8/14/2019 CELTA Assignment: Language Analysis

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Assignment: Language Related Task

Daniel Clayton

(1) I was going to phone you yesterday

Context

I say to my friend: Im going to phone you tonight. LaterI go home and I fall asleep.The next day, I see my friend, and I remember that I had forgotten to phone her.

MeaningThis utterance expresses an unaccomplished future intention from the past. Thismeans the intention was not carried out and can no longer be fulfilled.

Form

subject past continuous tense of the verb go to-infinitiveI was

going to phoneyou were

Pronunciation

/awz gt fnj jestde/

Meaning Focus

Is it in the past?YesDid I plan to phone you yesterday?YesDid I phone you yesterday? No

(2) She must have gone home.

Context

I am at a party with some friends. Later I notice one friend isnt here anymore. I askanother friend where she is, but he doesnt know. We look around the house, but wecant find her. We notice that her bag and coat are missing.

MeaningIn this utterance, gone home can be interpreted to mean left. The utteranceexpresses a logical deduction about a past event based on evidence. No otherexplanation seems appropriate.

In this type of construction, the modal auxiliary mustexpresses certainty on behalf of

the speaker. This certainty is based on logic and evidence presented eitherantecedent to the utterance in question, or in the speakers mind. The perfectinfinitive of the lexical verb is used to situate the event in question in past time inrelation to the time of utterance.

8/14/2019 CELTA Assignment: Language Analysis

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Form

subjectmust(modal auxiliary verb)

have + past participle(perfect infinitive)

Pronunciation

/i: mstv gn hm/

Meaning Focus

Was she at the party?YesIs she at the party now? NoDo I think shes gone home?YesDo I know shes gone home? NoDo I think its very likely that shes gone home?Yes

Why do I think shes gone home? Because her coat and bag are missing.

(3) a. embarrassedb. ashamed

Contexta. I am walking down the street and Im using my phone to text a friend. I am not

looking where I am going, and I walk into a lamp post. Everyone looks at me. Ifeel stupid.

b. I am driving my car and using my phone at the same time. I am not looking atthe road. Suddenly I hit a dog. I stop and get out of my car. The dog is at theside of the road and is hurt. I feel really bad, because I know this happenedbecause I was using my phone when I was driving.

Meaninga. Embarrassed carries the meaning of feeling awkward and uncomfortable

around other people, following something you have done or said that youbelieve you shouldnt have said or done. You feel self-conscious and areworried what other people are thinking about you.

b. Ashamed, on the other hand,carries the feeling of guilt or disgrace.

Whereas embarrassed can be the feeling felt as the result of something comical innature, ashamed is always the result of something negative in nature.

FormBoth are adjectives. Syntactically both can be used predictively (as a predicativecomplement) and attributively (as a modifier within a noun phrase). To show this tostudents, the following sentences help to illustrate this:

a. The boy was embarrassed. He had an embarrassed look on his face.b. The boy felt ashamed. He had an ashamed look on his face.

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Pronunciation

a. /mbrst/b. /emd/

Meaning Focus

a. Did I make a mistake?YesAm I happy about it? NoDo I feel comfortable? No

b. Did I do something good or bad? BadDo I feel bad about it?Yes

(4) a. Shes been living in New York for six yearsb. He lived in New York for six years

Contexta. My Russian friend speaks very good English, because six years ago she

moved to New York. Yesterday she moved back to Moscow. [Alternativesituation: She still lives there now.]

b. From the age of 10 up to the age of 16, my friend lived in New York. Hedoesnt live there now.

Meaning

a. The first sentence expresses a continuative situation which started at a time inthe past. There are two interpretations of this sentence. The first is where thesituation continues into the future. The second is where the situation hasrecently come to an end but there is some evidence to show this situation isrecent (in this case, she speaks good English). This sentence carries animperfective interpretation.

b. The second sentence expresses a situation located in past time that lasted fora specified amount of time. The actually location in time of these six years isunspecified. This sentence carries a perfective interpretation.

Form

a. subjecthavehas

been -ing form of verb (e.g. living)

b. subjectpast simple of verb (e.g.lived)

for + period of time (e.g. six years)

Pronunciation

a. /i:zbn lvnn nju:j:k fsksjz/

b. /hi: lvdn nju:j:k fsksjz/

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Meaning Focus

a. When did she start to live in New York? 6 years agoDoes she still live in New York? Maybe

2007 Now (2013)

b. Is it in the past?YesDoes he still live in New York? No

6 years Now

(5) Im looking forward to working with her again.

ContextLast year I worked in London with a wonderful girl who helped me a lot with my job.Yesterday she told me that she is coming to work in my company. I am very happythat I will work with her again.

MeaningThis construction expresses excitement on behalf of the subject about an anticipatedfuture event.

Form

subjectamisare

looking forward to-ing form (e.g. working)noun (e.g. the film)

Pronunciation

/am lkf:wdt w:k whrgen/

Meaning Focus

Do I work with her now? NoWill I work with her in the future?YesDo I feel excited about working with her?Yes

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