Tense and Aspect - Single View

Please follow the "comment" link above for more information on comments, course readings, course requirements and grading.

Tense and Aspect are two grammatical categories that refer to the temporal representation of events in language. While Tense "locates" an event in time (past/present/future), Aspect provides information on its internal temporal structure (e.g. the difference between `he was reading` and `he read` is aspectual). In English their interaction is realized in a number of tense-aspect forms. But the ambivalent character of such forms presents one of the most difficult areas for ESL students. This course provides a general outlook on how the linguistic encoding of time has been accounted for in linguistic theory and aims at a thorough understanding of the tense-aspect system of English in particular. The knowledge gained from the course can also be applicable for a didactic Grammar of English. 

The course starts at 10.00 sharp!

- reading and assignments in time as well as active contribution to in-class discussions

- group work project