Transcript The Five Parts of the Verb Structure

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The Difference between the Present and the Perfect
and other existential aspects of English Verbs
thomas o’hare
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When you have finished
with this presentation,
you should be able to:
describe the five parts of the verb
distinguish the present perfect
from the passé composé
understand the meaning of the
progressive, perfect, and passive
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The Five Parts of the Verb Structure
Verb Structure
Modal
Perfect
Progressive
Passive
possibility, probability,
intention, conditions,
obligation, permission
HAVE +
past participle
state of completion
as of the time
BE +
present participle
action in progress
(implies limited duration)
BE +
past participle
action happens to
the subject
can, could
will, would
may, might
shall, should
Verb
must
have to
ought to
The verb, of course, is necessary.
A modal and one, two, or three aspects
may be added in any combination.
The meaning of the aspects is the same
in the past, present, and future.
The overall meaning equals the sum of the parts.
Three Focal Points:
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Verb Structure
Perfect
Progressive
Passive
HAVE +
past participle
completion
up to the time
BE +
present participle
happening
at the time
BE +
past participle
happens to
the subject
you can use any combination: any one,
two, or all three, a total of 8 combinations
Three Focal Points:
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Verb Structure
Perfect
Progressive
Passive
HAVE +
past participle
completion
up to the time
BE +
present participle
happening
at the time
BE +
past participle
happens to
the subject
you can use any combination of
these three aspects
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The aspects function independently of time.
That is, they express the same meaning
whether in the past, the present, or the
future. For example, the past perfect and
the present perfect both include the same
sense of the perfect, which does not
change according to the past, present, or
future. Likewise, the passive expresses
the same meaning in the past, present,
and future.
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If the verb occurs without
any aspect added,
it is called “simple”.
Later, we will consider
some uses of the simple
past, present, and future,
but first . . .
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. . . we will consider
the meaning of
each aspect:
passive, progressive, and perfect.
The meaning of
the eight
possible combinations
should then be clear
as well.
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The Passive
the action happens to the subject
subject
verb
object
We
ate
the pizza. (active)
The pizza was eaten.
(passive)
She
A song
will sing a song.
will be sung.
(active)
(passive)
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The Passive
the action happens to the subject
Note that the passive (like the perfect and
the progressive) is separate from the time of
the action. The passive may be in the past,
the present, or the future.
A star was seen yesterday.
The same star is seen today.
It will be seen tomorrow also.
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The Passive
the action happens to the subject
Why use the passive?
•to focus on the recipient of the action
•the agent is unimportant (in the sentence)
•the agent (the “doer”) is unknown
A star was seen yesterday.
The same star is seen today.
It will be seen tomorrow also.
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The Passive
the action happens to the subject
Exercise One:
Using five verbs from your list, write five
sentences in the passive.
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The Progressive
Here you have six examples of the progressive.
Can you define the common meaning?
The sun is shining.
I will be sleeping when you arrive, so knock loudly.
We are waiting for you.
She has been reading that book since last month.
They are staying in a hotel until their house is repaired.
He was crossing the street when a car drove into the bank.
The progressive primarily indicates something
actually happening at the moment.
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The Progressive
The progressive primarily indicates something
actually happening at the moment.
Note the difference between the simple and
the progressive in the following pairs:
Water boils at 100° C.
The water is boiling.
a general truth
right now
I was leaving when the phone rang.
I left when the phone rang.
Which of these sentences says that the phone rang first?
The second one. In the first sentence, I had
already started to go when the phone rang.
The Progressive
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The progressive primarily indicates something
actually happening at the moment.
But there is more to it than that.
If an action can be presented as “in progress,”
then logically it has
a beginning and an ending.
In other words, the action has a duration.
Thus, when we use the progressive,
we imply that the action is of limited duration.
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The Progressive
A comparison of some pairs of sentences should help
clarify this idea of “duration”:
We are staying at a hotel
because our house is under repair.
The use of the progressive here implies that our
stay at the hotel is not permanent, even though
we do not express the duration of the stay.
We stay at a hotel when we go to Acapulco.
This sentence implies that we always stay at a
hotel when in Acapulco.
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The Progressive
A comparison of some pairs of sentences should help
clarify this idea of “duration”:
Which of these sentences refers to an up-coming trip?
We are staying at a hotel when we go to Acapulco.
We stay at a hotel when we go to Acapulco.
The first one. The progressive (referring to the future
here) implies a duration, whose limits are set by the
adverbial clause, when we go to Acapulco.
The second sentence expresses the action as a general
truth. Although in the “simple present” tense, it refers
generally to any trip--past, present, and future-whenever “we go to Acapulco”.
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The Progressive
A comparison of some pairs of sentences should help
clarify this idea of “duration”:
Which sentence implies a permanent situation?
I am playing drums in a funk band.
The use of the progressive implies that the
situation is not permanent, even though the
duration is not known. (And maybe it could
work into a something permanent.)
I play drums in a funk band.
Here, no sense of duration is implied; thus, the
situation seems permanent. Generally speaking,
that is what I do: play drums in a funk band.
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The Progressive
We can also use the progressive to refer to the future:
She is starting her doctorate in September.
I am having a new tooth put in this week.
They are going to Tahiti this summer.
We were leaving the next day.
(referring to the future of that time)
We will deal with that, and other ways of
talking about the future, in the future.
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The Progressive
Exercise Two
Write five sentences with the progressive, using five verbs
from your list and these five words (one in each sentence):
While
When
During
Although
At (add some specific time, for example: at noon tomorrow)
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The Perfect: Some examples
From these examples, can you identify the common
meaning of the perfect?
We had been there for two hours. • two hours complete
• half complete, but not
finished reading
They will have walked three miles • three miles will be
complete
by the time we start walking.
We have lived here since 1958. • since means from time
X up till the moment ;
thus, that much time
is complete
We had seen the Canyon before.
• a fait accompli
I have read half of this book.
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Perfect does not mean past.
It does not equal the French passé composé.
I have eaten this morning.
I ate this morning.
• the perfect means up till
the time; the time is
morning and it is present
• ate indicates the past;
thus, the morning is past;
it must be afternoon
We have seen this movie. • have is present, so you cannot
say “last month”
We saw this last month.
•“last month” is past, so you
must use the past, saw
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The Perfect
• perfect originally meant “completely done”
•
Latin
per- + fectus
• the modern sense of perfect as flawless or
impeccable extends the original meaning
• in grammar, perfect still means complete
• more specifically, complete as of the moment
• complete as of the moment does not mean finished
pro·gres·sive
pro·gres·sive (prəgrĕʹĭ) adjective
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1.
Moving forward; advancing.
2.
Proceeding in steps; continuing steadily by increments: progressive change.
3.
Promoting or favoring progress toward better conditions or new policies, ideas, or
methods: a progressive politician; progressive business leadership.
4.
Progressive Of or relating to a Progressive Party: the Progressive platform of
1924.
5.
Of or relating to progressive education: a progressive school.
6.
Increasing in rate as the taxable amount increases: a progressive income tax.
7.
Pathology. Tending to become more severe or wider in scope: progressive
paralysis.
8.
Grammar. Designating a verb form that expresses an action or condition in
progress.
noun
1.
A person who actively favors or strives for progress toward better conditions, as in
society or government.
2.
Progressive A member or supporter of a Progressive Party.
3.
Grammar. A progressive verb form.
— pro·gresʹive·ly adverb
— pro·gresʹive·ness noun
Excerpted from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition Copyright © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed
from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V., further reproduction and distribution restricted in accordance with the Copyright Law of the United States. All rights
reserved.
per·fect (pûrʹĭt) adjective
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Abbr. perf.
1.
Lacking nothing essential to the whole; complete of its
nature or kind.
2.
Being without defect or blemish: a perfect specimen.
3.
Thoroughly skilled or talented in a certain field or area;
proficient.
4.
Completely suited for a particular purpose or situation:
She was the perfect actress for the part.
5.
a. Completely corresponding to a description, standard,
or type: a perfect circle; a perfect gentleman. b. Accurately
reproducing an original: a perfect copy of the painting.
6.
Complete; thorough; utter: a perfect fool.
7.
Pure; undiluted; unmixed: perfect red.
8.
Excellent and delightful in all respects: a perfect day.
9.
Botany. Having both stamens and pistils in the same
flower; monoclinous.
10.
Grammar. Of, relating to, or constituting a verb form
expressing action completed prior to a fixed point of reference in
time.
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per·fect
Synonyms: perfect, consummate, faultless, flawless, impeccable. The central meaning
shared by these adjectives is “being wholly without flaw”: a perfect diamond; a consummate
performer; faultless logic; a flawless instrumental technique; speaks impeccable French.
Antonyms: imperfect.
Usage Note: Perfect has often been described as an absolute term like chief and
prime, hence not allowing modification by more, quite, relatively, and other
qualifiers of degree. But the qualification of perfect has numerous reputable
precedents (most notably in the preamble to the U.S. Constitution in the phrase “in
order to form a more perfect Union”). What is more, the stricture is philosophically
dubious. There can be no mathematically perfect forms in nature; therefore to say
that any actual circle is “perfect” can mean only that it approximates the geometric
ideal of circularity, a quality that it can obviously have to a greater or lesser degree.
By the same token, perfect freely allows comparison in examples such as There
could be no more perfect spot for the picnic, where it is used to mean “ideal for the
purposes.”
Excerpted from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition Copyright © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed
from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V., further reproduction and distribution restricted in accordance with the Copyright Law of the United States. All rights
reserved.
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The Eight Possible Combinations of
the Perfect, Progressive, and Passive
• Simple (just the verb)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
• watch
Passive
• are watched
Progressive
• are watching
Perfect
• have watched
Perfect Progressive
• have be en watching
Progressive Passive
• are being watched
Perfect Passive
• have been watched
Perfect Progressive Passive • have be en being watched
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The Five Parts of the Verb Structure
Verb Structure
Modal
Perfect
Progressive
Passive
possibility, probability,
intention, conditions,
obligation, permission
HAVE +
past participle
BE +
present participle
BE +
past participle
completion
happening
happens to
up to the time
at the time
the subject
Verb
give
are given
are giving
have given
have been giving
are being given
have been given
have been being given
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The Five Parts of the Verb Structure
Verb Structure
Modal
Perfect
Progressive
Passive
possibility, probability,
intention, conditions,
obligation, permission
HAVE +
past participle
BE +
present participle
BE +
past participle
completion
happening
happens to
up to the time
at the time
the subject
Verb
FUTURE
PAST
PRESENT
various forms,
gave
give
such as:
was/were given
are given
will give
was/were giving
are giving
had given
have given am going to give
and others
had been giving
have been giving
was/were being given
are being given (explained elsewhere)
had been given
have been given
had been being given have been being given
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Comparing the Simple, Progressive, and Perfect
He runs, but
not with that
ball and chain.
He is running.
Look at him go!
He has run his fastest
mile ever and he has
won the race.