TOPIC 19: TIME AND TENSE.

ASPECT AND MOOD

1. INTRODUCTION
2. TIME AND TENSE
3. ASPECT
4. MOOD
5. CONCLUSION
6 BIBLIOGRPAHY

1. INTRODUCTION
Time is a universal concept with three divisions: past, present, and future. By tense we understand the
correspondence between the form of the verb and our concept of time (past, present, or future). Aspect concerns the
manner in which the verbal action is experienced or regarded (for example as completed or in progress), while mood
relates the verbal action to such conditions as certainty, obligation, necessity or possibility. The expression of time
present and past cannot be considered separately from aspect, and the expression of the future is closely bound up
with mood. All languages have morphological ways of distinguishing among the present, past, and future. In english,
the markedness of past over present shows up in the added morphemes in such pairs as work versus worked, and
work versus have worked, and the markedness of the future over present does in work versus will work.

This topic deals with the expressions and interpretations of verbal time, tense, aspect and mood. To do so this
paper is divided into sections dealing with each one of those concepts separately, as well as into others which
consider their combinations or relationships, as we will see below.

2. TIME AND TENSE

Tense is a grammatical category, typically marked on the verb, that is deictically it refers to the time of the
event or state denoted by the verb in relation to some other temporal reference point (according to SIL
International). Tense is realized in English by verb inflection and the use of auxiliary verbs. There are two types of
tenses in English, Present and Past. They not always refer to the chronological present or past as the name
suggests. Real-time future is referred to not by means of inflections but with modal verbs and, therefore, these
forms are not tenses.
PRESENT TIME
Present simple tense is used in the following cases:
1. As present state: I’m hungry.
2. In general truths: The sun rises in the east.
3. As present event: I declare the meeting closed, Banner passes the ball to Lorimer. This use is rather
specialised, being limited to formal declarations, sport commentaries, demonstrations, etc.
4. As present habit, that is to say, the expression of events sequenced in a repetitive way: He works in London
every day.
Present progressive tense is used in the following cases:
1. As temporary present: Look, it's raining!
2. To express limited duration, as: It is raining this week.
3. As temporary habit: this use combines the temporary meaning of the progressive with the repetitive meaning
of the habitual present: I'm taking dancing lessons this winter.
4. Continuousness: as opposite to temporariness, when accompanied by always or a similar adverb, this use
carries with it some feeling of disapproval: MY CHILDREN ARE ALWAYS (= CONTINUALLY)
MISBEHAVING.
5. Repetition of temporary happenings, by combining temporary and habitual meanings: He's mowing his lawn
whenever I see him.
The simple past tense is used to refer to the present in the following cases:
In special circumstances, the past tense can be used to refer to the present. Here the past tense is an indirect and
more tactful substitute for the simple present tense:
Did you want to speak to me? (= Do you want ... )
I wondered whether you would help me. (= I wonder…)
PAST TIME
The present time meanings above are paralleled by similar past time meanings: past state, past event, past habit,
temporary past, temporary habit, continuousness, temporal and habitual meanings combined to convey repetition of
temporary happenings.
The simple past tense is used to refer to a definite time in the past, which may be identified by: a past time
adverbial in the same sentence (Haydn was born in 1732); or the extralinguistic context: Did the postman bring any
letters? (Here we can use the past tense without language context because it is understood that the postman calls at a
given time in the day), His sister was an invalid all her life (= she's now dead).
The present perfect tense is used to refer to the past in the following cases:
1. STATE LEADING UP TO THE PRESENT TIME: THAT HOUSE HAS BEEN EMPTY FOR AGES (AND
IT'S STILL EMPTY).

2. INDEPENDENT EVENT(S) IN A PERIOD LEADING UP TO THE PRESENT TIME: HAVE YOU

(EVER) BEEN TO FLORENCE? There is a tendency in AmE to prefer the past tense: Did you eat yet?

3. HABIT IN A PERIOD LEADING UP TO THE PRESENT TIME: HE HAS ATTENDED LECTURES

REGULARLY (THIS TERM).

4. Past events with results in the present time: The taxi has arrived (-- It's here now).

The past perfect tense (simple or progressive) indicates a time further in the past as seen from a definite viewpoint
in the past: The house had been empty for several months when I bought it. When describing one event following
another in the past, we can use the past simple tense for both, and rely on the conjunction (when, after) to show
which event took place earlier: After/when the teacher (had) left the room, the children started talking.
Finally, when discussing different tenses used to express the present and past time, one cannot forget that there are
also other forms to refer to these concepts. For example, the form used to, or the use of the present simple tense for
the past: in historic present or in sentences like I hear you have changed your job.
FUTURE TIME
Grammatically speaking, there are no tenses to express future time in English. Instead, other tenses or specific verbs
are used to express this notion.
THE MODAL VERB WILL, OFTEN REDUCED TO 'LL, OR SHALL (WITH A FIRST PERSON SUBJECT)
CAN EXPRESS PREDICTION: TOMORROW'S WEATHER WILL BE COLD AND CLOUDY. IT IS
PARTICULARLY COMMON IN THE MAIN CLAUSE OF A SENTENCE WITH AN IF-CLAUSE OR
ANOTHER CONDITIONAL ADVERBIAL.

The special use of the verb go in the form be going to + infinitive tends to indicate a future resulting from a present
intention: What are you going to do today? I’m going to stay at home and write letters. It may also refer to the future
resulting from other causative factors in the present: I think I’m going to faint (i.e. I already feel ill). It's going to
rain (i.e. I can already see black clouds gathering). In sentences like these last two, be going to also carries the
expectation that the event will happen soon.
The present progressive is used for future events resulting from a present plan, programme, or arrangement: We're
inviting several people to a party. The simple present tense is used for the future in certain types of subordinate
clause, especially adverbial time clauses and conditional clauses: When/before/if he arrives, the band will play the
National Anthem.
The simple present is also used, though not too often, to refer to future events which are seen as absolutely certain,
either because they are determined in advance by calendar or timetable, or because they are part of an unalterable
plan: Tomorrow is a Saturday. The school year starts at the beginning of September.
Will/Shall/’ll followed by the progressive can be used in a regular way to add the temporary meaning of the
progressive to the future meaning of the will construction: or to refer to a future event which will take place 'as a
matter of course': The train will be arriving soon.
Some other ways of expressing future meaning include: be to, which signifies an arrangement for the future: The
German Chancellor is to visit France; be about to, and be on the verge/ point of, which emphasize the nearness of
a future event: The chairman is about to resign.

If we put the future constructions mentioned (except the simple present) into the past tense, we arrive at a
kind of 'future in the past' meaning, that is to say, future seen from a viewpoint in the past: They were just going to
punish him when he escaped.
3. ASPECT
The term 'aspect' refers to a grammatical category which reflects the way in which the verb action is regarded or
experienced in respect to time. Unlike tense, aspect is not deictic, in the sense that it is not relative to the time of
utterance.
We distinguish two aspects in English: progressive and perfective. They can combine with each other and their
forms are the following:
➢ progressive aspect – realized by the auxiliary verb ‘to be’ and the ‘-ing’ ending added to the verb: is
working, has been reading, was sleeping. It is present in tenses which are called ‘continuous’ above (some author’s
use the term ‘progressive’ instead). There are verbs which in some meanings cannot be used in the progressive
aspect (e.g. hear, think, know) and they are discussed below.
➢ perfective aspect – realized by the auxiliary verb ‘to have’ and the past participle of the main verb: have
eaten, have been living, had done. It is present in tenses which are called ‘perfect’ above.
The main meanings expressed by the progressive aspect can be summarized in three points:
• the action has duration
• the action has limited duration
• the action is not necessarily complete.
The main meanings of the perfective aspect are:
• the action started in the past
• the action often has current relevance
• the action is often complete
State verbs often cannot be used with the progressive at all, because the notion of ‘something in progress’ cannot be
easily applied to them. The verbs which normally do not take the progressive include verbs of non-intended
perceiving: see, hear, smell, taste, feel; verbs which have as their subject the thing perceived, such as sound and
look; verbs referring to a state of mind or feeling: believe, hate, hope, want; and verbs referring to a relationship or a
state of being: be belong to,, contain.
Some verbs can be used in the progressive in some meanings and not in other meanings: the verb have, when it is a
state verb, does not go with the progressive, but it does when it denotes a process or activity:
He has a good job (not *he's having...) They were
having dinner.
Non-finite forms of verbs have no tense, but they can reflect perfective or progressive aspect: Having eaten, we were
ready to go.
4. MOOD
Mood is a grammatical category which expresses a certain attitude of the speaker. According to
Zandvoort, it also distinguishes fact from non-fact. As far as the form is concerned, it is best defined in relation to
those forms which are called ‘unmarked’ and which express simple statements of fact, unqualified with respect to
the attitude of the speaker. Some authors talk about three types of mood in English: indicative (the unmarked type),
imperative (for commands and suggestions) and subjunctive.
Imperative is realized by placing a bare infinitive of the verb in the front position of the clause: Go away. Speak
slowly.
Auxiliary ‘do’ is necessary to form negative imperatives: Don’t chew gum.
 Subjunctive mood is distinct from the indicative in that it uses bare infinitive forms instead of finite forms,
or the past tense forms to talk about present states or actions. The same subjunctive meaning can often be expressed
with modal verbs. Zandvoort talks about three different functions of subjunctive in English:
• to express wishes:
He suggested that the supper be organised in his house.
God save the Queen!
I wish you were here.
• to express unreality:
He is behaving as if he were drunk.
If I were you, I wouldn’t do it.
• to express possibility: If two angles be equal, …
On the other hand, Lyons classifies subjunctive into three types:
• were- subjunctive: I wish you were here.
• mandative subjunctive: He suggested that the supper be organised in his house.
• formulaic subjunctive: God save the Queen!
5. CONCLUSION
The system of tenses in English differs in many points from that of Spanish although some similarities in
form, like the use of auxiliary ‘have’ or ‘be’, can be noted. The biggest difference, however, exists in the use of
tenses and this is the point which language teachers spend most time practising. It is also known that the acquisition
of the –s ending in the 3rd person singular of the present simple tense comes very late, despite the early introduction
of this tense at the beginner levels. Finally, Spanish learners of English have to learn to use other verbal forms were
they would expect subjunctive to appear, as this category is rather limited in English.
6 BIBLIOGRPAHY
Clark, H. & Clark, E. 1977. Psychology and Language. New York: HBJ.
Quirk
Leech, G. & Svartvik, J. 1975. A Communicative Grammar of English. Longman.
Thompson, A. & Martinet, A. 1986. A Practical English Grammar. Oxford University Press.
Carter, R. & M. McCarthy (2006). Cambridge Grammar of English. Cambridge University Press.