Progressive (Continuous) Aspect

Галицкая С. Ю., Дружинин А. С.

CONTINUOUS ASPECT: REFERENCE AND PRACTICE

Учебно – методическая разработка

Владимир 2009

ББК 81.432.1

УДК 43

Галицкая, С. Ю. Continuous aspect: reference and practice: учебно – методическая разработка / С. Ю. Галицкая, А. С. Дружинин. – Владимир: ВГГУ, 2009. – 49 с.

В учебно-методической разработке представлено систематизированное теоретическое обоснование и подробное объяснение значений четырех форм Continuous (Present, Present Perfect, Past, Future) с учетом предполагаемых сложностей, которые могут возникнуть при изучении данного грамматического правила, проводится сравнение и сопоставление параллельных случаев употребления некоторых времен, таких как Future Continuous и Present Continuous, Present Perfect Continuous и Past Continuous, рассматриваются факторы, определяющие выбор между формами Continuous и Indefinite, Perfect и Perfect Continuous. Каждый раздел снабжен рядом тренировочных упражнений и контрольных тестов разнообразного характера и уровня сложности, составленных на основе авторитетных словарных источников и учебной литературы. В разработку также включены приложения, представляющие собой справочную информацию по правилам орфографии Participle I и список некоторых окказиональных случаев употребления изучаемых временных форм с примерами и переводом.

Предлагаемый материал адресован студентам I-III курсов факультета иностранных языков англо-немецкого отделения и может быть использован в широкой практике преподавания и самостоятельного изучения английского языка с целью повышения общего уровня владения английской грамматикой до продвинутого уровня.

	доктор фил. Наук, проф. Кафедры английского языка ГОУ ВПО «ВГГУ» Левина Т. В.

Ответственный за выпуск:

	канд. пед. наук, доцент кафедры методики преподавания иностранных языков ГОУ «ВГГУ» Максимова О.А.   канд. пед. наук, доцент кафедры профессиональной языковой подготовки ВЮИ ФСИН России Романова Е.Н.

Рецензенты:

Печатается по решению редакционно-издательского совета ВГГУ

© Владимирский государственный гуманитарный университет, 2009

INTRODUCTION

Progressive (Continuous) Aspect

With progressive aspect, the focus is principally on the duration of the event. It may therefore be used to indicate that something is ongoing, unfinished or that it is extended but temporary. It may indicate that something is/was/will be already in progress when something else happens/happened. In other words, the focus is not on the starting or the finishing point of an event, but on the event as seen from its centre. Examples are given below.

Progressive aspect involves the use of auxiliary be and the ing form of a lexical verb.

1. [on the telephone] It’s about half past two and I’m approachingLyon.	present progressive	an ongoing process at the moment of speaking
2. He has been doing some research for an MP for about a year.	present perfect progressive	continuing from a year ago till now and possibly into the future
3. My knees were shaking.	past progressive	an ongoing process at the point in the past the speaker is referring to
4. This had been going on since September.	past perfect progressive	continuing from September till the moment in the past the speaker is talking about
5. I’ll be workingwhen you get home.	future progressive	will be an ongoing process at the point in the future the speaker is referring to
6. We’ll have been livingtwelve years soon.	future perfect progressive	will continue from twelve years before till the moment in the future referred to by ‘soon’
7. It must have been goingon for years.	modal perfect progressive	an ongoing process probably occurring over a period of time leading up to now or up to a point in the past

Some of the sentences in the table above are better understood in contrast with their possible meanings of their simple form equivalents:

2. He has done some research …this sees the action more as a completed event, and could mean – though not necessarily – the action is finished

3. My knees shook. – This could mean the knees shook for a defined period of time (a few seconds, e.g.) then stopped.

6. I’ll work when you get home. – This could mean ‘I’ll start work when you get home’.

(FromCarter, R. Cambridge Grammar of English / R. Carter, M. McCarty. – Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.)

§ 1. The Present Continuous

§ 1.1.

• The Present Continuous denotes actions going on at the moment of speaking and situations developing or changing over a period of present time. At this very moment the fact that such actions continue is important.

Look, how happily they are playing!

We are doing a lot of driving these days.

Such adverbials and adverbs as at the moment, (right) now, still, these days, at present, day by day, with every passing day and the comparative degree of adjectives or adverbsmay be used.

He is still doing his homework.

Prices are rising higher and higher.

• The Present Indefinite denotes actions of the same characteristic with certain verbs that are not used in progressive (all the deficient modal verbs, link verbs, verbs of general sense perception, emotional state and mental ability).

Note 1. However, it should be kept in mind that the restriction of usage of one or another verb does not often relate to the whole number of meanings it may express.

Verb	Indefinite	Continuous
to be	•Used as a linking verb. The children are usually quiet. Дети обычно спокойные.	•To behave, to act. The children are being very quiet. Что-то дети приутихли.
to have	• To own, possess. China has a large population. В Китае большое население.	•To do. He is having a bath. Он принимает ванну.
to smell	•To have a particular smell. She smells of garlic. От нее пахнет чесноком. •To notice or recognize a particular smel l. Do you smell something burning? Чувствуете, пахнет гарью?	•To put your nose near something in order to discover what kind of smell it has. I am smelling the flowers. Я нюхаю цветы.
to taste	• To have a particular kind of taste. The milk tastes sour. Это молоко прокисло. • To experience or recognize the taste of food or drink. Do (can) you taste the ginger in this cake? Чувствуете вкус имбиря в этом торте? ^[16]	• To eat or drink a small amount of something to see what it is like “Stop eating the cake”. “I’m just tasting if it is OK”. – Хватит есть торт. – Я просто пробую, какой он. ^[11]
to weigh	To have a particular weight. He weighs 67 kg. Он весит 67 кг. ^[1]	To use a machine to discover how much something or someone weighs. I am weighing myself. Я взвешиваюсь. ^[1]
to measure	To be a particular size, length, or amount. The room measures 6x6 metres.^[10] Площадь комнаты 36 кв. м. / Комната 6 метров в длину и 6 метров в ширину.	To find the size, length, or amount of something. Now I am measuring the room.^[1] Сейчас я измеряю комнату.
to feel	•To notice something that is happening to you. I feel myself blushing. Чувствую, что краснею. ^[11] • To give you a particular physical feeling, especially when you touch or hold something. The clothes still feel slightly damp. Одежда еще сырая на ощупь. ^[16] • To have a particular opinion. Liz's parents feel she isn't old enough to leave home. Родители Лизы полагают, что она не повзрослела настолько, чтобы уехать из дома. ^[9,15]	•To touch something with your fingers to find out about it. The doctor is feeling the boy’s arm to see whether the bone was broken. Врач ощупывает руку мальчика, чтобы определить, сломана ли кость. ^[16] • To experience a particular physical feeling or emotion* ^(see Note2). You can never tell what he is feeling. Никогда не знаешь, что у него на душе. ^[8,15]
to look	• To have a particular appearance*. How do I look?^[11] Как я выгляжу?	• To turn your eyes towards something, so that you can see it. Don’t be afraid, she is not looking. Не бойся, она не смотрит. ^[9,15] • To seem*. The future’s looking good^[9]. Будущее кажется неплохим.
to hear	• To know that a sound is being made, using your ears. Old Zeke doesn't hear too well any more. У старика Зика уже не такой острый слух. ^[16] • To listen to. Do you hear someone moving about in the next room? Слышите, кто-то ходит в соседней комнате? ^[16] • To be told or find out a piece of information. I hear you're moving to Toronto. Слышал, ты переезжаешь в Торонто. ^[15]	• To listen to and judge a case in court. Which judge is hearing the case? Какой судья разбирает (слушает) это дело? ^[16] • To imagine you can hear a sound when really there is no sound. I don’t think I am hearing things. Не думаю, что мне послышалось. ^[9]
to see	• To notice or examine someone or something, using your eyes. Do you see the green bird near the stream?^[16] Видите зеленую птичку у ручья? • To be able to use your eyes to look at things. Dad doesn’t see as well as he used to. У папы зрение не такое острое, как раньше. ^[8, 10, 15] • To understand. I see what you mean. Понятно, что вы имеете в виду. • To make sure or check that something is done. The hotel's owners see to it that their guests are given every luxury. Владельцы гостиницы заботятся о том, чтобы их гостям предоставлялась вся роскошь. ^[9,15]	• To watch a television programme, play, film etc What film are you seeing?^[11] Что за фильм вы смотрите? • To spend time with somebody (often used in progressive) Are you seeing anyone? Ты с кем-нибудь встречаешься? ^[2,9] • To imagine that you see someone or something which is not really there. There is no one here, you are (must be) seeing things. Здесь нет никого, тебе чудится. ^[10] • To meet with. She is seeing a client at the moment. ^[3] Сейчас она на встрече с клиентом.
to know	•To have information, experience; to be sure, to be familiar. I don’t know him very well.^[9, 10] Я его знаю не очень хорошо.	•To recognize. I feel I am knowing the city for the first time. Я чувствую, что впервые узнаю этот город. ^[11]
to consider, to think	•To have an opinion. I consider it necessary to inform him. I think it is necessary to inform him.	•To use your mind to decide something. I am still considering your request. Я все еще рассматриваю вашу заявку. ^[10,15] Wait a minute, I am thinking. Подожди минуту, я думаю.
to appear	•To seem, to give an impression. He appears to be working. Кажется, он работает.	•To take part in a film, play, etc. The opera singer is appearing on stage tonight. Сегодня на сцене споет оперная певица. ^[3]
to expect	•To think something is probably true. ‘Will you be late?’ ‘I expect so’.^[10] – Ты будешь поздно? –Наверное. • To demand that someone does something because it is a duty or seems reasonable. The school expects a lot of its students.^[10] Школа возлагает большие надежды на своих учеников.	•To be waiting for somebody to arrive ( often used in progressive tenses). Are you expecting visitors? Ты ждешь посетителей? ^[10,15] • To think that something will happen because it seems likely or has been planned. We are expecting a rise in food prices this month.^[10] Мы ожидаем рост цен на продукты в этом месяце.
to fit	•To be the right size, shape. The key fits the lock.^[15] Ключ точно подходит к замку.	•To put or fix something somewhere. My car is in the garage today. They are fitting new brakes.^[7] Моя машина сегодня в гараже. В нее устанавливают новые тормоза.
to imagine	•To think that something is true or may happen, but without being sure or having proof. A very complicated subject, I imagine. Очень сложная тема, я считаю (мне представляется). ^[16]	•To have a false or wrong idea about something. There is nobody here, you’re imagining things. Здесь нет никого, тебе чудится. ^[16]

Note 2. The verbs to feel and to look can be used in certain meanings in either tense when a continuous action is in question. These meanings are marked above by the symbol “*” (e.g. I think Reg is looking very tired ^[8]; How are you feeling today?^[10]). Other verbs of this type to be considered are the following:

a) to sound used in progressive when the question is about the upcoming changes:

The car sounds/is sounding a bit rough these days.

b) to love and to like used in progressive in the meaning ‘to enjoy’ when talking about specific actions:

How are you liking your new job? ^[16]

Jean’s with us at the moment. The children are loving having her here. ^[3]

c) to itch used often in progressive when the question is about living things:

My hands are itching terribly^[9].

My label on this shirt itches me^[9].

Note 3. All the verbs of mental and emotional state generally not used in progressive can be found in the continuous form when the ideas they express are to be emphasized (often it is connected with the difference in style – see §1.3) or they indicate a developing process:

I am understanding things better now as I started going to the lectures.^[3]

What is he wanting this time, I wonder?^[16]

Чего же он хочет (ему понадобилось) на этот раз, интересно?

• The Present Indefinite denotes actions going on at or around the moment of speaking

with certain the verbs that due to their semantic peculiarities express prolongation: to continue; to last; to keep (on) doing smth; to progress (продолжаться); to go on (продолжать).

Now I continue it.

She keeps crying.

Daddy, he keeps on hitting me! ^[8]

I go on with the dynamite none the less^{[B. Shaw]}.

Note. The verb to miss is rarely used in the Present Progressive due to its semantic peculiarities:

I miss the car really, but the bus system is good^[8].

I miss you so much!

• The Present Indefinite denotes actions going on at the moment of speaking in certain constructions:

1) in exclamatorysentences after here, there ^[16] :

Here (there) he comes!

Here comes the bus!

Here you go! Вот, бери!

There you go! Вот, возьмите!

Here goes! Приступим! Начнем!

Here we go! Начинается!

2) inspecial questions beginning with who andending in here, there ^[16] :

Who comes there? Who goes here?

3) in why don’t/doesn’t - questions when it is unnecessary to accentuate the actual progress of the action by the continuous form (the situation is well-known). Compare:

Why don’t you play? (someone has just stopped playing and the speaker asks him why; ‘Why aren’t you playing?’ would sound excessive);

Why don’t you play golf? (=in general, like ‘why don’t you like to play golf?’);

Why aren’t you playing golf? (someone is supposed to be playing golf at the moment of speech but he is busy with something different, and the speaker asks him why).

Exercises

---

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16