Tense, aspect and voice

Question 1

Tense and meaning: present tense in reference to the past

Answer 1

The room fills with beige light as we lie
listening to the house coming to
life.

Adds vividness

Question 2

Tense and meaning: past tense in reference to present tense

Answer 2

Did you want to see me?

adds tentativeness

Question 3

Tense and meaning: Present tense

Answer 3

True/ valid at the moment of utterance
-Mary is still on the committee
General validity/ Habitual
-We speak on the phone every day.

Question 4

Tense and meaning: Past tense

Answer 4

Distance in time:
-He passed all his exams last year.
Distance in reality:
-I wished I had a fortune to spend
Tentativeness:
-Did you want to come with us?

Question 5

Tense and meaning: Habitual past

Answer 5

Expressed with would
i.e He would normally be up at this time.
Expressed with used to + verb
i.e He used to get up at this time

Question 6

Tense and meaning: Hypothetical tense

Answer 6

Real condition:
-Will-future in matrix and present tense in subclause
i.e If I drop this, it will explode
-Present + present tense
i.e If I drop this, it explodes

Hypothetical condition:
-Would + infinitive in matrix and past tense in subclause
i.e If I dropped this, it would explode

Rejected condition:
-Perfect aspect in matrix and past perfect in subclause
i.e If I had dropped this, it would have exploded