Microsoft Word Theoretical Course of English Grammar

participle by adding the inflectional suffix 
-ed
while irregular verbs form these forms indivi-
dually.
Stative and dynamic senses of verbs. There is a broad distinction between the stative and 
dynamic senses in which verbs are used to refer to situations. Verbs like 
be
, 
have
, and 
know
have stative senses when they refer to a single unbroken state of affairs: 
Verbs like 
drive
, 
speak
, and 
attack
have dynamic senses when they are used with the 
present perfect to refer to a sequence of separate events: 
I
have driven
sports cars for years.
A verb may shift in sense from one category to another. For example, 
have
is usually sta-
tive: 
She has two sisters
. But it has a dynamic sense when it is used as a phrasal verb: 
We have 
dinner at Maxim’s quite frequently
.
Dynamic verb senses can regularly occur with the imperative and progressive, whereas 
stative verbs cannot:
Learn how to swim.
∗
Know how to swim. 
I am learning to swim.
∗
I am knowing how to swim.
In general, only dynamic senses follow do in a pseudo-cleft sentences: 
What she did was to learn Spanish
. 
3
Future meaning is conveyed by various means, including the present tense. For instance: 
Tomorrow is 
Tuesday.

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Theoretical Course of English Grammar 
Script by prof. 
Nino Kirvalidze
44
∗
What she did was to know Spanish
. 
Simple present tense for present time 
There are three kinds of typical uses of the present simple tense in modern English: 
1.
 
The state present is used with stative verbs to refer to a single unbroken state of affairs 
that has existed in the past, exists now and is likely to continue to exist in the future. It includes 
the ‘timeless present’, which refers to ‘eternal truths’ such as 
Two and two make four
or to less 
extreme instances of timeliness, such as 
The British Isles have a temperate climate
. It also 
includes more restricted time: 
Margaret is tall. We live near Toronto. This soup tastes delicious.
2.
 
The habitual present is used with dynamic verbs to refer to events that repeatedly oc-
cur without limitation on their extension into the past or future. Like the state present, it 
includes the ‘timeless present’, such as 
The earth moves round the sun
or 
The sun rises in the 
East and sets in the West
, and more restricted time spans: 
We go to Brussels every year. She makes her own dresses. Bill drinks heavily. 
If the state present always refers to something that happens at the time of speaking, this is not 
often so for the habitual present: We can say 
Bill drinks heavily
when he is not actually 
drinking.
It is a sign of the habitual present that one can easily add a frequency adverbial (such as: 
often, usually, always, every year, etc.) to specify the frequency of the event.
3.
 
The instantaneous [instan’teinias] present is used with dynamic verbs to refer to a sin-
gle event with little or no duration that occurs at the time of speaking or writing. It is used only 
in such restricted situations as:
a)
commentaries like 
Black passes the ball to Fernandez; 
b)
self-commentaries like 
I enclose a form of application
;
c)
with performative verbs that refer to the speech acts performed by utter-
ing the sentences: 
I apologize for my behaviour; We thank you for your 
help.

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Theoretical Course of English Grammar 
Script by prof.