Grammatical tense in English - Part 2
June 11th 2009 18:01
In my previous post, I talked about past and present tenses in English. This post covers future tense as well as conditional and subjunctive tenses.
Future tenses
Future indicative - An event occurs in the future--probably. See the examples below for subtle shades of meaning.
I am going to claim my lottery winnings tomorrow. (I will definitely pick them up, unless something prevents me from doing so.)
I will give you five percent of it. (I say that I will give you 5%, but it is not as definite as saying that I am going to give it to you.)
As another example, "He is going to die" has different connotations from "He will die".
Construction: <subject> is going to <verb> or <subject> will <verb>
Future progressive - An event occurs in the future and is in progress.
I will be taking care of my finances.
Construction: <subject> will be <verb><-ing>
Future perfect - An event occurs and completes in the future.
I will have changed my will.
Construction: <subject> will have <verb><-ed or other verb form>
Future perfect progressive - An event occurs in the future and is in progress at/for a specified time.
I will have been on holiday for weeks by the time the papers print my picture.
Construction: <subject> will have been <verb><-ing>
Other tenses
These may not seem like the past, present, and future tenses, which indicate when an event occurs; however, the conditional and subjunctive tenses (also called moods) express uncertainties rather than times.
Conditional tense - Use this tense to express possibility or probability of an event, or to express conjecture.
I think that there is more cake in the fridge, but I could be wrong.
I would not eat green eggs and ham, not even with a fox.
Would you like to swing on a star?
He wouldn't say something like that!
From the puddles on the sidewalk, I deduce that it must have rained last night.
Subjunctive tense/mood - Use this tense when you are hypothesizing, commanding, or expressing a wish for an event to occur or for something to be true, or to indicate that something is not true. Many times the subjunctive takes the form of "<subject> were".
If only I were there already!
I wish we were living in the cottage instead of the city.
Stop driving as if you were the only person on the road!
If I were to take rural roads, I'd get there 20 minutes earlier.
Note the verb is the same for present, future, and past subjunctive tenses:
I ask that you be present at my coronation.
I had asked that you be present at my coronation.
It is expected that you dress for the occasion.
It will be expected that you dress for the occasion.
This sentence contains both a conditional tense and a subjunctive tense:
My retainers would be aghast, if they were in the know.
Future tenses
Future indicative - An event occurs in the future--probably. See the examples below for subtle shades of meaning.
I am going to claim my lottery winnings tomorrow. (I will definitely pick them up, unless something prevents me from doing so.)
I will give you five percent of it. (I say that I will give you 5%, but it is not as definite as saying that I am going to give it to you.)
As another example, "He is going to die" has different connotations from "He will die".
Construction: <subject> is going to <verb> or <subject> will <verb>
Future progressive - An event occurs in the future and is in progress.
I will be taking care of my finances.
Construction: <subject> will be <verb><-ing>
Future perfect - An event occurs and completes in the future.
I will have changed my will.
Construction: <subject> will have <verb><-ed or other verb form>
Future perfect progressive - An event occurs in the future and is in progress at/for a specified time.
I will have been on holiday for weeks by the time the papers print my picture.
Construction: <subject> will have been <verb><-ing>
Other tenses
These may not seem like the past, present, and future tenses, which indicate when an event occurs; however, the conditional and subjunctive tenses (also called moods) express uncertainties rather than times.
Conditional tense - Use this tense to express possibility or probability of an event, or to express conjecture.
I think that there is more cake in the fridge, but I could be wrong.
I would not eat green eggs and ham, not even with a fox.
Would you like to swing on a star?
He wouldn't say something like that!
From the puddles on the sidewalk, I deduce that it must have rained last night.
Subjunctive tense/mood - Use this tense when you are hypothesizing, commanding, or expressing a wish for an event to occur or for something to be true, or to indicate that something is not true. Many times the subjunctive takes the form of "<subject> were".
If only I were there already!
I wish we were living in the cottage instead of the city.
Stop driving as if you were the only person on the road!
If I were to take rural roads, I'd get there 20 minutes earlier.
Note the verb is the same for present, future, and past subjunctive tenses:
I ask that you be present at my coronation.
I had asked that you be present at my coronation.
It is expected that you dress for the occasion.
It will be expected that you dress for the occasion.
This sentence contains both a conditional tense and a subjunctive tense:
My retainers would be aghast, if they were in the know.
| 44 |
| Vote |
