inviting them to my party.
  • We’re having fish for dinner.

Simple Present with future meaning

• in specific types of subordinate clauses
  • When the spring comes, the swallows will return.

Literature

• Huddleston, R. & G. Pullum (2002). The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language: Cambridtge: Cambridge University Press.
• Comrie, B. (1985). Tense. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Leech, G. (1971). Meaning and the English Verb. Harlow: Pearson.