BULLS FRAMEWORK

Axis of orientation

A time before the basic axis

time

Basic axis time corresponding

to the moment of reference

Future

Present

Past

He has been doing the same job

since he left school fifteen years
ago, but he still hopes that one
day his dream will come true.
(Present Perfect Progressive)

Every night when there is a full

moon, he stares up at it for hours
and imagines himself walking
around on it.
(Simple Present)

For this reason he has been

saving half of his wages every
month for the past two years.
(Present Perfect Progressive)

At the moment, however, he is

working as a night-watchman at a
meat factory.
(Present Progressive)

When Francis Lee was a boy he

wanted to be an astronaut.
(Past Perfect)

He has heard that in the 21st

century they will be selling
tickets to fly to the moon.
(Simple Past)

He was watching TV one day in

1969 when he saw Neil
Armstrong walk on the moon.
(Past Progressive)
Since then he has always dreamt
of doing the same.
(Past Perfect)

A time after the basic axis

time