Дипломная работа: Stylistic potential of tense-aspect verbal forms in modern English

e.g. And today I woke with splitting headache.

Tomorrow I fly to London for a big meeting.

Yesterday the land tells me my rent's going up.

The present form here ties the situation described closely to the situation of utterance. The past tense form makes the situation described more remote from the situation of utterance. Situation in the future are treated differently they are inherently non-factual . The author means that the verb form that is traditionally called «future tense» is actually expressed vie a modal verb which indicates the relative possibility of the event.

If we look inside the situation we shall talk about aspect [32; 63–68]. Aspect is divided by author into two parts:

1. Lexical aspect (stative and dynamic verbs);

2. Grammatical:

– progressive viewed from the inside in progress;

– perfect viewed from outside in retrospect.

Tense is the location of a situation, aspect – the inside of a situation.

In parts «Meaning in Contexts» [32; 68–72] Yuri G. shows how to use the stylistic potential of tense and aspect in the practical approach. There is a major qualitative difference between studying the components of English Verb and studying how to use them basically. When we construct a piece of connected speech or writing, whether in monologue or dialogue, we are constantly tapping the lexical and grammatical resources of English verb to find of making our composition and particular effect. More clearly Peter Verdonk marks in his «Stylistics», Oxford, 2002:

«Style involves a choice of form without a change of message.

It includes the motives for choice and its effect. If all differences in form are correlated with differences in meaning, then the style of a piece of writing is simply its meaning. The work may stand out because of its meaning, or the author may be exceptionally skilled in finding the right words for his meaning and we take pleasure in his art, but the wrong choice would have meant something less – they would not conveyed the meaning» [40; 7–8].

Describing how to use deferent styles in a magazine article, news reports, academic writing, narratives, spoken discuses and others Yuri G. gives some easy explanations:

– information that is treated as part of the «background» will tend to be expressed in the past tease ;

– information that is current concern, in the «foreground» will be expressed in the present tense ;

– background scene-stting, particularly in stories, is often expressed in the past progressive ;

– ongoing current situations are described in the present progressive ;

– viewing recent changes from the current situation is typically expressed by perfect aspect .

Following the description of basic verbal forms, Yuri G. conveys not only specific features of verbal forms and structures according to tenses and aspects, but includes a piece of information on how meanings of verbal forms can be shaped bf context and communicative purpose – stylistic potential of verbal forms.

Written in a clear style and natural, intelligible language [38; 41] «A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language» is presented by Randolph Quirk and his team in 1986. «In the fourth chapter we examine the semantics of the verb phrase, and in particular of the finite verb phrase», wrote Quirk R. [29; 175]. Some points from this interesting material about time, tense and aspect will be very useful for discussion in our paper. The authors give us a lot of tables and diagrams, examples with the main aim to explain verbal system clearly and lucidly. Beginning from the present tense the authors line down that on the semantic level of interpretation «present» is the most general and unmarked category.

e.g.: John spends a lot of money. (true for past, present, future)

cf.: John spent a lot of money. (true for past only)

The authors prefer to follow those grammarians who have treated «tense» only as a category realized by verb inflection , and in their Grammar they do not talk about «future» [29; 176] as a formal category but they do say about expressing the semantic category of future time . We can add the same points of view given by T.A. Rastorguieva and L.S. Barkhudarov. [31; 28]

e.g.: Today is Monday, and tomorrow is Tuesday.

What are you doing tomorrow?

The semantic categories of past, present, future apply not so much to time, as to happenings which take place in time, and which are denoted by verbs.

e.g.: Mary hoped for success. (refers to «a past hope of Mary)

Peter knows a great deal. (refers to Peter’s present knowledge)