R.ALBU, Natural/Logical/Semantic Categories vs. Grammatical Categories: Predication.

Tense/Aspect

WORKSHEET 13

I. Discuss the following (pairs of) sentences with respect to their meaning:
1 a. The man was drowning. b. The man drowned.
In sentence a the action was happenig and it was not finished. In sentence the action had already happened.
1. a. I read from 10 p.m. to 11. p. m. b I was reading from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.

2a When we arrived she made some fresh coffee. b. When we arrived she was making some fresh coffee.
In sentence a she made the coffe after the arrival. In sentence b she was allredy making cofffe when they
arrived.
3.a The old man died. b. The old man was dying.
In sentence a the action is completed. In sentence b the he action was happenig and it was not yet finished.
4.a You have forgotten the moral arguments. b. You are forgetting the moral arguments.
In sentence a the action is in the past and it I completed while in b the action is happening in the present.
5.a. He is a fool. b. He is being a fool.
In sentene a the person is caharaterized as always being a fool while in b the charachterization is limited to
that particular time.
6.a. Have you had lunch yet? b. Have you already had lunch?
In sentence a
7. a. Have you had breakfast this morning? b. Did you have breakfast this morning?

8.a. I will wait till 5 o’clock. b. I will have written the essay by 5 o’clock. c. I will have written the essay by the
time he returns.

9. A man and a woman were passing by; the man suddenly turned round and threatened me; he said I had
no right…

10.a. Who’s been eating my dinner? b. Who’s eaten my dinner?

In sentence a the action has been happening for a time while and is still happening in sentence b is an only
ocassion which happened.
11.a. They’ve been widening the road. b. They have widened the road.
In sentece a the action has been happenig for a period of time and is still happening while in sentence b the
action is presented as already finished.
12.a. The beauty contest was taking place the next day. b. The beauty contest was going to take place the
next day. c. She said the beauty context would take place the next day.

13.a. He was rich when he was young. b. He used to be rich when he was young.
In sentece a the action is in the past with no relaion to the pesent while in sentence b the action is in the past
and is related to the present in the sense that he is no longer rich.
14.a. She’s going to have twins. b. She’s going to ask for a caesarean operation.

II. Translate:
1. De obicei se scoală la 7, dar saptamîna aceasta se scoală pe la 9 deoarece este in vacanţă.
He usually wakes up at 7, but this week he wakes up at 9 since he on vacation.
2. Nu am chef să ies in oraş in seara asta.. Am lucrat în gradină toata ziua.
I am not in the mood to go out tonight. I worked in the garden all day.
3. Cărţile astea zac pe podeaua camerei tale de ani de zile.
These books lie on the floor of your room for years.
4. Sunt tare obosită. Am gătit toată dimineaţa.
I am very tired. I have been cooking all morning.
5. Am gătit mai multe feluri de mîncare în dimineaţa aceasta şi, iată, mai am timp şi pentru un duş.

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R.ALBU, Natural/Logical/Semantic Categories vs. Grammatical Categories: Predication. Tense/Aspect

I cooked many types of food this moning and look, I aslo have time for a shower
6. Peste trei luni se împlinesc zece ani de cînd lucrez aici.
After three months there will be ten years since I have been working here.
7. Până mi-a venit rîndul, mi-am umplut coşul cu tot ce-mi trebuia: ulei, oţet, griş, migdale, curmale,
stafide...
Till my turn came, I filled my shopping cart wih all that I needed: oil, vinegar, semolina, almonds,
dates, rasins.
8. În prezent citesc o biografie. E a treia biografie pe care o citesc luna aceasta.
I am currently reading a biography. It is the thrid biography that I am reading this month.
9. Nu pleca de acasa pînă nu-ţi speli faţa.
Don’t leave home without washing your face.
10. Era 6 după-amiază; Jack era obosit pentru că a lucrat din greu toată ziua.. Era şi flămînd pentru că n-a
avut nimic de mîncare de la micul dejun. De obicei nevastă-sa îi aducea nişte sandvişuri la ora prînzului,
dar în ziua aceea, dintr-un motiv sau altul, n-a venit.

It was 6 P.M; Jack was tired because he had worked hard all day. He was also hungry because he
didn;t have anything for breakfast. Usually his wife brought him some sandwiches at luch, but on that
day, for one reason or another, she hadn’t come.
11. Sper că vor repara drumul pînă ne vom întoarce vara viitoare.
I hope that the roads will have been repaired till we come back next summer.
12. "Cum îţi place noua ta slujbă?" "Abia am început, aşa încît nu prea pot spune. Cînd voi fi lucrat două
săptămîni, am să te anunţ."
«How do you like your new job?» « I just started, so I can’t say too mch yet. When I will have worked
two weeks, I’ll let you know»

13. Spălătorul de geamuri era de fapt unul din membrii unei bande de spărgători de seifuri. Spera că în timp
ce va spăla geamurile - sau va pretinde că le spală - va putea să arunce o privire la seif.
The window cleaner was in fact one of the members of a band of safe crackers. He hoped that while
washing the windows – or pretend to be washing them – he might have a look in the safe.
14. Obişnuia să-şi ia o zi liberă pe săptămînă; în ziua aceea se scula devreme, lua micul dejun în grabă şi
se ducea la rîu.
He used to take a day off per week; in that day he woke up earlier, took his breakfast in a hurry and
went to the river.
15. Cînd te muţi in casa nouă?
When do you move into the new house?
16. Vei veni devreme acasă diseară?
Will you come home early tonight?

Remarks on “The Sequence of Tenses”

Basic Rule I:
PRESENT + ANY TENSE

Basic Rule II:

PAST + PAST

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R.ALBU, Natural/Logical/Semantic Categories vs. Grammatical Categories: Predication. Tense/Aspect

Basic Rule III:

DO NOT USE shall, should, will, would
in subordinate clauses of time and condition

To discus: What exceptions to rules II and III can you find?

‘The Present Sphere’

Main Clause Subordinate Clause
I know that he is in Iaşi.
I have heard that he has been in Iaşi for three days.
She will soon find out that he had been in Iaşi before getting married.
Tell her that he will soon be in Iaşi.
that in two months’ time he will have completed his training.

“The Past Sphere”

PAST PERFECT SIMPLE PAST

Jack had spent two hours on the problem when
he gave up. (The sequence of events is reflected in
the verb tenses. The first event is expressed in the
past perfect.)
Jack spent two hours on the problem before he
gave up. (The sequence of events is expressed by
the use of the time word before. The past perfect
can be used optionally: Jack had spent two hours
on the problem before he gave up.)

CONDITIONAL SENTENCES
Main Clause Conditional Clause
Sentence Type I (ST I) PRESENT /FUTURE PRESENT (including PRESENT
IMPERATIVE PERFECT for prior actions)
Sentence Type II (ST II) PRESENT CONDITIONAL PAST
Sentence Type III (ST III) PAST CONDIOTIONAL PAST PERFECT

Clauses of Purpose (Final Clauses)

Main Clause Connective Subordinate Clause of Purpose

so that (the commonest) will/can (common) /may(formal)/
PRESENT shall(rare) + INFINITIVE
PRESENT PERFECT in order that (formal) may(formal)/shall(rare) + INFINITIVE
FUTURE that (rare)
IMPERATIVE in case (informal) PRESENT TENSE or
should + INFINITIVE (less usual)
so that would/could/might/should + INFINITIVE
PAST TENSE in case PAST TENSE or
PAST PERFECT should + INFINITIVE
lest (formal) should + INFINITIVE