Envisioning language study as travel in a dimension, we could think about virtual words as guarding us against steep slopes. Let us warm up.
Exercise 60. To practice targeting time extents, we can use another virtual word, thimo. We can give it the gillyflower color, as for bimo.
Our virtual words are just to practice. Thimo has the sound “th” (ɵ). Learners happen to substitute or mistake it for other speech sounds.
We can practice our tongues. We may pronounce bimo [bImoU], with the tip of the tongue pressed against our lower teeth.
Then, we can try phimo [fImoU], with the tip of the tongue against the lower teeth, still.
Keeping our tongues firm at lower teeth may take conscious control.
After, we can say thimo [ɵImoU], with the tip of the tongue at the upper teeth. We do not press the tongue against the teeth. We let a little air between.
This can help us become more aware and in control of our tongues.
We remember to think the exercise over, as in our MIND PRACTICE. The arrow cues show the target grammatical time. We regard our linguistic Form Relativity.
Example: If you thimoed, you bimoed.
The forms “thimoed” and “bimoed” together show there is no form relativity. Our target grammatical time is the FUTURE.
Answer: If you WILL thimo, you WILL bimo.
1. If you thimo, you bimo.
2. If you WERE ABLE TO thimo, you WERE ABLE TO bimo.
3. If you thimoed, you WOULD bimo.
4. If you HAD thimoed, you WOULD have bimoed.
5. If you thimo, you WILL bimo.
6. If you thimoed, you WOULD bimo.
7. If you HAD thimoed, you WOULD have bimoed.
8. If you thimo, you WILL bimo.
Exercise 61. Let us try “jumping” time extents, as in EXERCISE 55. We provide the arrow cues for the target grammatical time. Our “jumping” symbols are,
“One time extent forward”;
“One time extent backward”.
We can present the flow of time as on a symbolic line.
Let us mind and say “thimo”: if we want to thank someone, we’d better not tank him or her.
We may compare a few more examples:
than (a comparative), tan (brown skin color to result from sunbathing),
these (a demonstrative), tease (to irritate),
thin (not thick, heavy, or broad), tin (a metal).
We can be specific about our Interrogative Expression and follow the place of the question mark.
Example: If you thimoed {?}, you bimoed.
Answer: DO you thimo, if you bimo?
Example: If you thimoed, you bimoed {?}
Answer: If you thimo, DO you bimo?
We can place the letter N for our Negative Expression specifics.
Example: If you thimoed {N}, you bimoed.
Answer: If you DON’T thimo, you bimo.
Example: If you thimoed {N}, you bimoed {N}.
Answer: If you DON’T thimo, you DON’T bimo.
Example: If you thimoed, you bimoed {N}.
Answer: If you thimo, you DON’T bimo.
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TASK
1. If you thimoed, you bimoed {?}
2. If you thimo {N}, you bimo.
3. If you thimoed, you WOULD bimo {?}
4. If you HAD thimoed, you WOULD HAVE bimoed {N}.
5. If you thimo, you WILL bimo {N}.
6. If you thimoed, you WOULD bimo {N}.
7. If you HAD thimoed, you WOULD HAVE bimoed {?}
8. If you thimo, you WILL bimo {?}
9. If you thimoed {N}, you WOULD bimo.
10. If you HAD thimoed {N}, you WOULD HAVE bimoed {?}
Exercise 62. We can be back with someone we met in EXERCISE 37. Ms. Seges appeared already in Part One of our grammar course.
We were learning about personal pronouns, then (CHAPTER 1).
If we have read the note for exercise 56 (in our MODAL RELATIVITY PRACTICE), we know that “we” can work as a personally neutral figure of speech (I do not presume you remember all detail).
The same note mentions figurative thinking. We can mark the time frame and Aspect features when a story is fictional, too.
It is weekend, late morning. Mr. Seges ― he never appeared in our grammar story before ― returns from a literary meeting.
Example: Ms. Seges is home, in her study. Though she had worked most of the night on her new book, she would be analyzing some old papers, now.
Answer: Ms. Seges is home.
Though she had worked most of the night on her new book,
she would be analyzing some old papers, now.
We mind we can view Modal structures as modified real-time phrases
(SUB-CHAPTER 10.1).
Here, the phrase is not about a theory.
In our story, Ms. Seges is in her study, analyzing some old papers.
Let us compare a theory:
There is something very interesting about the old papers.
Otherwise, she would be sleeping.
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TASK
1. MR. SEGES: Honey, I’m back. What are you doing?
2. MS. SEGES: I’d be reading horoscopes.
(Ms. Seges never reads horoscopes.)
3. That is…?
(Mr. Seges does not believe she would ever read horoscopes.)
4. This looks like a calligraphic copy of Vespucci’s letters. It was slipping out of our backyard hedge, no covers or front matter.
5. “Hadn’t it sure taken a lot to make such a book, I’d suspect that Babbitt next door.
6. You remember, Bill wrote the book I was looking for was as likely to be obtained as a calligraphic of Vespucci’s originals.
7. And it was the title the Babbitt gave me. It was completely a legend, Bill even checked with the Freeman’s.”
8. About legends, my favorite Chicago blend is…
9. Honey, I would have remembered about the coffee; but I was so preoccupied…
10. I’m putting that with my records. The coffee is not completely a legend. It continues to exist somewhere in Chicago.
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Let us remember about text rich interpretation, as in EXERCISE 55. Babbitt is a character by Sinclair Lewis, an American writer. The Freeman’s is a famous auction house to specialize also in books.
Amerigo Vespucci described his voyages in letters to Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de Medici. Calligraphic copies were still quite a habit for most important documents, in Vespucci’s times.
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Not only books and their covers could be stylish. Inversion can be a matter of style.
It does not indicate a question in the pattern “Hadn’t it sure taken a lot (of work)”, above.
Relative verb forms also allow the past plural “were” for pronouns I, he, she, and it. We can say, “If I were, If he / she / it were…” to hypothesize generally about the PRESENT.
Forms as “If I / he / she / it was…” may sound more particular. The form “were” is more widely acknowledged, especially in school contexts.
Formal American English also favors full forms of verbs.
If I was Santa, I would not be (wouldn’t be) looking for a spare bag now.
If I were Santa, I would be (I ‘d be) a book Santa: I would give away books to kids.
Skimming can encourage effective learning; feel welcome to have a peek into EXERCISE 64, before doing this one.
Exercise 63. Let us focus on Form Relativity with the Progressive. We remember about the earthling proper egoism (please compare SUB-CHAPTER 8.1).
We have the value {IN} next to the verb to go with the Progressive. However, we can stay {ON} our cognitive grounds for qualities, hearts and minds (CHAPTER 7).
Example: {PAST}, he, N 1. (be) extremely busy, 2. (remember) {IN} to bring that brand coffee.
Answer: If he had not been extremely busy, he would have remembered to bring that brand coffee.
For both the verb phrases, are symbolics is going to be
A CLOSED MODAL FRAME, AND GRAMMATICAL TARGET PAST
Please think if to use FORM RELATIVITY in example 2. A non-relative form will show a number of activities different from the relative. We can use Modals other than WILL, too.
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1. {PRESENT}, she, N read {IN} the calligraphic, she, sleep {IN}.
(She worked on her new book all night.)
2. {PAST}, he, N write {IN}, he, read or talk {IN}.
(The colloquium was very engaging.)
3. {PAST}, he, N hear {IN} from Bill then, {PRESENT}, he, write {IN} him a letter now.
4. {PRESENT}, it, N be {IN} such a good quality, she, think it a mere prank.
5. {FUTURE}, it, N sustain {IN} the quality throughout, it, compare {IN} with the Bodleian Horace and Francis Crease talent.
6. {FUTURE}, they, look in the library, they, get the Medici print.
(Someone most probably made it from the Medici print.)
7. {PRESENT}, it, N be so conscientious, he, throw it in that Babbitt’s garden next door.
8. {FUTURE}, it, prove necessary, she, have it carbon dated.
9. {PRESENT}, it, be as good as it looks, it, M be of worth even as just a calligraphic.
10. {PAST} it, N deprive of the front matter, {PRESENT}, it, be {IN} easier to find out who made it.
Feel welcome to some more exercise. We are gradually getting independent of cues. Real-time, we people speak without them.
10.4. MORE WORKOUT FOR REAL-TIME TALK
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