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

The authors shall distinguish different categories under the title of situation types that is they talk of dynamic (count) and stative (noncount) meaning rather then dynamic and stative verbs. This is because one verb may shift from one category to another, for example,

– the stative meaning of «have» is «possess»;

– the dynamic meaning of «have» is «eat».

e.g.: The chair has beautiful carved legs quite frequently. (has=possess, that is «having carved legs» is a state)

We have dinner at Maxim’s quite frequently.

(have dinner= eat, that is «having dinner» is an event)

All these verbs are divided into dynamic and stative verbs , which are presented in two tables. We mean, that these two tables are not convenient for teaching and studying and we have replaced and reconstructed them according to our require (Tables 2–3).

Meanings of the simple present tense with reference to present time can be divided into:

l. The state present , or so-called «eternal truths» or «timeless present»:

e.g.: Honestly is the best policy.

Two and three is five.

2. The instantaneous present implies that event has little or no duration and is completed approximately at the moment of speech:

– commentaries, demonstrations, special exclamatory sentences, performatives.

e.g.: Black passes the ball to Fernanders…

Here comes the winner!

3. Special non present uses of the present tense:

– the so-called historical present with stylistic effect , which conveys something of the dramatic immediacy of an eye-witness account. It is found with verbs of communication: say, tell, etc , and the result – the information communicated – is still operative.

e.g.: The Bible speaks…

Historical present describes the past as if it is happening now.

4. The simple present in fictional narrative: the events narrated by means of the historical present are real, but narrated by fictional «historical present» are imaginary . It is the stylistic effect.

e.g.: Millinson enters . The girls immediately pretend to be working hard… (we can present the event of the play before our eyes)

Meanings of the past tense with reference to past time (Table 3) combine two features:

a) the event / state must take place in the past with the gap between its completion and the present moment;

b) the speaker or writer must have in mind a definite time at which the event / state took place («last week, in 1932, several weeks ago, etc) but stylistically the past tense itself means the definite past time .

e.g.: Did you lock the front door? – an immediate situation.

Byron died in Grees. – historical statements.

Rome was not built in a day. – presupposing.

The habitual and state meanings can be paraphrased by means of «used to» (transference, transposition, transmission) used to live

e.g.: In those days we – in the counry.