In languages which do not overtly express tense, adverbs indicate when things occur. In languages with tense marking, adverbs add meaning.
Tense, as it is popularly conceived, is a pretty straight-forward linear marking of a progression from the past into the future.
Here are 30 adverbials. Put them in order from the past to the future. Describe any reservations or difficulties you have along the way.
| 1. yesterday
2. when I was a kid 3. tomorrow 4. during the reign of Atrinius 5. right now 6. after the rain 7. in a jiffy 8. soon 9. when you're old 10. before objecting 11. Sunday 12. in 2084 13. before the invention of the radio 14. in a second 15. in 1954 |
16. last week
17. when I'm old 18. once 19. this afternoon 20. in a minute 21. in McBeth 22. just now 23. when pigs fly 24. Sundays 25. before the invention of the faster-than-light space drive 26. now 27. tonight 28. when Sheri's in the Solomon Islands 29. never 30. on your own time |