Advanced English Grammar

Tag Question, see interrogative tag

Tense

Tense is a linguistic category. It refers to the inflections or periphrastic forms taken by verbs to locate situations in time. Tense, unlike time, is a linguistic notion. Time (for example, the time we call the present time-sphere) and a corresponding tense (for example, the present tense) very often correspond, but there is not an absolute one-to-one correspondence between time and tense: I’m going to Greece next summer (= a present tense locating a situation in the post-present time-sphere).

Tense Marker

A tense marker is an inflection or a periphrastic form that gives information about the time (present, future, past) at which a situation referred to by a verb form is located and/or about the temporal relation between situations. In He said he had done it the day before, the form had not done does not only locate a situation in time but also indicates that the situation of ‘doing’ is anterior to that referred to by He said.  In He said he would do it soon, would makes it clear that ‘doing’ is posterior to the ‘saying’, which lies in the past. (AEG Ch. 4)

Tense Simplification

Tense simplification is concept that is sometimes used to refer to cases in which what is perceived as a more complex verb form (for instance, the past perfect tense) is interchangeable with and replaced by a less complex verb form (the past tense), as in He told me they had got married / got married when they were 25. Tense simplification is not obligatory in contexts like these, but it is very common when the temporal relation of anteriority is obvious or unambiguous. On the other hand, it is sometimes impossible when it would result in a different interpretation of the temporal relation between two situations: When they arrived, we had drunk all the champagne does not communicate the same scenario as When they arrived, we drank all the champagne. (AEG Ch. 4)

That-Clause

A that-clause is a finite subclause, the function of which is usually that of DO: He said that he’d be arriving after the others. Less frequently, that-clauses function as Subject: That he arrived after the others isn’t really a problem.

Theme

Theme is a semantic role; it refers to the person or thing undergoing the activity denoted by the verb. In an active sentence, a constituent having the semantic role of theme regularly functions as DO: William baked a cake. In a passive sentence, a constituent having the semantic role of theme regularly functions as Subject: A cake was baked (by William). (AEG Ch. 2)

Time

Time is an extra-linguistic notion. It is a dynamic notion – what is ‘now’ for an individual becomes past the following moment. Time refers to an individual’s perception of the indefinite and boundless progression of events and states in the past, present and future. Situations can be located in at the speaker’s subjective ‘now’ (moment of speech), before the moment of speech or after the moment of speech. In a similar way, there are temporal relations between situation. A situation may be anterior to, simultaneous with, or posterior to another situation. Time and temporal relations can be expressed by tense, but tense is not the only marker that can make these relations explicit. Compare (i) John left after Susan had arrived and (ii) John left after Susan arrived – while the tense (left) in (ii) locates that situation in the past, it does not express the temporal relation of anteriority. The situation of leaving is understood to be temporally located before that of Susan’s arriving through the use of the subordinating conjunction after.

Time-Spheres

There are four time-spheres. The past time-sphere is reserved for situations located before the moment of speech in a period of time that is perceived as completely disconnected from the present, even if the situation is located in the recent past. (In other words, the representation of the location in time in I saw him five minutes ago and in The first tools were invented 3 million years ago is exactly the same.) The remaining time-spheres are all part of the ‘non-past’. The pre-present time-sphere is reserved for situations located before the moment of speech in a period of time that is not perceived as disconnected from the present. It does not necessarily refer to a situation that is chronologically more recent than the past time-sphere, however. The post-present time-sphere is reserved for situations that are located after ‘now’. The present time-sphere refers to the time that coincides with the ‘now’ of the speaker. Consequently, the moment of speech coincides with the speaker’s ‘now’. (AEG Ch. 3, Ch. 4)

To-Infinitive

A to-infinitive is an infinitive (that is, the non-finite base form of a verb) that is used with the infinitive marker to: I would like to stay at home. A non-finite clause that includes in its Predicate a to-infinitive is called a to-infinitive clause. (AEG Ch. 2, Ch. 4)

To-Infinitive Clause, see to-infinitive

Topic Continuity

Topic continuity is a mechanism that contributes to the cohesion of a stretch of discourse. It ensures that the topic of the discourse features in Subject position.

Total Interrogative, see yes-no interrogative clause

Transitive Verb

A transitive verb is a verb that is complemented by a DO. Some verbs cannot be used in a grammatical way unless they are complemented by a DO: He threw himself on the sofa vs. *He threw; You must face the facts vs. *You must face. Note that some transitive verbs can be used intransitively: He’s reading a book vs. He’s reading; She’s eating her breakfast vs. She’s eating. (AEG Ch. 2)