Cambridge Grammar of English Hardback with cd-rom a comprehensive Guide

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539 Glossary for any unfamiliar terms

Past time | 613

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With time adjuncts

The time-frame may be indicated explicitly by an adjunct indicating ‘time-up-to-

now’. Such expressions include:

During the last 20 years

there 

has been a big change from wooden to plastic

window frames in many houses.

We 

have

quite recently

made some important structural changes to our

Editorial Department.

I know I

’ve lost a lot of weight 

this week

.

To date

, the families of at least 900 of these children 

have been found.

With no time adjunct

The time-frame may be implied or understood, without any explicit time adjunct:

Local authorities 

have warned that they will be forced to sack teachers if the

Government refuses to fund next year’s pay settlement.

(understood: during recent days/weeks, during the time of the present

debate/crisis)

I

’ve been working and am working at Amsterdam University, on several

projects.

(understood: from some point in the past, up to and including now)

Have you phoned your sister? 

(from the point when you said you were going to do it up to this moment in

time; if the speaker had said ‘Did you phone your sister?’, there is a greater

expectation from the speaker that the phone call should have taken place or

did take place)

✪

The first time

Note that the expression this is the first time … when referring to an immediate

event is normally used with the present perfect, not the present simple or

progressive:

[one passenger to another during a flight]

Is this 

the first time you’ve flown on British Airways?

(Is this the first time you fly on British Airways?)

‘Is this the first time you’re flying on British Airways?’ is likely to be heard as

a reference to the future, i.e. ‘You’ve bought a British Airways ticket; will it

be your first flight with them?’

before

during/in the last x minutes/hours/

weeks/years/

etc.

in my life

lately

over the last x months/years

recently

so far

this week/month/year/century

to date

today

up to/till/until now

614 | Past time

Cambridge Grammar of English

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