Историческое развитие и современное употребление длительных времен в английском языке

 
 

Министерство  образования  и  науки Российской Федерации

Федеральное государственное  бюджетное образовательное  учреждение высшего  профессионального  образования

Российский  государственный  университет туризма  и сервиса 

Институт  туризма и гостеприимства

(Филиал) (Москва) 
 
 

Кафедра: «Лингвистическое обеспечение туристической  деятельности» 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

КУРСОВАЯ  РАБОТА  

по  дисциплине «Теоретическая грамматика английского  языка»

по  теме «Историческое  развитие и современное  употребление длительных времен в Английском языке» 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Выполнил: Сорокина А. В.

                                                                                                             Группа Л3-1

Научный руководитель:

                                                                                                            Копылов Ю.В. 
 
 
 

МОСКВА

2011 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Ministry for Education and Science of Russian Federation

Federal State Budget Education Institution of Higher Vocational Education

Russian State University for Tourism and Service

Institute for Tourism and Hospitality

(Branch) (Moscow) 
 
 

Chair: “Linguistics for Tourism” 
 
 
 
 
 

THEORETICAL GRAMMAR

COURSE PAPER 

Historic development and modern use of continuous tenses. 
 
 
 

                                                                         
 
 
 
 
 

Student: Sorokina A. V.

                                                                                                      Group L3 -1

                                                                                                  Scientific advisor:

                                                                                                         Kopylov Yu. V. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

MOSCOW

2011 
 
 
 
 

• Introduction

• 1. Historic development of continuous tenses in English

• 2. The modern usage of Continuous Tenses

o 2.1 Main points

o 2.2 Present Continuous Tense

o 2.3 Past Continuous Tense

o 2.4 Future Continuous Tense

o 2.5 Conclusions

• 3. The practice

• Main conclusions

• Supplement

• References  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Introduction 

The tense category in English is universally recognised. Nobody has ever suggested to characterise the distinction, for example, between wrote, writes, and will write as other than a tense distinction. The category of tense may, then, be defined as a verbal category which reflects the objective category of time and expresses on this background the relations between the time of the action and the time of the utterance. The main divisions of objective time appear to be clear enough. There are three of them: past, present, and future. So the three main divisions of time are represented in the English verbal system by the three tenses. Each of them may appear in the common and in the continuous aspect. Thus we get six tense-aspect forms. 

My course paper is devoted to the study of the Continuous Tenses in  English language, through its structural and semantic features, as well as the peculiarities of historical development.

The course paper includes six parts. They are:

1) introduction

2) theoretical part

3) the practice

4) the conclusion

5) supplement

6) references

In the theoretical part I’m going to examine the following terms:

1) The historic development of continuous tenses in English, which includes such parts as: -Ways to express continuous process and meaning of continuous structures in Old English

              -The development of continuous structures in Middle English

2) The modern usage of Continuous Tenses, which consists of  four subgroups:

- Main points

- Present Continuous Tense

- Past Continuous Tense

- Future Continuous Tense 

The aims of my course paper are:

1) to follow through the historical development of the Continuous tenses;

2) to examine the system of Continuous times;

3) to define rules for the construction and use of Continuous times;

4) In the practical part of education to give examples of Present Continuous Tense, Past Continuous Tense, Future Continuous Tense and to analyze these examples.

5) Draw conclusions. 
 
 
 

1. Historic development of continuous tenses in English

In the period of Old English, there is no a special form to express a continuous process. In such cases it expressed by present form of verb. For example, Ond he pжr wunade, oр pжt hine an swan ofstang [Chronicles]. (And he was living there until one shepherd killed him). The continuous meaning expressed by some lexical constructions or determined through the context: pa siglde he ponan suрryhte be lande, swa-swa he mehte on fif dagum gesiglan. [Alfred] (And he was sailing there along the shore, so far as he could get for five days). But at the same time in Old English we can find out rather frequent using of syntax constructions to express a continuous process- the combination of the verb  beon with the present participle, for example:  … ond ealle pa woruld on hiora agen gewill onwendende wжron fol neah cwintra. [Alfred] (And they all were destroying the world at their own will for nearly fifty years). The meaning of a continuous process which expresses by such constructions is not limited in time, despite of the modern ways of expression the duration. In many cases such construction can serve as a background for another action ( Efne рa se apostol рas sprecende wжs, рa bжr sum widuwe hire suna lic to bebyrgenne. [Жlfric] (And while that apostle was speaking of his doctrine then a widow brought the body of her son to bury it)) and, moreover, to express a continuous process in the past, which is continuous before the moment when the other action took place: (Ond hie ealle on pone cyning wжrun feohtende, oр pжt hie hine ofslжgene hжfdon. [Chronicle 755] (And they were fighting that king until they had killed him)). Also it’s necessary to admit that in Old English this construction can’t be regarded as an index of a continuous process, because the meaning of duration was only one of the complex of meanings which it expressed.

Middle English is characterize by shortage of using the syntax construction ‘ben + present participle’ in the aim of formation a continuous process. On this stage of the development of the language the meaning of continuous expresses by non-durative form of verb.  Summe жfen wжs gesжwen swilce se beam ongean-weardes pes steorran ward fyrcliende wжre. [Chronicle 1106] (Some evening it seemed that rays were sparkling counter of this star). In the beginning of Middle English period in addition to the existing syntax construction, a new way to express a continuous process has existed - a combination of the verb “be” with the preposition “on” (quickly reduced to “a”) and with a verbal noun: She wyst not ... whether she was a-wakyng or a-slepe. [Caxton] (She did not know whether she was on waking or asleep). This syntax construction from the very moment of its appearance conveys the meaning of long-acting going on in a certain period of time and limited in time. By the end of the Middle English period  two syntax constructions merge into one and take the meaning which is value in today's continuous forms. 

The periphrastic forms corresponding to the Modern English is writing, was writing are in frequent use in Old-English, but are only vaguely differentiated from the simple forms. They were no doubt originally formed on the analogy of the combination of the verb ' be ' with adjectives, so that such a paraphrase as hie waron blissiende t they were rejoicing ' was felt to be intermediate between hie blissodon 'they rejoiced' and hie wceron llipe 'they were glad’.

The most fundamental distinction between the simple and periphrastic forms in Old-English appears to be that the latter are associated with the idea of incompletion, as in pd-pa he sprecende was ' while he was speaking ' com-

pared with pa-pa he sprac, which may have the meaning ' was speaking,' but may also have that of ' spoke/ or even ' had spoken/.

The natural result of this is that the periphrastic forms occur very often in constructions which involve the idea of continuity or progression. But that this idea is only a secondary one is shown by those instances in which the context excludes the idea of duration, as when the periphrase is accompanied by the adverb sona ' immediately/ as in pa sona on anginne pees gefeohtes was se munt Garganus bifgende mid orm&tre civacunge. In this example, as in many others, the context

suggests or at least admits an inchoative meaning : ' then immediately at the beginning of the battle Mount Garganus began to tremble with excessive quaking/

The analogy of the adjective construction  would make us expect to find the periphrastic forms used mainly to express rest, and passive rather than active phe-

nomena. But, on the contrary, they are especially favoured by verbs of motion and fighting wees winnende, either with or without the idea of continuity.

In many cases they appear to have a purely stylistic function, being introduced merely to round off a period, and to avoid abruptness.

In Modern as in Old English the definite tenses always imply incompletion ; thus he is writing a letter implies that the letter is not finished. This is still more marked in the perfect, as in what have you been doing all day? compared with what have you done to-day />, which really means ' what have you completed to-day ? '

They also always imply a certain duration: they are no longer used as point or inchoative tenses, as they sometimes are in Old-English. But the expression of duration is not their primary function in Modern any more than in Old English. Nor can they be used to express unlimited duration or repetition : this is expressed by the indefinite tenses, as in the moon shines at night \ he goes to Germany once a year. These tenses use duration to define the time of a point-tense, as in when he

came, I was writing a letter. Here the action of writing is supposed to be going on before the point of time indicated by came, and to continue after it, the amount of the further duration of the action backwards and forwards being indifferent.

A definite tense therefore often makes us expect a clause containing a verb in the corresponding indefinite tense to indicate the point of time which the definite tense

serves to define, as in / shall be writing when he comes = when he shall come], unless the clause precedes, as in when he came, I was writing. But in the present the definite tense does not require or admit of any accompanying point-tense, for the definite present is, in the nature of things, self-defining : I am writing a letter means ' I am writing a letter at the present moment (of your coming)/ So also with the definite perfect : / have been writing a letter.

Hence we may say that the definite present and perfect are absolute tenses, while the definite preterite and future are relative tenses, because they make us expect

another clause. This clause may of course take the form of an independent sentence, if the connection is clear : we were expecting you yesterday ; why didn’t you come? Or the point-tense may be inferred from the context sometimes only in

a very vague way, as in / was coughing all night long, which is almost as absolute as / coughed all night long. Here it will be observed that / was coughing differs from / coughed mainly in emphasizing the idea of duration.

There are some verbs which occur only in the indefinite tenses. This is especially the case with verbs which express feelings, physical and mental perceptions etc.,

such as feel, like, think : I feel ill \ he likes being here \ I think so. But as soon as the element of volition or action becomes prominent, the definite tenses re-assert their rights : compare it hurts with he is hurting him ; he doesn't see it with he is

seeing the sights ; I hear a noise with / am hearing lectures.

This seems to be a tradition of the Old-English descriptive use of these tenses.

The tense defined by a definite tense may itself be in the definite form : all the while I was writing there was some noise or other going on : the children were having their music-lessons, and the baby was crying next door. Here the

definite tenses imply that the writing and the noises were all simultaneous.

But when the connection between the two sentences as regards time is not specially intimate or important, we prefer to put only one verb in the definite form, as in she

stood in an impatient silence while she was thus being talked over, where she was standing, although strictly correct, would lay too much stress on the logically subordinate idea of ' standing/ So also in as he walked home, his heart danced

within him there is no special connection of cause and effect between the two clauses. When such words as always, constantly are added to a definite tense, it necessarily loses its definiteness of meaning as regards distinctions of time : she is a good woman : she is always going to church ; she is always doing things for

poor people. So also in the preterite and future : your mother was a good woman : she was always going . . \ she will grow up to be a good woman : she will always be going . . The main use of the definite form in such collocations is to make the

statement absolute ; thus he is always complaining \ he was grumbling all the time we were there can stand by themselves, while the corresponding indefinite forms make us expect something to define the time or show that repetition is implied : he always grumbles when he is at home.

When a definite tense is used in a context implying repetition, the definite tense does not share in this meaning, but keeps its own ; thus his temper only failed him when he was being nursed means 'on each occasion when he was being nursed ' that is, the definite tense applies to each of the repeated phenomena singly.

The indefinite present is a neutral tense, implying that a statement is of general application, and holds good for all time (the sun rises in the east], or that an action

or phenomenon is habitual, as in he gets up at six regularly every morning \ I always get it at the same shop, or recurrent, as in he goes to Germany twice a year.

If the actual present is meant, the definite form is used : he is getting up now \ where are you going /

The definite present is also used as a neutral present to show that continuity and not repetition is meant. Thus if in such a sentence as the earth is a ball that is always turning round, and at the same time it moves round the sun in a circle we substituted turns, we should have to answer the question ' when does it always turn? ' But here we cannot say that the idea of revolving round the sun is either subordinate to or not closely assoceated with that of revolving on its own axis. It seems that the shorter indefinite form is used because the context makes the meaning ' is moving ' quite clear. Similarly in the wind is rising: look how the smoke blows sideways! Here we might use the definite form is blowing. The indefinite form seems to suggest ' smoke always blows sideways when the

wind rises/ In describing the subject of a picture or piece of sculpture which appeals directly to the eye the definite as well as the indefinite present can be used : it is a representation of a lady, she is lying on a couch, at the side of the couch

sits a woman as in grief. The definite form could not be used in stating the contents of a book, the plot of a story etc. Observe also that we can say it is a picture of a lady lying on a couch, while we should have to use a separate clause in it is a story of a lady who . .

The definite present is used in a future sense, but only in combination with verbs of motion : where are you going for your holiday this autumn ? \ I am going home

tomorrow: it is my mother’s birthday \ is anyone coming to dinner ? = shall we have any guests to dinner? It is evident that where are you going P that is, ' where are you setting out for at this moment ? ' implies ' what place will you arrive at ? ' Hence, while are you going to church ? is present if addressed to one who is just starting, it is necessarily future in are you going to church to-day ?  

The definite preterite is sometimes equivalent to an indefinite preterite with duration implied. It is sometimes equivalent to the definite perfect : / am afraid we have kept you waiting, oh no, not at all: we were looking at these photographs. Here we were looking refers to an implied while we were waiting for you, and so is

equivalent to we have been looking. The perfect is used instead of the future perfect in The definite perfect (and pluperfect) emphasizes the idea of duration up to the present moment. But as the element of duration is not essential to the definite tenses, it often implies something that has happened immediately before the present time, either a succession of detached events, as in where have you been meeting her ? [compare : have you met her lately ?\ or merely a single event : his bruised face and torn clothes showed that he had been fighting = had just been fighting \ I hear you have been getting into mischief again. But the last may also imply repetition. But this usage generally requires that the verb itself

implies or at least admits of the idea of duration. Thus in / have just received a letter from him we cannot substitute the definite form. But we can say / have been receiving letters from him, which necessarily implies repetition. But it has often peculiar shades of meaning of its own : it generally gives the impression that the future event is the result of causes with which the speakers have nothing to do ; and hence is often used to make the expression of futurity more abstract, and especially to do away with any associations with the special meanings of the auxiliaries. Thus even in the preceding example, / shall travel may be

taken to imply that the travelling will be the result of a resolution already formed, while / shall be travelling predicts it as a purely objective phenomenon. So also / suppose you will be going back to England soon means 'you will probably go back to England soon in the natural course of events/ Hence it often implies that the future action is the natural result of something in the character of the person of whom it is predicted : and now I know you will be saying you cannot afford it ! \ I expect some fine day he will be making off with the money.  

2. The modern usage of Continuous Tenses  

2.1 Main points 

Continuous tenses describe actions which continue to happen before and after a particular time.

Continuous tenses can also indicate duration and change. 

1. You use a continuous tense to indicate that an action continues to happen before and after a particular time, without stopping. You use the present continuous for actions which continue to happen before and after the moment of speaking. 

«I'm looking at the photographs my brother sent me.»

«They're having a meeting.» 

2. When you are talking about two actions in the present tense, you use the present continuous for an action that continues to happen before and after another action that interrupts it. You use the present simple for the other action. 

«The phone always rings when I'm having a bath.»

«Friends always talk to me when I'm trying to study.» 

3. When you are talking about the past, you use the past continuous for actions that continued to happen before and after another action, or before and after a particular time. This is often called the ‘interrupted past’. You use the past simple for the other action. 

«He was watching television when the doorbell rang.»

«It was 6 o'clock. The train was nearing London.» 

WARNING: If two things happened one after another, you use two verbs in the past simple tense. 

4. You can use continuous forms with modals in all their usual meanings.  

«What could he be thinking of?»

«They might be telling lies.» 

5. You use continuous tenses to express duration, when you want to emphasize how long something has been happening or will happen for. 

«We had been living in Athens for five years.»

«They'll be staying with us for a couple of weeks.»

«By 1992, he will have been working for ten years.» 

6. You use continuous tenses to describe a state or situation that is temporary. 

«I'm living in London at the moment.»

«He'll be working nights next week.»

«She's spending the summer in Europe.» 

7. You use continuous tenses to show that something is changing, developing, or progressing. 

«Her English was improving.»

«The children are growing up quickly.» 

8. As a general rule, verbs which refer to actions that require a deliberate effort can be used in continuous tenses, verbs which refer to actions that do not require a deliberate effort are not used in continuous tenses. 

«I think it's going to rain.» (‘think’ = ‘believe’. Believing does not require deliberate effort)

«Please be quiet. I'm thinking.» (‘think’ = ‘try to solve a problem’. Trying to solve a problem does require deliberate effort) 

However, many verbs are not normally used in the continuous tenses. These include verbs that refer to thinking, liking and disliking, appearance, possession, and perception. 

2.2 Present Continuous Tense 

We often use the present continuous tense in English. It is very different from the simple present tense, both in structure and in use.

The Present Continuous  is mainly used to express the idea that something is happening at the moment of speaking. The Present Continuous also describes activities generally in progress (not at the moment). Another use of the tense is to talk about temporary actions or future plans.

The structure of the present continuous tense is:

subject + auxiliary verb + main verb

    be   base + ing 

How do we use the Present Continuous Tense? 

We use the present continuous tense to talk about: 

-action happening now

-action in the future 

Present continuous tense for action happening now: 

a) for action happening exactly now 

«I am eating my lunch.» 

b) for action happening around now 

The action may not be happening exactly now, but it is happening just before and just after now, and it is not permanent or habitual. 

«John is going out with Mary.»

                           

We can also use the present continuous tense to talk about the future - if we add a future word!! We must add (or understand from the context) a future word. "Future words" include, for example, tomorrow, next year, in June, at Christmas etc. We only use the present continuous tense to talk about the future when we have planned to do something before we speak. We have already made a decision and a plan before speaking. I am taking my exam next month. 

«We're eating in a restaurant tonight. We've already booked the table..»

«They can play tennis with you tomorrow. They're not working.»

«When are you starting your new job?» 

In these examples, we have a firm plan or programme before speaking. The decision and plan were made before speaking. 

How do we spell the Present Continuous Tense? 

We make the present continuous tense by adding -ing to the base verb. Normally it's simple - we just add -ing. But sometimes we have to change the word a little. Perhaps we double the last letter, or we drop a letter. Here are the rules how to spell the present continuous tense:

work > working

play > playing

be > being 

Exception 1: If the base verb ends in consonant + stressed vowel + consonant, double the last letter

  

stop > stopping

run > running

begin > beginning

Note that this exception does not apply when the last syllable of the base verb is not stressed:

open > opening 

Exception 2: If the base verb ends in -ie, change the -ie to -y:

lie > lying

die > dying 

Exception 3: If the base verb ends in vowel + consonant + e, omit the e:

come > coming

mistake > mistaking 

2.3 Past Continuous Tense 

We usually use the Past Continuous to talk about activities that lasted for some time in the past. The actions can be interruped by something or can be happening at the same time. We use the Past Continuous to talk about actions or situations that lasted for some time in the past, and whose duration time is unknown or unimportant. The Past Continuous is often used when one action in progress is interruped by another action in the past. We usually use when or while to link these two sentences.

The structure of the past continuous tense is:

subject + auxiliary verb BE + main verb 

was

were base + ing 

For negative sentences in the past continuous tense, we insert «not» between the auxiliary verb and main verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and auxiliary verb.

  subject auxiliary verb  main verb 

+ I                 was                 watching   TV.

- He, she, it       was not                         helping   Mary.

? Were they       were                              playing   football? 

How do we use the Past Continuous Tense? 

The past continuous tense expresses action at a particular moment in the past. The action started before that moment but has not finished at that moment. For example, yesterday I watched a film on TV. The film started at 7pm and finished at 9pm. At 8pm yesterday, I was watching TV.

         

When we use the past continuous tense, our listener usually knows or understands what time we are talking about. For example: 

I was working at 10pm last night.

They were not playing football at 9am this morning.

What were you doing when he arrived?

She was cooking when I telephoned her. 

We often use the past continuous tense to "set the scene" in stories. We use it to describe the background situation at the moment when the action begins. Often, the story starts with the past continuous tense and then moves into the simple past tense. For example:

" He was driving through town. It was raining. The wind was blowing hard. Nobody was walking in the streets. Suddenly, he saw the boy in a telephone box..."

Past Continuous Tense + Simple Past Tense 

We often use the past continuous tense with the past simple tense. We use the past continuous tense to express a long action. And we use the simple past tense to express a short action that happens in the middle of the long action. We can join the two ideas with “when or while”. 

We can join two actions with “when”:

I was watching TV when you telephoned. 

The long action and short action are relative.

"Watching TV" took a few hours. "Telephoned" took a few seconds. 
 

2.4 Future Continuous Tense 

We mainly use the Future Continuous  to indicate that we will be in the middle of doing something in a specified time in the future.  

USE 1: Future actions in progress  

The first use of the Future Continuous is to express future action in progress.

Examples:  In an hour, I will be sitting in front of my TV.

In the evening, I will be baking a birthday cake.

In an hour, I will be sitting in front of my TV.  

USE 2: Guesses 

We use this tense also to make guesses about something in the present or future.

Examples:  He won't be coming any time soon. He is still at the office.

Beatrice will be getting married very soon.  

USE 3: Questions 

And the last use of the tense is to make polite questions about something or somebody.

Examples: Will you be coming home before or after 10 p.m.?

Will you be going to the supermarket? I have something to buy. 

How do we make the Future Continuous Tense? 

The structure of the future continuous tense is:

subject+ auxiliary verb WILL+      auxiliary verb BE + main verb 

will be base + ing 
 

For negative sentences in the future continuous tense, we insert “not” between “will” and “be”. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and “will”.   

+ I will   be working at 10am.

+ You will   be lying on a beach tomorrow.

- She will not be using the car.

- We will not be having dinner at home.

? Will you   be playing football?

? Will they   be watching TV? 
 

When we use the future continuous tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and “will”:

I will- I'll

you will-you'll

he will-he'll

 we will-we'll

they will-they'll 

For spoken negative sentences in the future continuous tense, we contract with won't, like this:

I will not -I won't

you will not-you won't 

We sometimes use shall instead of will, especially for “I” and “we”. 

How do we use the Future Continuous Tense? 

The future continuous tense expresses action at a particular moment in the future. The action will start before that moment but it will not have finished at that moment. For example, “tomorrow I will start work at 2pm and stop work at 6pm: At 4pm tomorrow, I will be working.” 

When we use the future continuous tense, our listener usually knows or understands what time we are talking about:

I will be playing tennis at 10am tomorrow.

They won't be watching TV at 9pm tonight.

What will you be doing at 10pm tonight?

Take your umbrella. It will be raining when you return. 
 
 

Conclutions: 

In my course paper I was investigated the features of the continuous tenses in English and its existence and development through the history. 

According to the study the following conclusions can be made: 
 

- In the modern English there are four categories of tenses: indefinite, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous. The sources of these forms are old English free syntactical combinations; 

- A sources of modern continuous forms are the old English verb “beon” in combination with the present participle, and Middle English gerundive constructions with the pretext, conveying duration unlimited in time 

- In the period of Old English, there is no a special form to express a continuous process. There we can find out rather frequent using of syntax constructions to express a continuous process. Duration expressed by simple forms and contextually determined; 

- Middle English is characterize by shortage of using the syntax construction ‘ben + present participle’. On this stage of the development of the language the meaning of continuous expresses by non-durative form of verb.  By the end of the Middle English period  two syntax constructions merge into one and take the meaning which is value in today's continuous forms. 

- In its modern meaning the continuous process fixed by the end of a Modern English period; 

-Continuous tenses describe actions which continue to happen before and after a particular time. Continuous tenses can also indicate duration and change. 

-The Present Continuous is mainly used to express the idea that something is happening at the moment of speaking;