Lecture 12

Tense and Aspect (2)

Teaching Contents

12.1 Uses of present perfective (progressive)

12.2 Uses of past perfective (progressive)

12.3 More on the use of perfective aspect

Teaching objectives1.To learn the grammatical knowledge on

tense and aspect.

2. To master the Uses of present perfective , past perfective

The perfective aspect can combine with the two tenses, forming present perfective and past perfetive, which can again combine with the progressive aspect, resulting in present perfective progressive and past perfective progressive.

12.1 Uses of present perfective (progressive)

1) Present perfective

It has two chief uses: “finished” uses and “unfinished” use.

The finished use refers to the present result of a past event still operative at the present moment.

The unfinished uses denotes that an action or state extends over a period lasting up to the present moment, possibly extending into the future as well.

The difference between them is the fact that in the unfinished use, the present perfective is commonly accompanied by an adverbial expressing duration, but no such accompanying adverbial is present in the finished use.

e.g. He’s turned off the light. He’s lived here since 1960.

2) Present perfective progressive Its use has much in common with the

unfinished use of the present perfective. e.g. We’ve been living here for ten years. We’ve lived here for ten years.

However, there are cases where these two forms are not interchangeable in that the present perfective progressive has also the meanings of continuousness, temporariness and incompleteness

e.g. Who’s been eating my dinner? (Some of it is left.)

Who’s eaten my dinner? (It’s all gone.)

2002

43. For some time now, world leaders ________ out the necessity for agreement on arms reduction.

A. had been pointing

B. have been pointing C. were pointing D. pointed

2003

42. Jack ________ from home for two days now, and I am beginning to worry about his safety.

A. has been missing B. has been missed C. had been missing D. was missed

3) Contrast between present perfective (progressive) and simple past

The present perfective (progressive) has some connection with the present. If an action happened in the past and has no connection with the present, it will have to be expressed by the simple past or the past progressive

have been to / gone to He has gone to New York.他此时已到纽约或在去纽约的路上。总之，此刻他不在出发地。因此， have gone不能表示习惯意义，不能加 often, twice, frequently等状语。一般也不能用于第一人称和第二人称。

e.g. *I have gone to New York.

He has been to New York. 他去过纽约已经回来了。至少是去过一次，也许是多次。因此，可以加 twice, five times, before, in the past等状语。

e.g. He has only been there two or three times.

Have you been to New York before?

e.g. His sister has been an invalid all her life. (She is still alive.)

His sister was an invalid all her life. (She is now dead.)

12.2 Uses of past perfective (progressive) 1) Past perfective It has two chief uses: finished and

unfinished uses

2007

59.The student said there were a few points in the essay he _______impossible to comprehend.A.had found B. finds C.has found D.would find

2) Past perfective progressive It is similar to the present perfective

progressive, only with time reference back-shifted to a specified past. It has something in common with the past perfective, though it is more frequently used, especially in the colloquial speech.

3) Past perfective in sentences with when-/before-/after-/until- clauses

e.g. When I reached the station, the train had already left.

He offered me a drink before I had taken off my coat.

We had got everything ready by the time they arrived.

4) Imaginary use of past perfective

a) in clauses introduced by if, if only, as if to denote a hypothetical condition, a wish not likely to be fulfilled or a state contrary to the past fact:

e.g. If only you had told me before. b) in that-clause following “I wish”, “I’d rather” e.g. I would rather you had told her the truth.

c) in superordinate clause where the past perfective is associated with such verbs as expect, think, intend, mean, want, suppose to denote a past wish or intention which was not realized.

12.3 More on the use of perfective aspect

1) Perfective aspect and since-clause The perfective aspect is often accompanied by

a since-phrase or a since-clause to denote a continuous state or activity from a point in past time until now. The verb in the since-clause is commonly the simple past of a dynamic verb denoting non-continuous activity.

If the main or superordinate clause is in the form of “It be + complement (denoting a time span ) + since-clause”, the verb be in the main clause may occur in the simple present in place of the present perfective

e.g It’s three months since he wrote to me.

Sometimes, however, the verb in the since-clause may be the simple past of a dynamic verb of continuous activity or that of a stative verb, in which case the time span denoted by the since-clause is different from the ordinary case, generally referring to the end or completion of that continuous activity or state.

If we use this kind of verb in the since-clause and mean to say that the continuous activity or state extends up to the present moment, we will have to use the present perfective instead of the simple past.

e.g. He has written to me frequently since I was ill. (I’m not ill now.)

He has written to me frequently since I have been ill. (I’m still ill now.)

2)Perfective aspect vs. have got/have got to The perfective aspect of get is have got, but in

colloquial speech (esp. in Br.E), have got can also be used in the sense of possession just like the main verb have. This should not be confused with the perfective aspect of the verb get.

The construction “have got to” has nothing to do with the perfective aspect of the verb get. The negative form “haven’t got to” is commonly used in the sense of have to. Have got to cannot collocate with auxiliaries.

3) Perfective aspect in “It is the first time + that-clause”

It is/will be the first time + that-clause (+ present perfective verb)

It was the first time + that-clause (+ past perfective verb, occasionally the simple past)

have done with可以作“干完、不再干”，也可作“停止、停止来往”解。

I have done with painting. 我不再搞绘画了。 Have done with all this nonsense. 不要再说这些废话了。

You are too dishonest. I’ve done with you. 你太不老实了。我和你断绝关系。