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CG24 Syntax 3

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26 views22 pages

CG24 Syntax 3

Handout

Uploaded by

Maria Carballo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Gramática Contrastiva

Syntax 3
Test: Monday, March 18, 7pm
E16A3 / E16A6
present perfect

I’ve cut my finger. (relevance for the present time)


Me he cortado el dedo.

¿Qué has hecho hoy?


What did you do today?

Did you wash your hands? / Have you washed your hands?

BrE: I’ve just seen your sister on her way to work.


AmE: I just saw your sister on her way to work.

My business has been in operation for a year.


Mi empresa lleva en funcionamiento un año.

I have studied English for six years. (continuative)


Estudio inglés desde hace seis años. Llevo 6 años…
past perfect

past perfect
past before a past

When I had sorted that out, I shrugged.


He said he had heard strange noises.

x ----------- past
past progressive

While I was writing, the phone rang.

He read a book that evening.


He was reading a book that evening.

Spanish:

The woman was drowning in the lake.


The woman drowned in the lake.

Spanish:
future time expression

The ship leaves tomorrow. (planned event: usage of present)


The ship is going to leave. (immediate future: be going to Sp. ir a)
The ship will leave. (general future)

Future is expressed periphrastically, or with modal verbs in English. It is a


verbal tense in Spanish, not in English.
will: future?

She will be twenty tomorrow (future)


The concert will be over by now. ('prediction')

(The doorbell rings). That will be Peter. (speech time)


Ice will melt at room temperature. (timeless)
They'll gossip for hours. (habitual)
Mood. indicative vs subjunctive

Siento que hace demasiado calor.


Siento que haga calor.

Nos dijo que trabajábamos muy bien.


Nos dijo que trabajáramos muy bien.
Mood. Spanish

factual (indicative)
speaker views the situation as certain, experienced, or neuter.

virtual (subjuntive or conditional)


speaker views the situation as hypothetical, not experienced
Mood: subjunctive in English

present (bare infinitive)


God save the Queen
you should continue though the process be slow
…so that they be independent
the leftovers, if there be any

past (=past tense)


if he came
I’d rather he came
I wish…

I insist that every student be on time. (Am. E)


I insist that every student should be on time. (Br.E)
modality

It is raining. (assertive)

It may be raining. (likelihood)


It can 't be raining.
It must be raining.
Modality. Modal verbs

What is the meaning of modal verbs?

They may be away for the weekend.


That could be your mother.
It must be past midnight.

You may leave now.


I could speak Greek when I was young.
You must go to bed at once.
Modality. Modal verbs

They may be away for the weekend. (‘It is possible that they are . . .’)
That could be your mother. (‘It is possible that it is . . .’)
It must be past midnight. (‘It is certainly the case that it is . . .’)

You may leave now. (‘I give you permission to . . .’)


I could speak Greek when I was young. (‘I knew how to . . .’)
You must go to bed at once. (‘I require you to . . .’)
Modality. Modal verbs

1. EPISTEMIC
Judgement whether an event was, is, or will be likely to happen

They may be away for the weekend. (‘It is possible that they are . . .’)
That could be your mother. (‘It is possible that it is . . .’)
It must be past midnight. (‘It is certainly the case that it is . . .’)

2. Human control over events, such as is involved in permission, intention,


ability, or obligation:

You may leave now. (‘I give you permission to . . .’)


I could speak Greek when I was young. (‘I knew how to . . .’)
You must go to bed at once. (‘I require you to . . .’)
modality: epistemic scale

He'll be there by now.


certainty
He must be there by now.
He's bound to be there.
He has to be there by now.
He's likely to be there.
probability He should be there by now.
He could be there by now.
He might be there by now.
He may be there by now.
possibility
non-epistemic/deontic (obligation)
must/deber; may/poder

He must have left by now. (epistemic)


Debe (de) haberse ido ya.

You must leave now. (obligation)


Debes marcharte ahora.

You may go -- Puedes irte.


I may be late. --Puede que llegue tarde.
epistemic can & may

The road may be blocked.


may: factual possibility
La carretara puede estar cortada.

The road can be blocked.


can: theoretical possibility
La carretera puede ser cortada.
non-epistemic

permission (discourse oriented modality)

I must leave now, the rest of you can stay.


Can/may I smoke in here?

Tengo que irme ahora, los demás podéis quedaros.


¿Puedo fumar aquí?
modal verbs: root meaning

ability: can, could


he can speak English
from Old English cunnan (know)
but:
I can hear footsteps (right now)

volition: will, would


will you have another cup of coffee?
will you open the window?

from Old English willan (‘want’, like German will)


Explain the uses of the tenses or modal verbs.

Sam will be home by now.


Sam will be home by tomorrow.

I told Peter that he must get the report in on time.


I think that Peter must have gotten the report in on time.

Sam will arrive at 3 am.


That will be Sam at the door.

I complained bitterly but they didn’t give me any reason for their decision
I complained bitterly but they couldn’t give me any reason for their decision
I complained bitterly but they wouldn’t give me any reason for their decision.
Word order: SVO

Several men came.


The lion killed a person.
I sent my friend a copy.
Few students came into the classroom today.

BUT:
There are three of them (existential there)
Am I ever bored! (emphatic statement)
“Ha, ha” said the clown (direct quotation)

La maestra vino.
Vino la maestra.
voice

They gave him the box on Friday. Le entregaron la caja el viernes.

The box was given to him on Friday. !La caja le fue entregada el viernes.

He was given the book on Friday. *Él fue entregado la caja el viernes.
Se le entregó la caja el viernes.
A él, le entregaron la caja el viernes.
passive be + past participle

a. This violin was made by my father.

b. This conclusion is hardly justified by the results.


SPANISH
c. Coal has been replaced by oil.
ser + pp (pasiva) / se
d. This difficulty can be avoided in several ways.

------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------

e. We are encouraged to go on with the project.


estar / se
f. Leonard was interested in linguistics.

g. The building is already demolished.

h. The modern world is getting more highly industrialized.

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