Grammar resources vary so vastly in guidance on Modal verbs and the Conditional or Unreal Past that we may feel we need a comparison on language forms. ■→More
Tag: Linguistic form relativity
Use of language form as relative to real time, as in IF I WERE THERE TODAY, “were” is a Past form used for relative to the Present.
10.3. WORKOUT FOR REAL-TIME TALK
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 fairy-tale, Bill even checked with the Freeman’s. ■→More
10.1. THE UNREAL PAST OR CONDITIONAL: REAL TIME
If we allow that language may transfer features, phrases as had read, spoken, eaten etc., might show transfer of the syntactic anchor from the consequent. When auxiliary HAVE closes the time frame, we could say it anchors for reference. ■→More
CHAPTER 10. FORM RELATIVITY GALORE
Let us try linguistic relativity. For theory or guesswork, we can use PRESENT verb forms to refer to the FUTURE; PAST forms let refer to the PRESENT, and ANTECEDENT PAST forms can refer to the PAST. ■→More
