Sequence of Tense in Complement Clause in English

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1674-8921.2025.04.004

Abstract

Abstract:

Sequence of tense (SOT) is the phenomenon whereby the tense of the embedded clause is made to match that of its main clause. The paper deals with SOT in the complement clause in English from the perspective of syntax. An ambiguity arises when both the main clause and the complement clause are in the past, in which the past-shifted interpretation and the simultaneous interpretation are yielded. The predicative theory of tense has been employed to give a principled account of how the ambiguity is derived in the complement clause. The research shows that the central aspects of the syntax and semantics of tense can be seized by independently motivated general principles of syntactic theory so as to dig out the inner laws of tense agreement in English.

Key words: Sequence of Tense, Complement Clause, The Predicative Theory of Tense, Past-shifted Interpretation, Simultaneous Interpretation

CLC Number:

H314

ZHAO Hongyu, YANG Kai. Sequence of Tense in Complement Clause in English[J]. Contemporary Foreign Languages Studies, 2025, 25(4): 40-53.

Figures/Tables 5

References 38

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