Eschewing the passive voice and the future perfect.
Intensely Incensed Tenses
Future Indicative
I will ! I shouted, thumping on the table,
or I shall if you prefer it in that form!
I'm going to - as soon as I am able .
I promise it- no need for you to storm .
Present Continuous
Deep within I'm feeling anger swelling
as more and more I'm feeling put upon;
I have no need to listen to your dwelling
on your idea of what is going on .
Pluperfect
I had told you that I'd had it up to here ;
I had done with your continual complaints;
I had no longer wished to give you ear
(enough to try the patience of the saints !) ;
I had told you , but you hadn't wished to know .
You had your say, and then I had to go .
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Written by Fledermaus (3281 comments posted) 29th April 2007 |
Nice to see how much can be said without much semantic content. I bet pragmatics (as in linguists) would love this piece as an example of how meaning is conveyed by more than just truth conditions.
The more I think of this, the more I think it's actually brilliant  |
thank you I think
Written by patterjack (1193 comments posted) 29th April 2007 |
I am not entirely sure what you mean -- but it looks complimentary !
patterjack |
Written by Fledermaus (3281 comments posted) 29th April 2007 |
Hi Patterjack,
Sorry, that's what comes of studying too hard on one narrow subject...
I meant that not much is literally said, but much becomes clear from your use of the tenses. A computer wouldn't get this, while a human does. |
Written by Bottleblondesurfer (3351 comments posted) 29th April 2007 |
When I say I'm getting tense this isn't exactly what I mean but I see how it could be misconstrued.
I am a bit in awe of someone who can who can actually be angry in the future, that must take some practise.
Very clever stuff and probably beyond me but I did like it
cheers
Jane |
Written by fellpony (1608 comments posted) 29th April 2007 |
I think Jane's hit on the perfect title here - "Tense"!
I am reminded that some of the Crime pieces I have read (both on GW and elsewhere) seem to exist only in the pluperfect. That's probably why I don't read them.
Clever stuff Brian.
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Written by Phil (6713 comments posted) 29th April 2007 |
Very clever Brian, but that doesn't disguise the humanity and emotion behind the grammatical trickery. Loved the last verse. You could have read my mind two evenings ago for that one.
Phil. |
Written by ellipinnock (1753 comments posted) 29th April 2007 |
Like this very much Brian - clever but also strikes a chord - from someone with a pretty short fuse herself
Elli |
Written by Witzl (1585 comments posted) 29th April 2007 |
| Oh, where were you when I was teaching EFL? I'm sure my students would've liked this a lot better than all the dull, dry grammar exercises they had to do... Past perfect was always the biggest headache: 'When we arrived, the injured had already been taken to the hospital...' y a w n . . . |
Right
Written by patterjack (1193 comments posted) 29th April 2007 |
I won't change the title now -- but more and more I am coming to think that simply TENSE would have been sufficient and the rest of the title is lily-gilding.
Thanks for the comments , folks , much appreciated .
Afterthought :- do I feel some psychotic beast (quite alien to the above reviews I promise ) breathing down my neck ?
paranoiac patterjack |
Yep, should be simply "Tense"
Written by mmSeason (32 comments posted) 1st May 2007 |
and it makes me so! And i agree with Fledermaus' compliment: A computer wouldn't get this, while a human does.
I love it.
mand |
Written by Sunny (12 comments posted) 1st May 2007 |
I empathise... both as a student of pragmatics and English, and a generally pissed of individual right now.
It made me feel better... |
Written by Talisker (1326 comments posted) 3rd May 2007 |
I enjoy your semantic work-outs PJ.
What a clever old fellow you are. No sign of "Old-timers disease" here.
Oli |
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