Page 162 - English - Teaching Academic Esl Writing

148 CHAPTER 7
Functions and Uses
Verbs used in the past tense refer to actions, events, or states that took place or existed in the past and no longer continue in the present. The meaning of the past tense in reference to specific past-time activities can be somewhat distinct from those in constructions with "state past" (Quirk et al., 1985, p.
186), as Sentences (2) and (3) show. For example,
2. In early American history, thefamily assumed responsibility for educating its children.
The past tense necessarily marks an action or a state for the past time and no longer continuing at the present time. Specifically, the past tense refers to activities and states that are not connected to the present (i.e., the historical past).
In this context, it is important to note the role of time adverbs that can greatly assist in identifying the time of the action or event. Sentence (2) is marked by the past time adverb phrase in early American history. However, even if the adverb phrase is omitted, the action remains in the past time—for example,
3. The family assumed responsibility for educating its children.
The meaning of the past-tense use with the verb assumed implies that the ac-
tion was performed or a state existed in the past and wasfinished in the past.
The past tense usually refers to specific and finished past time ac- tions, events, and states.
An important point about past-tense uses is that in academic writing they necessarily require a past time adverb or adverbial phrase/clause (i.e., some type of a past time marker that warrants the employment of the past tense). The past time marker does not apply only to the sentence in which it is used, but can extend to an entire text excerpt until a new time marker is used to flag that the time and the tense can be switched (Hinkel, 2002c). For example,
4. In the summer of 1994, the Gatorade Company introduced Gatobarinto test mar- kets. The fruit flavored energy bar was the company's first effort to extent its name be- yond its sports drink. Gatobar with only 110 calories was targeted toward active people who sought a low-fat bar for snacking. Gatorade also introduced another prod- uct—Sunbolt—which was a caffeinated drink. At present, the company works to find new venuesfor itsproducts. (Adapted from Zikmund et al., 1995)
In excerpt (4), the past time adverb phrase In the summer of 1994 marks the beginning of the past-tense use that continues throughout the text until
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