UNIT 4: THE SEMANTICS OF THE VERB PHRASE

Time, tense and verb

TIME: We can think of time as a line on which is located, as a continously moving
point, the present momento. Anything ahead of the present moment is the future, and
anything behind it is in the past.
TENSE: It’s a grammatical category that is realized by verb inflection. Since English
has no future inflected form, the threefold semantic opposition is reduced to two tenses:
the present tense and the past tense.
Stative and dynamic senses of verbs.
Stative verbs refer a single unbroken state of affairs while dynamic verbs refer a
sequence of separate events.
TENSE
Simple present tense for present time.
a) THE STATE PRESENT – stative verbs. It has existed in the past, exists now
and surely it’ll exist in the future.
b) THE HABITUAL PRESENT – dynamic verbs. An action that is constantly
repeated with no limitation.
c) THE INSTANTANEOUS PRESENT – dynamic verbs. At the time we speak.
Simple present tense for past and future.
a) THE HISTORIC PRESENT.
b) The simple present maybe refers to the past with verbs of communication (still
valid): Jack tells me that the position is still vacant.
c) A future event is certain to take place: The train leaves soon.
Simple past tense for past time.
a) THE EVENT PAST – dynamic verb. It refers a single definite event in the past.
b) THE HABITUAL PAST – dynamic verb.
c) THE STATE PAST – stative verbs. To refer a single unbroken state of affairs in
the past.
Special uses of the single past tense.
a) INDIRECT SPEECH.
b) THE ATTITUDIANL PAST: Did you want to see me now?
c) THE HYPOTHETICAL PAST – subordinate clauses.

ASPECT
The aspect is a grammatical category that reflects the way in which the meaning of a
verb is viewed with respect to time. We recognized two aspects in English, the perfect
and the progressive.
MEANINGS OF THE MODALS
We distinguish two main kinds of meanings for modal auxiliaries:
- Intrinsic modality: permission, obligation and volition – involves some intrinsic
human control over events.
- Extrinsic modality: possibility, necessity, prediction – involves human judgment
of what is ori s not likely to happen.
Can / could: possibility, ability, permission.
May / might: possibility, permission.
Must: (logical) necessity, obligation.
Need, have to: (logical) necessity, obligation.
Ought to, should: tentative inference, obligation.
Will, would:
Prediction:
1. You will feel better after this medicine.
I was told I would feel better after this medicine.
2. She will have had her dinner by now.
3. Oil will float on water.
Volition:
1. INTENTION I’ll write as soon I can.
2. WILLINGNESS: Will you help me to address these letters?
3. INSISTENCE: She would keep interrupting me.
Shall: prediction, volition,
MODALS WITH THE PAST: HYPOTHETICAL MEANING
If United could win this game, they might become league champions.
TENTATIVE OR POLITENESS: COULD, MIGHT, WOULD.
a) TENTATIVE PERMISSION:
- Could I see your driving licence?
a) TENTATIVE VOLITION:
- Would you lend me a dollar?
b) TENTATIVE POSSIBILITY:
- Of course, I might be wrong.
MOOD MARKERS: WOULD AND SHOULD.
a) WOULD / SHOULD AS A MARKER OF HYPOTHETICAL MEANING:
If you pressed the button, the engine would stop.
b) SHOULD AS A MARKER OF ‘PUTATIVE’ MEANING:
She insisted that we should stay.
 MEANING ON THE NONFINITE VERB PHRASE
- HAVE TO
- BE ABLE TO
- BE ALLOWED TO: as be able to.
- BE ABOUT TO: estar a punto de