More fun with aspect, modals, the future, adverbials, and statives -- and a bit on dialects of English

1
Lesson 7

• More fun with aspect, modals, the future,
  adverbials, and statives -- and a bit on dialects
  of English

2
Reminder

• You should be reading through the book (Chapter
  2) to get a good idea of some of the many ways
  native speakers of English use aspect. There is
  an excellent discussion starting on p. 9.

3

• There are some other important points about
  aspect that you need to consider.

4
Adverbials

• Adverbials are clause-level structures that
  modify verb phrases (and sometimes other
  structures). An adverbial can be
• An adverb phrase
• A noun phrase
• A prepositional phrase
• A clause

5
Adverb Phrases

• An adverb phrase (one type of adverbial) is
  centered around an adverb.

6
Adverbs

• Typical adverbs are single words that end in -ly
  and answer questions loosely formed with how
  and when.
• Usually When does this happen? This usually
  happens
• Thoroughly How did he do it? He did it
  thoroughly.

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Some adverbs with -ly

• accidentally angrily annually anxiously
  awkwardly badly blindly boastfully
  boldly bravely briefly brightly busily
  calmly carefully carelessly cautiously
  cheerfully clearly correctly
  courageously crossly cruelly daily
  defiantly deliberately doubtfully easily
  elegantly enormously enthusiastically
  equally eventually exactly faithfully
  fatally fiercely fondly foolishly
  fortunately frantically gently gladly
  gracefully greedily happily hastily
  honestly hourly hungrily innocently
  inquisitively irritably joyously justly
  kindly lazily loosely loudly madly merrily
  monthly mortally mysteriously nearly neatly
  nervously noisily obediently obnoxiously
  painfully perfectly politely poorly
  powerfully promptly punctually quickly
  quietly rapidly rarely really recently
  recklessly regularly reluctantly repeatedly
  rightfully roughly rudely sadly safely
  selfishly seriously shakily sharply
  shrilly shyly silently sleepily slowly
  smoothly softly solemnly speedily stealthily
  sternly successfully suddenly
  suspiciously swiftly tenderly tensely
  thoughtfully tightly truthfully unexpectedly
  victoriously violently vivaciously warmly
  weakly wearily wildly yearly

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Other adverbs

• Other adverbs dont end in -ly but do answer the
  how and when questions.
• Examples soon, now, often, then, still, yet,
  always, never , well

9
Adverbs with Tenses and Aspects

• Note that sometimes an adverb works well with one
  tense/aspect but not with another. Consider
  recently which works well with perfect and
  perfect progressive aspects and past tense
  progressive aspect, but not with present tense
  progressive.

10
Recently

• I have seen that movie recently.
• He has been exercising recently.
• He was talking to his mother recently.
• BUT NOT I am learning grammar recently.

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Frequently, usually, often

• These adverbs are often (though not always) used
  with present and past tense, simple aspects and
  rarely if ever with the progressive.
• Examples My husband often stays up past
  midnight.
• BUT NOT My husband is often staying up past
  midnight.

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Prepositional Phrase Adverbials

• Some prepositional phrase adverbials are
  frequently used with perfect/perfect progressive
  aspect.
• Example
• For XXX
• Since XXX
• By XXX

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Examples

• I have spoken Spanish since 1968.
• I have spoken Spanish for 41 years.
• By next year, I will have spoken Spanish for 42
  years.

14
Noun Phrase Adverbials

• Noun phrase adverbials are adverbs formed from a
  noun phrase. These often answer the when
  question.
• Examples Last week, tonight, today.

15
Time and Tense with Modals and Aspects

• Review point there are only two tenses in
  English past and present.

16
The Future

• So how do we talk about the future?

17
Modals and the Future

• Modals are commonly used to help us talk about
  the future. But modals are tricky (ask any ESL
  learner). They arent clean. A person can
  use some present tense and past tense modals to
  talk about the future. So in clauses with modals
  in the verb phrases, adverbs take on special
  importance.

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Will and Shall

• Will and shall (less common) are two words we
  use to express the future time (note, I did NOT
  say tense).

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• Will can be used with verbs in many different
  aspects, but all expressing the future.
• I will have a rum and coke at 7 p.m. tonight.
  (present tense, simple aspect).
• I will be having a rum and coke at 7 p.m.
  tonight. (present tense, progressive aspect)
• I will have had two rums and cokes by 7 p.m.
  (present tense, perfect aspect)
• I will have been having my third rum and coke by
  715 p.m. (present tense, perfect progressive
  aspect).

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• Note also that past tense modals can express the
  future
• I could have a rum and coke tonight. (past tense,
  simple aspect expresses the future)
• And the present
• I could be having a rum and coke (but Im here
  teaching English instead). (past tense,
  progressive aspect expresses the present that
  isnt real)
• And the past!
• I could have had a rum and coke (but instead I
  had a White Russian). (past tense, perfect
  aspect expresses a past that did not happen).
• I could have been having a rum and coke (but
  instead there I was drinking milk). (past tense,
  perfect progressive aspect expresses a past
  that did not happen).

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The Future . . . Continued

• One more way to express the future is to use the
  present tense, progressive aspect with an adverb
  that clearly expresses time.
• Examples
• I am leaving for Madrid tomorrow.

22
The Statives

• There is another class of verbs called statives.
  Statives are rarely used in the progressive (or
  perfect progressive) aspect.
• Statives are often verbs that express cognition,
  desire, and sense.

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A few examples

• Be Now I am a little tired. (not I am being a
  little tired).
• Believe I believe God exists. (not I am
  believing God exists).
• Belong It belongs to me. (not It is belonging
  to me).
• Exist God exists. (not God is existing).
• Forget I forget her name. (not I am
  forgetting her name).
• Hate I hate this show. (not I am hating this
  show).
• Have (meaning to possess) She has a beautiful
  family. (not She is having a beautiful
  family).
• Smell Now I smel it. (not Now I am smelling
  it.)

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Switch Hitters

• Some verbs can have a stative and a non-stative
  use, depending on the meaning.
• Example I have a dog. (possess -- stative)
• I am having a good time. (experience -- not
  stative)

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Statives in ESL

• Statives are hard to learn -- and so learners
  dictionaries often mark the entries with not
  usually in the progressive if the verb is a
  stative.
• Check out http//www.ldoce.com

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Dialects and Aspect

• Some dialects of English use aspects differently
  than North American Standard does.
• In Indian English (a major dialect spoken by at
  least 100 million people), verbs that we in North
  America make statives are regularly used in the
  progressive.

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Sample

• (From a recent call to my bank)
• Phone rep Are you understanding my explanation?
• Me Not really.
• Phone rep I am not having a better explanation.
  I will get my manager. He may be knowing
  another way.

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Final Exercise

• Consider these errors and decide what the problem
  is and what you would tell the student
• It is ten years since our wedding day.
• I am believing him despite his flawed character.
  (Student is from the Punjab region of India).
• I went to Europe now.