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: The Past
Grammatical Past reference.
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
9.4. MODAL RELATIVITY PRACTICE
Human lives are not just stories, but the narrator time can help comprehend the notional time, the time of the person who speaks. There is no universal notional time. We have to learn to keep own notional time. We can have it for our psychological or mind time, too. We use Mark Twain's Huckleberry stories. ■→More
9.3. DETAIL ON MODAL STRUCTURES
Modal syntax cannot do for Expression, as the Affirmative or Negative; for these, we practice inversion and negation inclusive of Modal syntax. ■→More
9.2. THE MODAL TIME FRAME
Our Fields of Time remain valid throughout our grammar journey. As in life, we refer thought to the PAST, PRESENT, or FUTURE, whether we are abstract, humorous, or talk Modal verbs. ■→More
9.1. MODAL SYNTAX, GRAMMATICAL PRESENT OR PAST
Well, the verb to have can be quite a handle itself, and we can see it in the Modal phrases above. We may begin with visualizing the infinitive and the head time. ■→More
CHAPTER 9. TO TELL THE FASHION IN VALUABLE TIME
Modal verbs do not really state on the Time and Aspect. They mediate between the two and behave very different from regular verbs for that. ■→More
8.2. PRACTICE FOR ALL ASPECTS
We do not have language only to talk with people. We use it to read, write, and think as well. It is important that we try to represent feelings and thoughts in language. We may think about time and change. ■→More
8.1. EARTHLING BASIC VARIABLE
Planet Earth has been a human natural habitat for millennia. In thousands of years, people to think what there is {ON} a map, have not denied plausibility for places {IN} areas, routes {TO} places, as well as locations {AT} them. Early childhood learning to talk has been getting along with learning to walk. For all English Aspects and tenses, this is always the first element in the verb pattern to change for the grammatical time, and that as for the variable {ON}. ■→More
CHAPTER 8. A PERFECT AND PROGRESSIVE REGARD
The Perfect Progressive is a merger of the Perfect and the Progressive. We have room for the head verb in the merged part of the Progressive pattern. Simple or Progressive, Perfect tenses have an open time frame. ■→More
7.1. PRACTICE FOR THE HEART AND THE MIND
We learn to decide on own use of the Progressive ING, and the variable {ON}. Our answers do not have to be identical. We people differ in verb use. ■→More
CHAPTER 7. TIME IN THE MIND AND HEART
There are many grammar books to tell about “stative” or “static verbs”; that we should never use them with the Progressive; that phrases as "I am loving you" or "I am hating you" are incorrect. In fact, such phrases do occur also in educated styles, and more, without the brain and mind, the heart is just a muscle. ■→More
6.5. THE TARGET TIME AND FRAME
We use time frames and symbolic cues, to work as in the Mind practice for the difference between the Simple and the Perfect. ■→More
6.4. MORE GRAMMAR AND WORD PRACTICE
4. After some study of a number of ideas on the cosmos, she (picture) the humanity as an odd kind of fish in a series of still larger fish tanks. Early in the series, there (be) N any point to try bringing another fish tank to imagination. It (require) adding more fish tanks. ■→More
6.3. EXERCISES: THE ASPECT AND THE TIME FRAME
Mind practice for the Aspect and the time frame.
2. The skylark found nothing to outbid the bit of cosmos with a squid.
8. The spotted redshank bachelorette did reset her buret for the bouncing bet. ■→More
6.2. GRAMMAR COGNITIVE GROUND
Madame Règle is not a systematic person at all. The only regularity about her would be a small book she always carries fastened to her bag with a scarf or, actually, a variety of scarves of many colors and textures. The book is not the same book every day, and the choice of the scarf sure depends on some totally unpredictable factor, just as the exact time for lunch, for which you might want to assume the broad time frame of about sixty minutes to commence or not to happen altogether. ■→More
6.1. LINGUISTIC GRAVITATION
We began with clocks and grounds in experience, to tell between the Simple and the Perfect. We people yet happen to speak without a clock, as well as to share novelty. We may resort to thought about a natural earthly phenomenon, namely gravitation. It can help us choose on the time frame for the Simple or Perfect. ■→More
CHAPTER 6. WE CAN CHOOSE OUR PATHS ABOUT TIME
There are no universal principles for choosing between the Present Perfect and the Past Simple. We need own resolves, for real time and contexts. ■→More
5.3. PRACTICE: REAL SYNTAX AND MORE WORDS
Abbreviated verb forms are really much in use in American English. It is important to learn telling them. We first try the exercises in our thoughts, as in the Mind Practice. ■→More
5.2. PRACTICE: SYMBOLIC CUES AND REAL SYNTAX
Symbols can be really helpful, whe we want effective and effortless language habits. Let us combine the Aspect and Time, to exercise symbolic cues. We try only to think about our answers: true learning is in the mind. ■→More
5.1. THE LOGIC SO FAR
We sum up on the grammar logic here so far, and visualize Time along with Aspect as for moving about; hiking, for example. ■→More
CHAPTER 5. LET US MAKE OWN PATHS ABOUT TIME
The Affirmative, Interrogative or Negative may look rare or even strange, if we think about everyday language. Let us reckon on something usual as a strawberry, to work these phrases out. ■→More
3.4. PRACTICE FOR THE SHAPE OF TIME
We have a little exercise on Aspect pattern build, before we reckon on Aspect use. To get along at school, we think about grammar labels, that is, if patterns are the Simple, Progressive, Future, Past, or another — the way as in our Mind Practice, 3 minutes to read. ■→More
3.3. THE BIG CHART FOR THREE PERSONS AND PATHS
We put together the Simple, Progressive, and the Perfect, with all personal pronouns and in all three fields of time. ■→More
3.2. THE PERSON ‘YOU’
In a standard, face-to-face conversation, it is naturally easy to tell if we speak with one or more persons. However, the pronoun you has evolved into the same shape for the singular and the plural. The form is also the same as verb object. ■→More
3.1. THE FIELDS AND THE RIVER OF TIME
Whether English is spoken or written, verb forms be and have are the most usual to occur. We can extract patterns for the Simple, Progressive, and Perfect. ■→More
2.1. MORE WORDS IN THE FIELDS
Verbs may change in shape for the PRESENT, PAST, and FUTURE, and not all are regular in this. We exercise verb 1st and 2nd forms in the fields of time. ■→More
1.1. FIELDS OF TIME: BASIC PRACTICE
Learning a language always requires thinking, but it does not require difficulty. The simple exercises here are to help work out flexible habits that can contribute to advanced language skill. More→
CHAPTER 1. WE CAN PLAN ON TIME AS IN FIELDS
We cannot touch time. We cannot see or hear time. Clocks can show the time only as we set it, and grammatical time is not the same thing as the hour. How can we learn the grammatical time, then? To an extent, we may think about time together with place. More→
