A Dictionary of Cont..

present tense 390
and can be used in narrative. This is not true in
English. The English present perfect is a retrospective
present. It makes a statement about a
present situation which is seen as the result of
past events. We may say I have been to New
York because we see this as a present fact. We
cannot say George Washington has been to New
York because his actions do not extend to the
present. Similarly, we may say England has had
able rulers but we cannot say Assyria has had
able rulers.
Languages which use the present perfect aa a
past tense form frequently use the simple present
to express completed action. In German, for
example, it is possible to say we are here two
hours already. This construction is also heard in
English in the United States but it is not considered
standard. The English simple present or
progressive present cannot be used in speaking
of a period of time that is closed in the present.
This requires a present perfect form and we
must say, for example, we have been here two
hours already.
The present perfect also has a progressive
form. Here have or has is followed by been (the
past participle of to be), which in turn is followed
by the -ing form of the meaningful verb,
as in he has been studying for years. This form
has the same time meaning as the present perfect,
he has studied for years, but speaks of the
completed action as continued over a time. It is
sometimes more vivid than the present perfect
and suggests more strongly that the action may
be continuing into the future. This form of the
verb is often used in speaking of a completed
action that is repeated or habitual, as in he has
been going to New York for years. Here what is
continuing, possibly into the future, is the custom
of going to New York. When the simple
present is used to express habitual action, the
action is treated abstractly, almost as a theoretical
matter. When the progressive present perfect
is used, the action is concrete, a solid, established
fact.
Each of the forms that have been discussed
may also be expressed in the passive voice.
(See passive voice.) In addition, there is a present
subjunctive form that is like the simple
present but does not add s in the third person
singular, (See subjunctive mode.) An idea that
would normally be expressed by a present tense
verb is expressed as a past tense in a subordinate
clause that is dependent on a past tense verb.
(See tense shifts.)
The present tenses are often used in speaking
of the future. With verbs of motion this may be
the simple present, as in the bout sails tomorrow,
he arrives Wednesday. With other verbs it is
more likely to be the progressive form, as in we
are having guests next Friday and he is speaking
on the radio tomorrow evening. This use of the
present tense is standard English and always has
been. In fact, English has no way of expressing
the future that is not based on a present tense
verb. In current English a simple present (or a
present perfect) verb is required in conditional
clauses and in clauses of time that are part of a
statement about the future, as in Z will let you
know if he comes and I will let you know as soon
us he comes. See future tense.
The present tense may be used in speaking
about the past, but only with a sort of literary
license. We often treat important contributions
to knowledge made in the past as timeless and
belonging to the present, and say Plato teaches
or Herodotus says. This is always acceptable.
Occasionally we use a present tense in describing
a past event in order to make the action
more vivid. This is called the historical present,
or the dramatic present. It is acceptable when
what is being told is really extraordinary, as in
I opened the bathroom door, and what do I see
but (I camel! It is not acceptable when used to
dramatize a conversation that is not dramatic,
as in He looked at her and he says, “Why not?”
“Why not, indeed!” says she. As in the examples
given, the historic present is frequently used in
sentences that also contain a past tense verb.
This mixing of tenses is not a characteristic of
nonstandard speech. It is also found in the works
of great writers who have used the historic
present.
present writer is a mock-modest variation on 1.
It might be called a symptom of the John-Alden
syndrome. If one is speaking for himself, he
should speak for himself.
preserve in American usage describes a tract of
public land set apart for any one of a number of
special purposes. The forest preserves around
Chicago, for example, are public pleasure
grounds, with trails for hiking, bridle paths for
horseback riding, and many picnic grounds and
camping sites. In England preserve especially
means a place set apart for the protection and
propagation of game or fish for sport (There are
huge game preserves in Kenya).
president; presidency. A president is a presiding
officer. He may be elected or appointed. The
office is the presidency. Hence a man is, properly,
a candidate for the presidency, not “for
president.” In the United States the President is
the chief executive officer of the republic, the
holder of the highest office in the land and, when
it refers to him, the word is always capitalized.
Most American universities designate their
chief officer president, but there has been a tendency
among some of these great ones to exalt
themselves to loftier heights as chancellors and
regents and to hand down the presidency to their
next in command. In nothing does the principle
of Gresham’s Law work more vigorously than
in titles, as consul, captain, duke, and a host of
other faded splendors can attest, and we may
live to see the term president bestowed in our
universities upon janitors or professors.
press. When this verb means urge it may be followed
by an infinitive, as in we pressed him to
come, but not by the -ing form of a verb or by a
clause.
presume. See assume.
presumption. See assumption.
presumptive; presumptuous. Presumption is the
act of presuming, taking for granted. Presumptive
and presumptuous, formerly synonymous,