ENG4108 - Tense and aspect in English

Course content

This course offers an introduction into the ways in which tense and aspect are employed to express temporal relations in English, as described in some of the recent linguistic literature. The following three temporal relations will be at the focus of attention: (i) ways of expressing future time, (ii) the contrast between progressive and non-progressive verb forms, and (iii) the distinction between the preterite and the perfect. In some cases the relationship between American and British English will receive special attention.

Learning outcome

After completing this course you will have:

• learned various linguistic approaches to the description of tense and aspect in English;
• gained insight into the use of the forms of the English verb, in some cases through corpus investigation.

Admission

Students at UiO must apply for courses in StudentWeb.

International applicants, if you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.

The minimum number of participants is 3, the maximum number is 10.

The examination in this course is not available for external candidates. Only students admitted to the course may sit for the examination.

Prerequisites

Formal prerequisite knowledge

Admission to the master programs in language or LAP.

Teaching

Seminar, 2 hours per week for 14 weeks, 28 hours in all.

Attendance is an obligatory class requirement (80%).

By a stated deadline during the semester students are required to hand in one obligatory paper (5-10 standard pages) reporting their own corpus-based investigation of a linguistic topic relevant to this course. They will be given feedback on this paper and then asked to present their results in class. Once the course requirements have been fulfilled, they remain valid for the current and the two consecutive semesters when the course is given.

Access to teaching

Examination

The exam consists of a three-day take-home exam.

Previous exams: http://www.uio.no/studier/emner/hf/ilos/ENG4108/eksamensoppgaver/Eksamensoppgaver.xml

Examination support material

Language of examination

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.

Results will be found on the StudentWeb within three weeks after the exam.

Explanations and appeals

You may request an explanation of your grades, and you may also appeal against your grades or make a complaint about formal examination errors. Read more about explanations and appeals.

Resit an examination

You can usually resit an exam, but the conditions depend on whether you had a valid reason for absence from the regular exam. Read more about resitting an exam.

Withdrawal from an examination

A student may sit this exam up to 3 times. If a student wishes to withdraw from the exam, s/he must do so in StudentWeb at least two weeks prior to the first day of the exam. Failure to do so will be counted as one of the three opportunities to sit the exam.

Special examination arrangements

If you have a disability or a health problem that entails significant inconvenience in an examination situation, you may be considered for special examination arrangements. Mothers who are breastfeeding may apply for extra time to complete the exam.

Evaluation

Feedback from our students is essential to us in our efforts to ensure and further improve the high quality of our programmes and courses. All courses are subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students on a particular course to participate in a more comprehensive, periodic evaluation of this course.