A new point of view of "Tense"???

Question

Hi guys, I've heard of a new point of view of the term "tense". Some people say there're only 2 kinds of tenses in modern English grammar: Present and past tense. It's something odd to me because I've been taught that there're 12 tenses in English (Present simple, Present continuous, Present perfect and so on). So can anyone explain this to me? Or if you have any document or article on this issue, please post them here. Thank you very much!!

Abbie1948 · Accepted Answer

There are those who say that there are no tenses in English, only "aspects". I would support the view that there are 2, present and simple past. This is however not a very significant point for a learner, and I doubt that many teachers really worry about the niceties of it!

Pieanne · Answer

I agree with you, Abbie...
When I try to teach some English into French heads, I always say "first of all, you've got to imagine you're a film director and see what kind of spotlight you want to cast on what parrticular event". In English, it's all "aspects".

MrPedantic · Answer

I suppose the distinction is between those tenses which are 'simple' (i.e. have distinct forms – simple past and simple present) and those that are compound (i.e. are formed with auxiliary verbs – all the other 'tenses').

MrP

Abbie1948 · Answer

Just so, Mr. P.

MrPedantic · Answer

Welcome to English Forums, by the way, Abbie!

I don't believe our paths have crossed before, but I enjoy reading your posts.

MrP

CalifJim · Answer

Very true, Aeolus29. There are only two tense inflections in English - the "s" for the present (only for third person singular), and the "ed" for the past. In this sense there are only two tenses. All the other verbal machinery of English depends on combining auxiliaries and/or modals with the so-called non-finite forms in 'ing' or 'en', all the variants of which many linguists consider aspects. So all these other "tenses" not generated through inflections are sometimes called "analytic tenses" and "analytic modalities". ("Analytic" here means capable of being separated into full word components rather than parts of words.)
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Another way of looking at it is that there are only two "points of view" in the English verb system: the present and the past.

To the present viewpoint belong present perfect ("have/has"), present (--(s)), and future of the present ("will"). [Here we can also add the future perfect of the present. ("will have").] The past as a 'non-perfect anterior' to the present can slip into the present viewpoint as well.

To the past viewpoint belong past perfect ("had"), past (--ed), and future of the past ("would"). [Here we can also add the future perfect of the past ("would have").] The 'past perfect' (strictly speaking, the "had" construction) as a 'non-perfect anterior' to the past can slip into the past viewpoint as well.

The two viewpoints are populated by parallel analytic tenses, as you can see. Much of the English grammar of the verb depends on shifts between the two parallel systems of tenses, especially the backshift from present to past. These processes do not always deal with relations in time, however. They are also used in more general ways to suggest, for example, factual 'proximity' or 'remoteness', corresponding to present and past, but having nothing to do with real time!

CJ

MrPedantic · Answer

Thanks, Jim, nice summary!

MrP

Abbie1948 · Answer

Thank you, Mr. P. I enjoy the forum and the mental challenge of trying to respond!

MrPedantic · Answer

That's exactly how I see it. It shines a torch into some surprising corners, doesn't it?

MrP

Abbie1948 · Answer

It certainly does for me! Learning all the time - but happy to share anything I might know.

A new point of view of "Tense"???

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