1．Introduction 1
1.1 Background to the study 3
1.2 The aim of the study and some related research questions 4
1.3 Data collection 5
1.4 The organization of the study 6
2．Preliminaries 9
2.1 Introduction 11
2.2 The definition of tense 11
2.3 Types of tense 12
2.4 Features of tense 15
2.5 The relationship between tense and temporal circumstances 16
2.6 The uplift of tense to the clause rank 17
2.7 Basic principles and working rules 18
2.8 The interpretation of the temporal order of events 25
2.9 Summary 27
3．Tense in finite paratactic clause complexes 29
3.1 Introduction 31
3.2 Features of finite paratactic clause complexes 32
3.3 Dominant-and-dependent tense relationships 36
3.3.1 Tense relationships located in a past time 36
3.3.1.1 Anteriority 36
3.3.1.2 Simultaneity 39
3.3.1.3 Posteriority 42
3.3.2 Tense relationships located in a present or future time 45
3.3.3 Tense relationships in the combination of parataxis and projection 52
3.4 Independent tense phenomena 57
3.4.1 Application of the reference time shifting rule 57
3.4.2 Motivations for the application of the reference time modifying rule 58
3.5 Interpretation of the temporal order between event times 63
3.6 Summary 68
4．Tense in non-finite clauses 71
4.1 Introduction 73
4.2 Features and functions of non-finite clauses 74
4.3 Nature of verb forms in non-finite clauses 78
4.3.1 Tense or aspect 78
4.3.2 Tense rather than aspect 81
4.3.3 Realization forms 87
4.4 Tense relationships between non-finite and finite clauses 98
4.5 Summary 109
5．The secondary meaning of finite and non-finite verb forms:aspect 111
5.1 Introduction 113
5.2 Aspect outside Systemic Functional Grammar 114
5.3 Aspect inside Systemic Functional Grammar 123
5.4 Aspect as a secondary meaning of verb forms 129
5.4.1 Difference between the treatments of tense and aspect in the literature 129
5.4.2 A further expanded tense model 131
5.4.3 Aspect:another obligatory grammatical category 132
5.5 Aspect and aspectual oppositions 147
5.6 Summary 156
6．Modal uses of tense:grammatical meraphor 159
6.1 Introduction 161
6.2 Grammatical metaphor 162
6.2.1 Early understandings of grammatical metaphor 162
6.2.2 Grammatical metaphor as variation in meaning as well 169
6.2.3 The defining features of grammatical metaphor 176
6.3 Modal uses of tense 180
6.3.1 Occurrences of modal uses of tense 180
6.3.2 Tense,time and modality 184
6.3.3 Modal uses of tense:grammatical metaphor 188
6.4 Summary 200
7．Tense in different modes of discourse 201
7.1 Introduction 203
7.2 Modes of discourse 204
7.3 Tense selections in different modes of discourse 209
7.3.1 Tense selections in Narrative 210
7.3.2 Tense selections in Description 218
7.3.3 Tense selections in Report 226
7.3.4 Tense selections in Information 234
7.3.5 Tense selections in Argument 239
7.4 Temporal interpretation in different modes of discourse 246
7.4.1 Temporal interpretation in Narrative 247
7.4.2 Temporal interpretation in Description 252
7.4.3 Temporal interpretation in Report,Information and Argu-ment 255
7.5 Progression in different modes of discourse 259
7.6 Summary 260
8．Conclusions 263
References 270