The Communicative Grammar of English Workbook (2013)

UNIT FIVE. Time, tense and aspect

5.1. Auxiliary verbs

Sections 477–478; 582; 735

Auxiliary verbs, or auxiliaries, are verbs which help to make up a verb phrase in combination with a main verb. The verbs do, have and be can be used as primary auxiliaries, while can, could, will, etc. are used as modal auxiliaries.

Auxiliaries only occur by themselves if the main verb is supplied by the earlier context. They can be placed before not and also before the subject in questions.

Contracted forms of auxiliaries are typical of spoken and informal English. Most auxiliaries also have contracted negative forms.

Task one *

Identify the auxiliary verbs in the following text, underlining the primary auxiliaries once and the modal auxiliaries twice.

Ruth watched him as he dropped his bag down on the sofa, felt in his pocket and carefully laid fifteen brand new fifty-pound notes on the table. Ruth was impressed. ‘Great-grandmother’s legacy? Bank raid?’

Martin was biting his lip hard. ‘It’s all there. You can count it.’ Ruth fingered the money. The new logs that Mr Wellbeing had cut for her hissed and spat from the fire.

‘You’re serious.’

‘I had more money in my account than I thought.’

Martin began to hum as he pulled at the zip of his anorak. It was an odd, uneasy sound and Ruth had never heard it before. For the first time since she had met him, Ruth sensed that he might not be telling the truth and she was intrigued. ‘You mean you cashed in your life savings for a one-legged chair?’ Ruth did laugh then. ‘I think Papa would have appreciated that.’

‘Don’t mock.’

‘I wasn’t mocking, Martin. Hemingway had a sense of humour. You must know that.’

‘Not about himself. He didn’t like to be laughed at.’

(from Michael Palin, Hemingway’s Chair, pp. 159–160)

Task two *

Rewrite the verb phrases in the following sentences by replacing the full forms with contracted ones where possible.

1.It is going to be hard to get away with this but I will do my best.

2.Although I had made an awful mistake, Marjorie did not notice.

3.You need not worry if I have not come back by midnight.

4.Jim has been in trouble before, so he had better watch out.

5.We are getting complaints from people who have been treated unfairly.

6.Do you mind if we suspend these talks until everybody is listening again?

7.We must not condemn others as long as we are not setting an example ourselves.

8.I do not approve of what you have done but I will not tell anyone.

9.I would be prepared to lend a hand this afternoon but I am afraid I cannot come.

10.Should the Robinsons not have told us they were not going to share the costs after all?

5.2. The auxiliary verbs do, have and be

Sections 479–482; 736

The verbs do, have and be are used both as auxiliaries and as main verbs:

•The auxiliary do helps to form the do-construction, also called do-support. When used as a main verb or a substitute verb do has the full range of forms, including non-finite ones.

•The auxiliary have helps to form the perfect aspect. When used as a main verb meaning possess, have is sometimes constructed as an auxiliary in British English but the form have got can be used instead.

•The auxiliary be helps to form the progressive aspect and the passive. When used as a main verb be is constructed as an auxiliary, except with imperatives needing do-support.

Task one *

Specify for each of the underlined verbs whether it is used as an auxiliary (A) or as a main verb (M).

1.It is true that we were trying to help people in need.

2.Karen does realize that I did her a favour by also inviting her boyfriend.

3.Those who had dinner with Mr Partridge have been told about his latest project.

4.Brian is a long-distance commuter, so he has a car of his own.

5.Do come over to see us if you have enough time to spare.

6.Mark was appointed for the job because he had good references.

7.Be silent about the points you do want to remain secret.

8.The fact that you have reported these incidents to the police does you credit.

9.We were convinced that the door had been forced open before.

10.I did all the exercises as I was preparing for an important exam.

Task two *

Make the above sentences negative, using contracted forms where possible.

5.3. The modal auxiliaries

Sections 483–485; 736

The modal auxiliaries do not have -s forms, -ing forms or -ed participles. Can, may, shall and will have corresponding past forms, while the other modals have only one form.

Dare and need can be constructed either as main verbs followed by a to-infinitive or as modal auxiliaries followed by a bare infinitive.

The modal auxiliary used is a past form which is always followed by a to-infinitive. This auxiliary often takes the do-construction, in which case the spellings use and used both occur.

Task **

Complete the following sentences, giving two grammatically acceptable versions where possible. N stands for ‘negative’ and Q for ‘yes–no question’.

1.(you / need) ____________________ come back until the end of this week. (N)

2.(Sandra / used) ____________________ send postcards when she was abroad. (N)

3.(you / dare) ____________________ call me a selfish person? (Q)

4.(I / dare) ____________________ think how disastrous such a policy might be. (N)

5.(Mrs Barnes / used) ____________________ give money to charity? (Q)

6.(I / need) ____________________ write more than thirty lines, sir? (Q)

7.(the PM / dare) ____________________ call an election yet. (N)

8.(we / used) ____________________ condemn such eccentric behaviour. (N)

9.(John / need) ____________________ have his passport renewed? (N/Q)

10.(people / used) ____________________ be afraid of ghosts in those days? (N/Q)

5.4. Meanings and forms

Sections 113–115; 573–578; 740–741

Verbs can refer to:

•an event, i.e. a happening thought of as a single occurrence with clearly defined limits

•a state, i.e. a state of affairs continuing over a period with or without clearly defined limits

•a habit, i.e. a state consisting of a series of events.

All three meanings are normally expressed by simple, i.e. non-progressive forms of the verb (simple present, simple past, present perfect and past perfect).

A fourth type of meaning is the temporary meaning expressed by the progressive aspect (present progressive, past progressive, present perfect progressive and past perfect progressive).

Task one **

Identify the (non-modal) finite verb phrases in the text below, specifying for each

The argument for a Slow Europe is not only that slow is good, but also that it can work. In 1999 Slow Food gave birth to the Slow City movement, which started in the tiny Tuscan town of Greve and has since spread throughout Italy. The organization has turned around local economies by promoting local goods and tourism, and now has a waiting list of cities hoping to copy the success of its members. Young Italians are moving from larger cities to Bra, where unemployment is only 5 per cent, about half the nationwide rate. Slow food and wine festivals draw thousands of tourists every year. Shops are thriving, many with sales rising at a rate of 15 per cent per year. “This is our answer to globalization,” says Paolo Saturnini, the founder of Slow Cities and mayor of Greve.

(from Newsweek, 2 July 2001, p. 21)

Task two ***

Convert the following sentences expressing state meaning into corresponding sentences expressing habit meaning.

Example: Basil is a teetotaller ⇒ Basil doesn’t drink alcohol. / Basil never drinks alcohol.

1.Fiona is a vegetarian.

2.Sibyl is a pianist.

3.Winston Churchill was a cigar smoker.

4.We were regular churchgoers in those days.

5.Mr Hazelhurst was a Russian teacher for twenty years.

6.Dr Winter is a brain surgeon.

7.Davy is a beggar.

8.Ms Booth is a barrister.

9.Alan Sparke is an arsonist.

10.My cousin is a conscientious objector.

11.This convict is a serial killer.

12.Ben Jonson was an actor and a playwright.

5.5. Present time

Sections 116–121

Present states, present (complete) events and present habits are all referred to by verbs in the simple present tense.

Temporary present events, and temporary and persistent habits, are referred to by verbs in the present progressive.

Occasionally, the simple past is used with verbs like ‘want’ and ‘wonder’ as a more tactful alternative to the simple present.

Task one **

Specify which of the above basic meanings is expressed by the underlined verb phrases in the following sentences.

1.I’m not drinking any alcohol this week as I’m on antibiotics.

2.My adoptive mother cooks for my father and for any relatives who drop in.

3.Rare properties are already being snapped up by western tourists who visit the Dalmatian coast each summer.

4.The patients pay according to means and some of them are sent here under contractual arrangements.

5.Why are you always asking if Uncle Toby really owns three Jaguars?

6.I don’t belong to a secret organization, I swear it.

7.I’m just showing the kids how to fly a kite and … look, up it goes.

8.Charles doesn’t live at the cottage, but he and his wife do come almost every weekend.

9.Mr Duisenberg hails from Friesland, a Dutch province where people are known for their patience.

10.Did you want to see the doctor, Mrs Hopkins?

Task two **

Complete the following sentences using the most appropriate (active or passive) form of the verb in brackets.

1.My car (still repair) ____________________ so I (commute) _______________ by train this week.

2.I (assure) _______________ you the situation (get) _______________ out of hand very quickly.

3.Lions (hunt) _______________ by night and (feed) ____________ on any animals they can pull down.

4.Bob, you (be) ____________ very rude again to the very person who (love) ____________ you most.

5.It (say) ____________ in the newspaper that new measures (consider) ____________ to fight organized crime.

6.Why (you continually interrupt) ________________________ the speaker? He (deserve) ____________ your undivided attention, you (know) ____________.

7.I (wonder) ____________ if you could possibly help me. I (try) ____________ to fix the ventilator but it (not work) ____________ yet.

8.Millions of people in Britain (get) ____________ their paper early in the morning because many newsagents (organize) ____________ ‘paper rounds’.

9.I (make) ____________ a mess of this job but I (promise) ____________ to do better next time.

10.(you still think) ____________ of moving to the Seychelles or (you prefer) ____________ to stay in our northern hemisphere after all?

11.Dad (keep) ____________ telling me that the early bird (catch) ____________ the worm.

12.This tropical disease (spread) ____________ fast in Central Africa, where people (not earn) ____________ enough to buy expensive medicines.

5.6. Past time 1

Sections 122–127; 550–572

Past-time meanings are similar to present-time meanings and can be expressed in various ways:

•the (simple) past tense refers to a definite time in the past and is identified by a past-time adverbial, the preceding language context or the context outside language.

•the past progressive refers to a past activity in progress or a state with limited duration.

•the (simple) present perfect refers to a past happening in relation to a later event or time. It is used for past events with results in the present time and for past indefinite events, past habits and past states (in a period) leading up to the present time.

•the present perfect progressive stresses the idea of limited duration and/or continuation of an activity up to the recent past or into the present.

•the past perfect refers to a time in the past as seen from a definite time in the past (= ‘past in the past’). It can be the past equivalent of both the past tense and the present perfect.

Task one **

Identify the verb phrases which refer to past time in the following texts, specifying for each

Example: I have visited Canada. ⇒ have visited: past indefinite event – simple present perfect

A former teacher from Coventry, who was shot in the stomach at point blank range while on holiday in Turkey, has been awarded £495,000 compensation.

Mick Botterill was seriously injured when he disturbed a burglar at the holiday apartment in the resort of Side where he was staying with his wife and two teenage daughters in August 1996.

Mr Botterill, from Stoke Park, lost two litres of blood and needed two operations to remove the bullet, which had perforated his intestine and nicked his spinal cord.

(from the Coventry Evening Telegraph, 13 November 2001, p. 5)

Task two **

Use a simple past or a present perfect form (active or passive) in the following sentences.

1.TV and stage actress Peggy Mount (die) ____________ aged 86. The star (become) ____________ known to millions in the early ITV sitcom The Larkins.

2.Scotland (elect) ____________ its first Parliament in May 1999 while it (have) ____________ its own legal system for centuries.

3.Salman Rushdie (be) ____________ born in India but (spend) ____________ most of his life in Britain.

4.The Ramblers’ Association (found) ____________ in 1935 and (help) ____________ to develop the footpath network ever since.

5.Alcohol-related deaths (rise) ____________ by nearly half over the past five years, a report (warn) ____________ yesterday.

6.The ancient Greeks (think) ____________ pearls (create) ____________ when lightning (strike) ____________ the sea.

7.Environmentalists (make) ____________ significant progress in recent years: they (even succeed) ____________ in preventing further destruction of the coral reefs.

8.People (know) ____________ to die as a result of the fever they (contract) ____________ while travelling in the tropics.

9.Some artists (escape) ____________ the Soviet Union while others (send) ____________ to one of the gulags.

10.The current year (be) ____________ a bad one for the economy: one airline alone (shed) ___________ thousands of jobs and many other industries (have) ____________ to sack workers too.

Task three **

All three (slightly adapted) extracts below are from articles which appeared in various issues of The Independent in mid-2001. Rewrite them as if you were a journalist reporting in 2010 about states and events at the beginning of the decade.

Example:

Local chiefs stress that more food aid may be needed this winter to stave off famine.

⇒ Local chiefs stressed that more food might be needed that winter to stave off famine.

1.Rural communities feel their traditions are threatened as English people buy property at prices that are out of the reach of locals.

2.Police officers approaching retirement are to be offered more money to stay on for a further five years under new Home Office plans to retain experienced staff.

Supporters of the proposals hope they will encourage long-serving constables and sergeants in their 50s to stay on. Under existing rules, police in the lower ranks must retire at 55, and many choose to take their pension after 30 years’ service. As a result, forces across the country are facing a retirement “timebomb”, with many officers due to leave this decade.

3.Top scientists believe that global warming has caused an unexpected collapse in the number of the world’s most hunted whale.

They think that a sharp contraction in sea ice in the Antarctic is the likeliest explanation behind new findings, which suggest that the numbers of minke whales in the surrounding seas has fallen by half in less than a decade. The findings have greatly strengthened the arguments of conservationists who are resisting moves to lift a 15-year-old official ban on the hunt. (…)

Commercial whaling has been banned officially since 1986, but Japan and Norway each continue to kill about 500 minke whales a year. Japan does so under the guise of “scientific research”, allowed under the IWC’s treaty; Norway by exempting itself from the ban, which is also permitted under the agreement.

Task four *

Complete the following sentences, using a simple or progressive present perfect.

1.It (rain) ____________ cats and dogs again.

2.(you see) ____________ any films directed by Stanley Kubrick?

3.I (write) ____________ at least five letters to complain about the infernal noise next door.

4.(you drink) ____________, I can smell it!

5.Liz and I (know) ____________ each other for only a few days.

6.Tell me, how long (you wait) ___________ here?

7.We (study) ____________ your report but (not draw) ____________ any conclusions yet.

8.The refugee camp (become) ____________ quite crowded as people (cross) ____________ the border in ever greater numbers.

9.I (never witness) ____________ a hijacking although I (fly) __________ across the oceans dozens of times.

10.Boris (cheat) ____________ on his live-in girlfriend for months, so she (decide) __________ to leave him at last.

11.Somebody (just tell) ___________________ me that Fred and Wilma (constantly argue) ______________________________ about trivial things lately.

12.Pat (work) ____________ flat out all morning but (still not finish) ____________ the repair job.

Task five ***

Rewrite the following text using direct instead of indirect speech. Replace the past perfect forms by corresponding simple past or present perfect forms.

Example:

Stella Soames often said that she had experienced an unhappy childhood but had always been a very happy adult. ⇒

Stella: “I experienced an unhappy childhood but have always been a very happy adult.”

Stella Soames phoned last night to tell me that her husband Kevin had just died in hospital. He had fallen off his horse a week before and broken a leg and several ribs. Instead of recovering after the operation, however, he had suffered a stroke and lain in a coma for three or four days, from which he had not woken up again.

Stella told me she had already fixed a date for the funeral but hadn’t contacted her husband’s brother and sister yet as she had been out of touch with them for years. She added that Kevin had been a wonderful man and she had never regretted marrying him.

She also asked me if I knew about Kevin’s recent conversion to Buddhism. I said I had heard some rumours about it at the local pub and had considered converting to it myself lately. I told Stella I had always believed in an afterlife but had kept it to myself until then. Upon which she thanked me, saying I had at least offered her the prospect of one day meeting Kevin again.

5.7. Past time 2

Sections 128–131

The difference between past tense and perfect aspect cannot be expressed by infinitives or -ing constructions. Instead, the perfect expresses general past meaning: It seems that John (has) missed the point ⇒ John seems to have missed the point.

Adverbials referring to a point or period of time which finished in the past go with the past tense, while those referring to a period leading up to present or recent past time go with the present perfect. Adverbials such as this morning, today and recently can go with either verb form.

The auxiliary used to can express state or habit in the past as contrasted with the present, while would stresses the idea of characteristic behaviour in the past.

Task one ***

Rephrase the following sentences, replacing the finite verb phrase of the subclause by the perfect infinitive or perfect -ing form as in the example above.

1.It is suspected that Harry Trotter killed his aunt.

2.It appears that 60 per cent of viewers watched the Cup Final yesterday.

3.Edith is very pleased that she has been given a second chance.

4.It is rumoured that millions of euros were stolen from a local bank last night.

5.It is unlikely that the police have identified the culprits.

6.I’m so sorry I drew everyone’s attention to the flaws in your project.

7.We are very much aware that the authorities were forced to accept this questionable deal.

8.It is certain that all three candidates have been screened.

9.Some people are worried about the fact that they have not been informed at all.

10.Mr Bunker is the first man who swam across the lake in winter.

11.It is alleged that some politicians accepted bribes from lobbyists in the early 90s.

12.Dozens of drivers were fined because they had exceeded the speed limit.

Task two **

Complete the following sentences, using the simple past or present perfect form.

1.A small number of tourists (catch) _______________ malaria in Africa last summer.

2.Humphrey (lie) _______________ in bed until a quarter to nine.

3.(you teach) _______________ any of the third formers lately?

4.The mugger apparently (creep) _______________ up from behind before attacking his victim.

5.I (spend) ______________ two hours marking exams up until now.

6.The number of people below the poverty line (not rise) _______________ any more since 1998.

7.The town council (choose) _______________ to renovate the opera house half a decade ago.

8.I (tear up) ______________ the receipt after leaving the shop.

9.A major earthquake (strike) ____________ eastern Iran on Monday.

10.The main waterpipe (burst) _______________ early this morning but we (have) _______________ a regular supply for about half an hour now.

11.– (you feed) _______________ the parrot yet? – Oh, (it already eat) _______________ more than its daily ration!

12.Arthur (bear) _______________ me a grudge ever since I (beat) ______________ him at chess.

Task three **

Replace the underlined verb phrases, using either used to or would in order to express the idea of past state or habit.

1.Bouncy castles were an attraction at fair grounds, pubs and school fêtes – now you can hire one for your own back garden.

2.As I entered Grandma’s shop, a brass bell tinkled and the smell of putty filled my nostrils. Then I opened the door marked Private, leading to the dining room where Grandma was sitting. She always had a welcoming smile and I kissed her soft cheek.

3.The chief child-eating troll in Iceland, Gryla, sent her 13 sons out every year to catch bad children for her table. But the violent figure has softened and now gives children presents when they come back to her home.

(1,2 and 3: adapted from various articles in Woman’s Weekly)

4.Kate Simpson hated exercise, but when Mom took it up, she did, too, and slimmed down.

(Newsweek, 3 July 2000, p. 58)

5.When I went into the studio as a young boy, 5 or 6, my father did not stop as he was working. I did not ask for the attention. Later on, when I was a little older, sometimes I worked side by side with my father, with my sister present, too. We were working at the same table, we were doing something, he was doing something else. Sometimes he asked me to help prop something up or hold something. He worked with plaster, and the plaster had to set. I could see he was always trying to do something a little bit different.

(Newsweek, 19 July 1999, p. 58)

5.8. The progressive aspect

Sections 132–139

The progressive aspect refers to activity in progress and therefore suggests that the activity is of limited duration and that it need not be complete. The verbs which typically take the progressive are verbs denoting activities or processes. With verbs denoting momentary events the progressive suggests repetition.

State verbs often cannot be used with the progressive at all and include verbs of perceiving, verbs referring to a state of mind or feeling, and verbs referring to a relationship or a state of being.

Verbs referring to an internal sensation can be used with either the progressive or the simple form with little difference of effect. Some state verbs can also refer to an active form of behaviour and be used with the progressive.

Task one **

Use the most appropriate simple or progressive form (present, past or perfect) of the verb in brackets.

1.We (have) _______________ dinner last night when Alice (burst in) ________________ to tell us about her latest conquest.

2.I (search) _______________ for the missing documents all day … and look: I (only find) _______________ this draft contract.

3.(you still consider) ____________________ sacking your secretary or (you want) ____________________ to give her a second chance?

4.When I (come in) _______________ a few minutes ago the two little boys (punch) ______________ each other in the face.

5.More and more people (get) ______________ tired of the way the government (handle) _______________ the country’s economic problems these days.

6.How (you normally react) __________________________________ when someone (call) _______________ you an incompetent teacher?

7.What (you whisper) ____________________ into Amanda’s ear when I (see) ________________ you in that dark alley the other day?

8.A: (you finish) ____________________ those two book reviews yet?
B: No, I (work) ______________ on various other things lately.

9.Why (you complain) ____________________ about the food all the time? You (eat) _______________ five big meals today.

10.After conquering Mount Everest the mountaineers (fast run) _______________ out of oxygen but fortunately a helicopter (come) _______________ to their rescue.

11.We (send) _______________ an urgent message but (still wait) ____________________ for a response.

12.The prison population (rise) _______________ by more than 2,000 in the five months since Mr Blunkett (take over) _______________ at the Home Office after three years during which it (stabilise) _______________ at around 66,000. (The Guardian, 15 November 2001, p. 12)

Task two **

Rewrite the following text, replacing the underlined parts by one of the state verbs listed below and making any other changes which are necessary.

Not many people are acquainted with the name of William Campbell, but I still have a vivid memory of reading his biography. The book is divided into five chapters, in the first of which there are a lot of anecdotes about William’s early years at Moorcock Manor. This had been in the possession of the Campbell family for centuries.

William was really fond of life in the open and at the age of 18 had the appearance of a young country squire. However, as a result of some very risky investments, his father one day was in debt to the local bank for a huge amount of money. After the sale of vast tracts of land, little was left of the original estate.

It was clear to William that his future was now dependent on his own resourcefulness. Fortunately, he was like the very first Campbell in many ways: he had faith in himself and was never without the resolve to do what the situation made necessary.

Task three **

Complete the following sentences, using both the simple and the progressive form of each of the verbs listed below at least once. Also pay attention to tense.

1.We _______________ rumours about a possible coup for quite some time now.

2.A: It’s hard to say what this cake _______________ like.

B: Well, I would say it _______________ like cardboard.

3.Karen hadn’t been in the job long and (still) ________________ her way.

4.I _______________ no reason why you _______________ such a nuisance again!

5.The dog _______________ the lamppost and when I bent down I _______________ a half-eaten hamburger, which really _______________ awful.

6.The chef _______________ the sauce when I entered the kitchen.

7.I _______________ you _______________ no longer interested in buying a second home.

8.Stop it, Billy, you _______________ very unpleasant to me. I really _______________ like throwing you out.

9.Carol and David _______________ a lot of each other lately.

10.When he slipped into the pantry Andy _______________ a piercing scream, followed by a thud. Seconds later he _______________ a droplet of sweat trickling down his neck.

5.9. Future time 1

Sections 140–146

There are five chief ways of expressing future time in the English verb phrase:

Some less common ways of expressing the future: be to + infinitive, be about to + infinitive, be on the point of + -ing form.

Task one *

Identify the verb phrases referring to future time, specifying which of the above types of future meaning is involved.

1.Alan tried to start the car and failed as she had failed. (…) Alan got out of the car.

“It’s not going to start,” he said. “I’ll drive you home and we’ll phone someone to see to your car.”

(from Barbara Vine, The Brimstone Wedding, p. 283)

2.Her mother accepted the lie. She said:

“I shall be an embarrassing flat mate. How will you explain me to your friends?”

“We shan’t be seeing my friends. If we do run into them, I shall explain that you’re my mother.”

(from P.D. James, Innocent Blood, p. 85)

3.It’s ten o’clock on a Friday morning, and Helen is about to celebrate her seventeenth wedding anniversary with a visit to the hairdresser’s. She and Daniel will, as usual, be going out tonight and she wants to look her best.

4.Sagittarius: Encouraging news will reach you soon but not before you’ve been through a period of anxious anticipation. Don’t over-react to this week’s drama and it will soon pass.

5.“Penny and I have lived with my parents since the divorce,” she said. “I left her with them this week as it was half-term but she’s starting at the village school tomorrow.”

Again I nodded. “What will she do when school finishes?”

Marietta smiled. “Mrs Jones in the village has offered to look after her.

I finish work at five, so we’re well organized.”

(3–4–5: from various issues of Woman’s Weekly)

Task two **

Complete the following sentences using the most appropriate form to express the future.

1.Our neighbours’ silver wedding anniversary (be) ______________ on 1 April.

2.(you stay) ____________________ here for another day, sir?

3.If Barbara (not take) ____________________ her pills, she (get) _______________ very ill.

4.I’ve had far too much whisky, I (throw up) _______________.

5.I (see) _______________ a specialist tomorrow to discuss my backache.

6.The Joneses (cruise) _______________ in the Mediterranean this time next week.

7.We (win) _______________ this election: we are already 7 per cent ahead in the polls.

8.The conference (begin) _______________ at 10 a.m. tomorrow.

9.(you buy) _______________ a new video recorder after all?

10.We (leave) _______________ for the States in a few hours and (probably return) _________________________________ at the end of summer.

11.I hope this war (not last) _______________ too long, otherwise it (take) _______________ ages to rebuild the country.

12.Stay away from that landmine! It (blow up) _______________ !

13.Dan and Ruth (come) _______________ over for Christmas Eve, so we (be) ____________ able to tell them the great news at last.

14.When the ship (enter) _______________ the harbour, you (see) _______________ the old customs house on your left.

15.Politicians (complain) _______________ about the low turn-out again but they only have themselves to blame for it.

Task three **

Use an appropriate form of the verb in brackets to refer to future time in the following dialogue.

5.10. Future time 2

Sections 147–148

The ‘future in the past’ is the future seen from a viewpoint in the past. It is expressed by future constructions whose first verbal element is a past tense:

•was going to and was about to usually suggest that the anticipated happening did not take place

•was/were to and would are rather literary in style and can refer to the fulfilled future in the past.

The ‘past in the future’ is expressed by will + perfect infinitive. In subordinate clauses it is often replaced by the ordinary present perfect.

Task **

Use one of the above constructions with the verb in brackets to express future in the past or past in the future as required by the context.

1.If we don’t reach an agreement soon, all our efforts (be) __________________ in vain.

2.We thought they (not cancel) __________________ the fireworks but in the end they did.

3.Firefighters continued to work frantically and (rescue) __________________ two more trapped residents later that afternoon.

4.All the letters (be delivered) __________________ by the end of this week.

5.Robin (jump) ___________________, but Alice tried to stop him, so he didn’t.

6.Indiana Jones’s best partner had died and (never see) __________________ those he cherished dearly.

7.Richard (come) __________________ but he fell asleep while Clare was taking a shower.

8.It had been a dreadful experience, which __________________ haunt the victims for the rest of their lives.

9.By the time you (read) _________________ this sentence, someone (die) _______________ somewhere.

10.The little boy looked as though he (cry) __________________, but when I picked him up he smiled at me.

11.The disgruntled lawyer wrote a vicious letter, which he (regret) __________________ for the rest of his life.

12.We (just leave) __________________ the building when it began to rain.

5.11. Summary

Sections 149–150

At least 26 common meanings can be expressed through tense and aspect. They relate to:

•time: (a) present – (b) past – (c) future

•type of ‘happening’: (1) single event – (2) state – (3) habit – (4) temporary state or event – (5) temporary habit

•a variety of other factors such as definiteness, anteriority, anticipation, etc.

Task one **

Identify the (non-modal) finite verb phrases in the following text, specifying

Example: Despite the recession, Americans have been spending lots of money.

⇒ (a) present perfect progressive

(b) 6 (= temporary habit up to present time)

CHINESE EXPORTS

During holidays or on weekends, the Lo Wu border crossing between Hong Kong and the mainland Chinese city of Shenzen resembles a churning ocean, with stranded travellers milling together in queues that stretch to the horizon. Hong Kong officials are hoping the lines will soon grow even longer. Beginning this week, the border will stay open another half hour, until midnight each night. “We’re getting complaints,” says a senior Hong Kong security official. “The guards are saying they don’t even have time to eat their meals.” (…)

For years Beijing imposed strict restrictions on travel outside its borders. Into the early 1970s, until the Cultural Revolution ended, China was virtually sealed off from the rest of the world. (…) But as levels of affluence have risen – especially in the south, where GDP levels more than doubled between 1993 and 1998 – ordinary Chinese can now afford overseas trips, at the moment the country itself is seeking a greater role in the world. Having effectively abandoned its communist identity, Beijing is encouraging its newly affluent citizens to travel abroad. (…)

Asian countries have long seen China’s 1.4 billion people as a major potential source of tourist revenues. Now they are expected to pick up the slack from more traditional moneymakers. In the last two months, Japanese tourists have virtually stopped travelling outside their country. European and American arrivals are down by almost half in some places. At the same time, in Hong Kong the number of arrivals from China has risen more than 25 per cent. That represents more than chump change: mainland Chinese spend only slightly less per day ($625) than their American counterparts ($680).

(from Newsweek, 10 December 2001, pp. 42–43)

Task two ***

Complete the sentences in the following extracts, using the most appropriate combination of tense, aspect and voice (active vs passive).

1.“When (you tell) _______________________ Mike you (leave) _________________ him?” Philippa asked.

“Next week,” I said. “When he (get) _________________ back from Yorkshire. You can keep it dark till then.”

“You (bet) _________________,” she said. “By the way, there (be) _________________ one of your Gilda Brent’s films on tomorrow, two p.m., you (be) _________________ at work, so (you want) _________________________ me to video it for you?”

(adapted from Barbara Vine, The Brimstone Wedding, p. 209)

2.Acid rain, one of the greatest pollution scourges of the last decade, (rapidly reduce) ______________________ across Britain and Europe, a new official report (reveal) _________________. It (conclude) _________________ that the acidity of rainfall in Britain (cut) _________________ in half over the past 15 years and that acidified lakes in Scandinavia (begin) _________________ to recover in what (promise) _________________ to be one of the most remarkable environmental success stories on record.

(from The Independent, 30 December 2001)

3.Why (the natives of the Amazon Rainforest live) ____________________________________ so long? The entire world (discover) _________________ the life extending and healing power of the Rainforest. Find out how you can too.

For thousands of years, the natives of the South American Rainforests (traditionally rely) ____________________________ on flowers, leaves, stems, barks and roots of various plant species. Many of these botanicals (use) _________________ to maintain and optimize health. (…)

“After a few months on the Amazon Rainforest herbs I (start) _________________ to feel the vitality of the Rainforest working in my body. I (not be) _____________________ sick since, not even a sniffle in well over a year. I (be) _________________ a believer.” (K.C.)

(adapted from www.rainforest.amazon.net)

4.I (be) ________________ born in 1948 to parents who (be) _________________ absolutely devoted to each other. My sister, Janet, (be) _________________ two, and three more siblings (follow) _________________ me in quick succession – the last arriving just in time to be held by my father before he (pass) _________________ away. (…)

My father (be) _________________ a successful and talented musician, but he (spend) _________________ as much as he (earn) _________________, so as a family we (be) _________________ totally unprepared for his death. It (be) _________________ a non-stop struggle for my mother, who (love) _________________ him so very much that, to this day, no other man (ever feature) _________________ in her life. (…)

The loss of my father, coupled with the problems I (experience) _________________ at school, (turn) _________________ me into somewhat of a rebel. I couldn’t understand why I (struggle) _________________ to read and write, while it (appear) _________________ to come naturally to everybody else. (…)

(from Woman’s Weekly, 23 October 2001, p. 12)

5.The golden age of ocean travel is back and a cruise (constitute) _________________ a great holiday by itself. For those who (already travel) _________________ extensively it (be) _________________ a novel and exciting experience.

Our staff (recognize) _________________ that cruise travel management (require) _________________ exceptional product knowledge. Our cruise manager Alison S. (be) _________________ in the travel industry for 15 years and cruising (be) ________________ her special interest. Please email Alison and she (put) _________________ together something that you (never forget) _________________.

We (list) _________________ a small sample of the products available through CRUISE TRAVELLER. Please do not hesitate to let us know what your experience of cruises (be) _________________ . This way we can ensure that we (provide) _________________ our clients with the best products.

(adapted from www.sydneyexpresstravel.com.au)

Task three ***

Rewrite the following text, turning the dialogue into indirect speech as in the following exchange:

Ronald asked Chris how long he had been working on that building site. Chris replied that he had started there two years before but that, with some luck, he hoped he would be able to move to another job a few months later.