Chapter  III   VERB   EXPANSION

Lesson  13   V EPD {Perfect}:PERF("have-en")

 13-1  [V EPD {Perfect}:PERF] 
     The V EPD {Perfect}(PERF), "have-en", adds one of three different meanings to a verb(V) according to the context.
      (i) {Perfect}
     (ii) {Experience}
    (iii) {Continuance}

   Examples.

   (1)  The computer has written a novel now.  (Perfect)
   (2)  The computer has written a novel several times.  (Experience)
   (3)  The computer has written a novel for 240 hours.  (Continuance)
     The specific meaning of this EPD depends on what kind of adverb(AD) accompanies it; without an adverb(AD), it is often hard to tell which of the three meanings is intended.

 13-2  [Diagram] 
     Sentence(1) is formed as shown in (4).
      (4)  The computer + PRS + have-en + write a novel + now
                                        
      (5)  The computer       has        written a novel  now. (=1)
Notice that the EPD "have-en" adds the meaning {Perfect} to the verb "write a novel".  The diagram of the new verb is:
      (6)    (has written a novel)
                     V
                     
              EPD[AGR]   V
               (PRS)     
                  EPD[PERF]  V
                  (have-en) (write a novel)

     Examples of the three usages:

     (i) <{Perfect} Usage>
      (7)  My extension number has changed.
      (8)  The musical has been a great sensation nationwide.
      (9)  What has become of your old car?

     (ii) <{Experience} Usage>
     (10)  I have seen a rattlesnake before.
     (11)  I have visited Paris three times.
     (12)  Have you ever been abroad?

    (iii) <{Continuance} Usage>
     (13)  How have you been?
     (14)  We have known him since childhood.
     (15)  Mr.Miller has taught us math for two years.
 13-3  [Ven and Perfect/Passive Participle] 
     The "have" part of the V EPD {Perfect} is connected with PRS/PST and the "-en" part of it is fused into a Ven, where "-en" is actually attached to the leftmost word.  The leftmost word with "-en" is traditionally and strangely called a past participle, though it has nothing to do with the past.  In this book, it is called a perfect/passive participle, because it is closely related to the perfect/passive usage.
     Perfect/passive participles do not always end in "-en".  Some end in "-ed".  Others end in other forms.  Most dictionaries carry a list of the leftmost words of (i)the PRS form without "-(e)s", (ii)the PST form, and (iii)the Ven form, as in,
    (i)A-B-C Type
        (16)a. begin - began - begun
            b. do - did - done
            c. eat - ate - eaten
            d. sing - sang - sung

   (ii)A-B-B Type
        (17)a. build - built - built
            b. kick - kicked - kicked
            c. pay - paid - paid
            d. have - had - had

  (iii)A-B-A Type
        (18)a. become-became-become
            b. run- ran - run
            c. come - came - come

   (iv)A-A-A Type
        (19)a. hit - hit - hit
            b. cut - cut - cut
            c. let - let - let
            d. cost - cost - cost
 13-4  [PRS + V   vs   PST + V   vs   PRS + "have-en" + V] 
     Compare the following three sentences.
      (20)a.  The man in charge is out now.
          b.  The man in charge was out then.
          c.  The man in charge has been out for a couple of hours.
Sentence (20a) refers to a time point in the present, sentence (20b) refers to a time point in the past, and sentence (20c) refers to a time point in the past which also has a relation to the present.
     The following diagrams show the difference.
      (21)    (is out)
                 V
                 
          EPD[AGR]   V
            (PRS)   (be out)

      (22)    (was out)
                 V
                 
          EPD[AGR]   V
            (PST)   (be out)

      (23)    (has been out)
                 V
                  
         EPD[AGR]     V
           (PRS)      
               EPD[PERF]  V
               (have-en) (be out)
 13-5  [Unapplicable PERF] 
     In some cases, "have-en" can't be used.
      (24)  *Einstein has been in Paris before.
      (25)  *John has worked there yesterday.
     Example (24) is unacceptable because Einstein is dead and his past action cannot be connected to a present time.  In (25) the adverb "yesterday" signifies the past and is inconsistent with the PRS in "has worked".
     The following is a little tricky but a similar example.
      (26)  *When has he finished his work?
 13-6  ["Had + Ven"] 
     The combination of "PST + have-en" means {Perfect}, {Experience} or {Continuance} at a certain point of the past.
    (i) <{Perfect} Usage>
     (27)  The train had already left when I arrived.
     (28)  She had panicked when the milk boiled over.
   (ii) <{Experience} Usage>
     (29)  Until yesterday, I had never heard about it.
     (30)  I had often been to Europe before I visited South Africa.
  (iii) <{Continuance} Usage>
     (31)  I was very sleepy because I had driven since early 
           morning.
     (32)  Washington and his men had already fought for two months
           when the reinforcements came.
     The diagram of the underlined part in (27), for instance, is:
     (33)    (had left)
                 V
                  
        EPD[AGR]       V
         (PST)          
             EPD[PERF]      V
             (have-en)    (leave)
 13-7  ["Had Ven" with Some Other Meanings] 
     The meanings of {Perfect}, {Experience}, and {Continuance}in the past are expressed by "PST + have-en" which is actually "had Ven", but not vice versa.  In the following examples the combination "had Ven" does not have any of these three meanings.  Consider:
     (34)  The airplane had had some engine trouble two months 
           before the accident.
     (35)  I wish I had been there.
     In (34) "had had" express, as it were, {Past} and {Past}, and in (35) "had been" express {Past} and {Subjunctive}(cf.26-6).
Copyright(C) 2004 Masaya Oba. All rights reserved.