Search results for 'tag:Present progressive tag:Idioms' matching tags 'Present progressive' and 'Idioms'

Re: choice of tense

CalifJim — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 18:15:34 GMT

The present tenses (present (simple) and present progressive) can express future time in English, not just the will form. The idiom going to also expresses future time.

She [plays / is playing / will play / is going to play] on Saturday.

All can be used for future time.

If the main clause is in the future or the imperative, a secondary clause of time (by the time, as soon as, ...) is in the present or present perfect. If the present is used, we're looking at it from a forward point of view, from now until that future point in time. It has the sense of waiting. If the present perfect is used, we're looking at it from a backward point of view. From that future point in time, it will already have happened.

The present perfect seems to me to be used more in cases of completion of a task or a trajectory (finish, arrive). It is also less used in general than the simple present in that context.

Don't forget to give me your phone number before you [go / ?have gone]. (not completion of a task)
Don't you dare leave the house before you [do / have done] your homework. (completion of a task)
When you [see / ?have seen] me, you will recognize me. (not completion of a task)
I'll let you know once I [confirm / have confirmed] the reservations. (completion of a task)
When you [know / *have known] the answer, please tell me, too. (not completion of a task)
When he [fixes / has fixed] the television, I'll pay him, and not a minute sooner. (completion of a task)

CJ

Re: verb forms

CalifJim — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 07:24:52 GMT

The present progressive (are doing) is just one of several ways of referring to future time. The idiom going to with a verb is just another way of indicating the future. So the response is appropriate even though the exact structure is not repeated in the answer.

Yet, from the point of view of the main verbs (are doing, am going), the tenses really are the same. This is often more important than other considerations in determining what is meant by "the same verb form".

CJ

Re: Difference and/or similarity (syntactic relation)

lupa.pinheiro — Tue, 10 Aug 2004 12:53:07 GMT

Hi Jim,
no, I'm not asking you to do my homework. Yes, I have some tasks to work on and I got some questions about it. Because in my group we got some different answers for these sentences, then, how I trust the answers that I get from this forum I decided to check it.
In sentences 1 and 2 I found some ergative verbs (they can be used without a direct object).
In sentence 3 both verbs are in present progressive, or for a condition that is realized by a repetition of actions over a period of time that started sometime in the past and will continue for sometime in the past and will continue for sometime in the future.
4a. is a plan and 4b is simple past.
5a.is a habit that he has (talk a lot)
5b. we have an idiom here.
So, I was just trying to ckeck answers, because I'm not sure about them, I don't know if they are enough, or if there are some more information that I could add to it.
Thanks,
Lupa