Thursday 25 December 2014

Using Present Indefinite Tense through Dialogues


This page shows different ways of using the Present Indefinite through dialogues from English literature.

The Present Indefinite mainly expresses permanent or recurrent actions in the present.

I

a) We find permanent actions or states with durative verbs. They generally indicate continuous uninterrupted or repeated processes representing permanent features and relationships. They give a general characteristic to the person or thing denoted by the subject. Time indications are not obligatory in this case.

Illustrative Examples:

1. Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher stay at school after classes and talk about their likes and dislikes.

Tom: Do you love rats?
Becky: No, I hate them!
Tom: Well, I do, too — live ones. But I mean dead ones, to swing round your head with a string.
Becky: No, I don't care for rats much, anyway. What I like is chewing-gum!..
Tom: Do you? I've got some. I'll let you chew it awhile, but you must give it back to me.
(M. Twain. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer)

Sunday 30 March 2014

Conditional Mood Examples in Proverbs and Quotations

Conditional and Subjunctive Mood Examples in Proverbs, Quotations and Rhymes


1.  Comment on the use of the Conditional Mood in complex sentences expressing unreal condition in the following proverbs and sayings.

  1.     If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
  2.     If there were no clouds, we should not enjoy the sun.
  3.     If it were not for hope, the heart would break.
  4.     If the pills were pleasant, they would not be guilded.
  5.     If things were to be done twice all would be wise.
  6.     If "ifs" and "ans" were pots and pans.
  7.     Many would be cowards if they had courage enough.
  8.     Pigs might fly if they had wings.
  9.     If my aunt had been a man, she’d have been my uncle.
  10.     If each would sweep before his own door, we should have a clean city.

Saturday 8 February 2014

Conditional Sentences

The Conditional Mood is used to the principal clauses of complex sentences expressing unreal condition.

Sunday 2 February 2014

The Oblique Moods

The Formation of the Oblique Moods

Subjunctive I

  Synthetical form (1) Analytical form
Present I (he, she, we, you, they) be, have, speak I (he, she, we, you, they) should be, should have, should speak.

Past    --- I (he, she, we, you, they) should have been, should have had, should have spoken.

(1) The form of Subjunctive I in Modern British English is mostly used in poetry and official documents. In colloquial speech the analytical form of Subjunctive I prevails.
In American English the synthetical form of Subjunctive I is colloquial.