The Category of Time Correlation (Retrospective Coordination)

It is constituted by the opposition of the perfect forms of the verb to the non-perfect. The idea and tire meaning of the perfect form have been the matter of close consideration for centuries: in many grammars it was treated as:

- a tense form;

- a relative (secondary) tense.

A. I. Smirnitsky was the first who identified the opposition perfect/non-perfect as a category and gave it its name. The functional contact of it was defined as priority expressed by the perfect forms in tire present, past and future contrasted against the non-expression of priority by the non-perfect forms.

Now there are 3 main points of view on the perfect form:

- it's a relative (secondary) tense;

- a category of time correlation;

- it is an aspect.

The category of retrospective coordination is an independent category which is semantically intermediate between aspective and temporal. It interpreted the action in the light of priority and aspective transmission. The perfect form presents an action as prior to some other action and is the strong member of the opposition. The non-perfect form denotes either a simultaneous or a posterior action or even priority (I remember seeing you). In this case we speak of transposition and neutralization: “I have always thought that he lives in Florida. I hear that’s a good place ”.

This category is broadly represented in verbids. The perfect is used with verbids only when its categorial meaning is made prominent. Otherwise it can also be neutralized: She admitted stolen in the car. The infinitive is less liable to neutralization: He is said to have been ill two days ago. The perfect infinitive of notional verbs used with modal verbs may express several functions: priority and transmission; gradations of probability: He can ’t have been here yesterday, certainty: He can’t have been here.

Exercises:

1. Identify the meaning of the verbs in active and passive:

a) It’s a big company. It employs two hundred people.

b) Two hundred people are employed by the company.

c) Is this room cleaned every day?

d) A lot of money was stolen in the robbery.

2. Put the verb into the correct form, present simple or past simple, active or passive:

a) Water_______(cover) most of the Earth’s surface.

b) The park gates_____(lock) at 6.30 p.m. every evening.

c) The letter____(post) a week ago and it_____(arrive) yesterday.

d) The boat____(sink) quickly but fortunately everybody (rescue).

e) Why______(Sue / resign) from her job? Didn’t she enjoy it?

f) I saw an accident last night. Somebody_____(call) an ambulance but nobody_____(injure) so the ambulance_____(not / need).

3. When is it possible to make two passive sentences? Here is a list of verbs which can have, two objects: ask, offer, pay, show, teach, tell. When we use these verbs in the passive, most often we begin with the person:

You ’ll be given plenty of time to decide. Follow the pattern and make up your own sentences.

4. Use GET instead of BE where possible. Explain the choice of the auxiliary verb:

a) There was a fight at the party but nobody was hurt.

b) Pm not often invited to parties.

c) He was a nursery man. Nothing was known about him.

d) I’m surprised Ann wasn’t offered the job.

e) Jill is liked by everybody.

5. Replace the Infinitives in brackets by the correct forms of the verb:

Cinderella

When Cinderella heard about the ball, the king was giving to have the prince meet the prettiest girls in the country, she wished she (to be invited) so that she (may see) the prince. But naturally nobody thought of asking her.

On the night of the ball, after her stepsisters left all dressing up, she felt as if her heart (to be breaking).

"Oh, if I too (can go) to the ball!” she exclaimed.

"You shall go!" her godmother, a good fairy, said appearing in front of her. She raised her wand, and Cinderella found herself wearing a wonderful dress, which fitted as if it (to be made) for her, and the prettiest glass slippers.

The fairy raised her wand again, and the Cinderella saw a coach and a coachman draw up to tine door. Nobody (can guess) that the coachman was a fat rat and the coach - a pumpkin.

"Go," said the fairy. "And have a good time but be sure you leave before the clock strikes twelve."

Cinderella went to the party and had a rare good time. The moment the prince saw her, he fell in love with her and demanded that she (to dance) every dance with him. But for the fairy's warning Cinderella (to be) quite happy. As it was, she kept watching the clocks and ran out of the king's palace on the stroke of twelve losing one of her slippers as she ran.

At first the prince did not take her disappearance seriously. "It's not as if I (to lose) her for ever", he thought. But when he realized, that nobody knew who she was, he began to fear lest he (never to see) her again, and he grew very miserable.

"We think it highly advisable that the girl (to be found)", the king's advisers said.

"Otherwise the prince (never may marry)."

"And it's high time he (to do)," said the king. "I'm growing old, you know."

They made every girl in the country try on Cinderella's glass slipper so that they (may find) whom it fitted.

The fear that Cinderella (never to be found) proved groundless. She married the prince and was very happy.

Even her stepmother and stepsisters began to treat her as if they (to love) her greatly.