The Simple Present

The Simple Present

I.       Form

-affirmative S+V. (III sg. V-s/es)

-negative S+dont/doesnt+V.

-interrogative Do/Does+S+V?

-negative interrogative: Dont/Doesnt+S+V?

I.           Use

1. eternal/general truths: e.g. Ice melts in the sun.

Habitual actions: e.g. Whenever it rains, they play out.

e.g. We go to school every morning.

adverb or adverb phrases =>always, never, often, every, occasionally, 

sometimes, on nowadays , twice a year, etc.

=>time clauses or habitual

actions: whenever, when.

3. To introduce quotations: e.g. Shakespeare says ..

4. giving the summary of a story called: Narrative/Historic Present

e.g. : The Prince enters the cave and there he sees a witch.

5. instructions/demonstrations:   e.g. First, I take the potatoes and slice them.

6. Sport commentaries: e.g. The goal- keeper passes to Maradona, but Hagi intercepts.

7. Officially planned action: e.g. The contest starts next Saturday.

8. Future action-in a conditional clause:  e.g. If your cousin calls, we will go.

-in a time clause: e. g. Tom will like English grammar when he

understands it.

9. in proverbs: e.g. Despair gives courage to a coward.

10. in exclamation sentences beginning with here or there:

e.g. Here they come!

e.g. There goes the train!

11. Newspaper headlines: e.g. Man murderer escapes.

12. Used instead of the present continuous with verb which cannot be used in the continuous

form: e.g. love, see, believe, etc. I love you!

II.        Spelling

a) ss, sh, ch, x, o, + es:   watches

b) consonant + Y=> y => i+es carries

c) vocala: +es: goes

d) consoana: +s: works

Present tense simple

Definition: Simple present sentences assign properties to their arguments, unlike progressive sentences, which are associated with observable phenomena, with our perception of the world and do not assign any general properties to their arguments.

Tense value present (RT=ST) situated on the present axis

ASPECTUAL VALUE: perfective/imperfective, depending on the situation type (the lexical aspect + progressive aspect + arguments + time adverbials). ET </ = RT

I. THE GENERIC VALUE

general actions, taking place in an unspecified interval of time, which includes ST

universal meaning: assigns general properties to the subject (kind-noun phrase usually or object, not individualized)

homogeneous, uncountable, additive situations: general truths, laws or universal principles valid at ST, definitions, proverbs, geographical statements, prescriptive statements

Dogs bark. (kind-noun phrase)

John is intelligent. (object)

imperfective

ST = RT not specified; ET = always = RT

incompatible with frequency adverbials but for always, never, ever:

Wood always floats on water.

timeless =>

no particular occurrence

no particular moment in time

no particular individual/situation

II. THE HABITUAL VALUE

repeated usual actions that take place in a general or specified interval of time, mentioned by frequency adverbials (ET = RT) such as usually, seldom, often (general, anchored), every day (specific) or by temporal adverbials such as on Mondays, in summer (unanchored) =>

no particular occurrence

no particular moment in time

particular individual/situation (as opposed to I.)

predicates of stages

existential, temporary reading: a situation valid at ST, repeated with a gievn frequency during an interval.

He rides his bike to school every day.

imperfective

countable situations

III. THE INSTANTANEOUS VALUE

events conceived as beginning and ending at ST: punctual, instantaneous events, regardless of their normal duration, which is telescoped.

performatives, perception and mental achievements, reportives of the dramatic type: sports commentaries, stage directions, demonstrations (series of events Swan), exclamations.

I name this ship Titanic. (performative, + 1^st pers sg, + hereby, + authority)

I understand. (mental achievement)

First I take a bowl and break two eggs into it. Then

Here comes our teacher!

perfective, closed reading

particular event

particular moment in time

particular individual/situation

IV. THE PAST VALUE

the temporal adverbials can change the temporal reading imposed by the tense inflection

perfective, completed situation

RT < ST

a) => HISTORICAL PRESENT: storytellers licence, a stylistic device; Leech:

strict historic present: in tables of dates, captions, headlines [+vividness]

In 1066, William, duke of Normandy, conquers England. MP resigns.

fictional use [+dramatic]

In 2050, the spaceship leaves the platform pad.

One day, the boy goes to the woods. There he finds a buried treasure.

b) + verbs such as tell, hear, write, in order to emphasize the present effect of a past communicative act:

He tells me that you have got married.

V. THE FUTURE VALUE

a) in simple sentences and main clauses; RT > ST

+ future time adverbial (necessary)

explicit, anchored: tomorrow

unanchored: on Sunday

a particular event that is to take place at a particular moment/interval of time; assured fact, certainty

unalterable plans, schedules, future arrangements, narrative sequences, melodramatic expressions, after hope

The PM leaves Bucharest on the 14^th of July.

If you dont shut up, Ill kill you. (melodramatic)

to express the date.

Tomorrow is Thursday.

b) in subordinate clauses: the assumption of factual certainty

i. temporal clauses (when, after, before, as soon as)

ii. conditional clauses (if, unless, provided, in case)

= complex adverbials, specifying the RT of the main clause.