- •The verb
- •§ 1. The General Notion
- •§ 2. The Classification of Verbs
- •§ 3. The Grammatical Categories of the Verb
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Present Indefinite
- •§ 2. The Use of the Present Indefinite
- •In demonstrations, instructions, commentaries and itineraries.
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Present Continuous
- •§ 2. The Use of the Present Continuous
- •An action in progress
- •A temporary characteristic of a person
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Present Perfect
- •§ 2. The Use of the Present Perfect
- •A series of actions which have happened up to now and can be continued
- •An action completed before a definite moment in the future
- •An action which began in the past and is still in progress
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Present Perfect Continuous
- •§ 2. The Use of the Present Perfect Continuous
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Past Indefinite
- •§ 2. The Use of the Past Indefinite
- •An action performed in the past
- •A general characteristic of a person in the past
- •An action in progress at a definite moment in the past or a past state
- •A succession of past actions
- •A repeated action in the past
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Past Continuous
- •§ 2. The Use of the Past Continuous
- •An action in progress at a definite moment in the past
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Past Perfect
- •§ 2. The Use of the Past Perfect
- •An action completed before a definite moment in the past
- •An action prior to another past action
- •An action which began before a definite moment in the past, continued up to that moment and was still in progress at that moment
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Past Perfect Continuous
- •§ 2. The Use of the Past Perfect Continuous
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Future Indefinite
- •§ 2. The Use of the Future Indefinite
- •A future action or an official arrangement
- •A prediction based on our opinion or past experience
- •A polite inquiry
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Future Continuous
- •§ 2. The Use of the Future Continuous
- •An action in progress at a definite moment in the future
- •A fixed arrangement seen as a part of routine
- •An anticipated future action
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Future Perfect
- •§ 2. The Use of the Future Perfect
- •An action completed before a definite moment in the future
- •An action which begins before a definite moment in the future, will continue up to that moment and will still be in progress at that moment
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Future Perfect Continuous
- •§ 2. The Use of the Future Perfect Continuous
- •An action which begins before a definite moment in the future, will continue up to that moment and will still be in progress at that moment
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Future Indefinite in the Past
- •§ 2. The Use of the Future Indefinite in the Past
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Future Continuous in the Past
- •§ 2. The Use of the Future Continuous in the Past
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Future Perfect in the Past
- •§ 2. The Use of the Future Perfect in the Past
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Future Perfect Continuous in the Past
- •§ 2. The Use of the Future Perfect Continuous in the Past
- •§ 1. The General Notion
- •§ 2. The Formation of the Passive Voice
- •§ 3. The Ways of Translation of the Passive Voice into Ukrainian
- •Combinations of the verb бути with the Past Participle Passive
- •§ 4. The Use of the Passive Voice
- •Informal English
- •Formal notices and announcements
- •Press reports
- •§ 1. The General Notion
- •§ 2. The Rules of the Sequence of Tenses
- •§ 3. The Exceptions to the Rules of the Sequence of Tenses
- •§ 1. The General Notion
- •§ 2. Tense, Time, Pronoun and Place Changes
- •§ 3. Indirect Statements
- •§ 4. Indirect Questions
- •§ 5. Indirect Orders and Requests
- •§ 6. Indirect Offers, Suggestions and Advice
- •§ 7. Indirect Exclamations
- •§ 8. Greetings and Leave-taking
- •§ 9. Modal Verbs
- •§ 10. The Subjunctive Mood in Indirect Speech
- •Exercises the verb
- •The present indefinite
- •The present continuous
- •The present perfect
- •The present perfect continuous
- •The past indefinite
- •The past continuous
- •The past perfect
- •The past perfect continuous
- •The future tenses
- •The passive voice
- •The sequence of tenses direct and indirect speech
- •Revision exercises
- •The table of irregular verbs
- •Bibliography
§ 2. The Rules of the Sequence of Tenses
If the verb in the principal clause is used in the Past Indefinite we should observe the following rules:
If the actions of the subordinate and principal clauses are simultaneous, then in the subordinate clause we use the Past Indefinite or the Past Continuous.
E.g. He said (that) he read books every evening.
He said (that) he was reading the book then.
NOTE 1. The Past Perfect Inclusive and the Past Perfect Continuous Inclusive can also be used in the subordinate clause in this case if they can be replaced by the Present Perfect Inclusive and the Present Perfect Continuous Inclusive in the present situation. Into Ukrainian such subordinate clauses are translated by the present tense.
E.g. He said (that) he had been ill for a week. (=He says he has been ill for a week.)
Він сказав, що хворіє вже тиждень. (=Він каже, що хворіє вже тиждень.)
He said (that) he had been reading the book for an hour. (=He says he has been reading the book for an hour.)
Він сазав, що читає книгу вже годину. (=Він каже, що читає книгу вже годину.)
If the action of the subordinate clause is prior to the action of the principal clause, then in the subordinate clause we use the Past Perfect or the Past Perfect Continuous Exclusive.
E.g. He said (that) he had read the book already.
He was tired. He said (that) he had been reading the book (for an hour/since two o’clock).
NOTE 2. Into Ukrainian such subordinate clauses are translated by the past perfective or the past imperfective.
E.g. He said (that) he had learned the poem.
Він сказав, що вивчив вірша.
His hands were dirty. He said (that) he had been working in the garden.
Його руки були брудні. Він сказав, що, він працював у саду.
If the action of the subordinate clause is posterior to the action of the principal clause, then in the subordinate clause we use the future tenses in the past.
E.g. He said (that) he would read the book the next week.
He said (that) he would be reading the book at that time the next week.
He said (that) he would have read the book by that time.
He said (that) he would have been reading the book for an hour by the time we came.
NOTE 3. Into Ukrainian such subordinate clauses are translated by the future perfective or the future imperfective.
E.g. He said (that) he would be playing chess from 5 till 7 next Monday.
Він сказав, що гратиме/буде грати в шахи з 5 до 7 наступного понеділка.
He said (that) he would have passed his exam by that time.
Він сказав, що складе іспит до того часу.
If there are several subordinate clauses in the complex sentence, the rules of the sequence of tenses are observed in all of them. The tense of the verb of the subordinate clause can depend on the tense of the verb of other subordinate clauses.
E.g. I thought (that) he would tell (1) Mary that her parents had already returned (2) from Canada. (In this sentence the action of the first subordinate clause would tell is posterior to the action of the principal clause thought. The action of the second subordinate clause had returned is prior to the action of the first subordinate clause would tell.)
She was sure (that) he knew that she would not agree with him.
He said (that) she had told him that she had passed her exam.