ategorial marker - both perfect and continuous - being separately expressed in the speech entry of the verbal lexeme, conveys its own part in the integral grammatical meaning of the entry. Namely, the perfect interprets the action in the light of priority and aspective transmission, while the continuous presents the same action as progressive. As a result, far from displaying any kind of semantic contradiction or discrepancy, the grammatical characterisation of the action gains both in precision and vividness. The latter quality explains why this verbal form is gaining more and more ground in present-day colloquial English. p align="justify"> As a matter of fact, the specific semantic features of the perfect and the continuous in each integrating use can be distinctly exposed by separate diagnostic tests. Cf.: A week or two ago someone related an incident to me with the suggestion that I should write a story on it, and since then I have been thinking it over (S. Maugham). p align="justify"> Testing for the perfect giving prominence to the expression of priority in retrospective coordination will be represented as follows:? I have been thinking over the suggestion for a week or two now. p align="justify"> Testing for the perfect giving prominence to the expression of succession in retrospective coordination will be made thus:? Since the time the suggestion was made I have been thinking it over. p align="justify"> Finally, testing for the continuous giving prominence to the expression of action in progress will include expansion:? Since the suggestion was made I have been thinking it over continually, Naturally, both perfect indefinite and perfect continuous, being categorially characterised by their respective features, in normal use are not strictly dependent on a favourable contextual environment and can express their semantics in isolation from adverbial time indicators. Cf.: p align="justify"> Surprisingly, she did not protest, for she had given up the struggle (M. Dickens). "What have you been doing down there?" Miss Peel asked him. "I've been looking for you all over the play-ground" (M. Dickens). p align="justify"> The exception is the future perfect that practically always requires a contextual indicator of time due to the prospective character of posteriority, of which we have already spoken.
It should be noted that with the past perfect the priority principle is more distinct than with the present perfect, which again is explained semantically. In many cases the past perfect goes with the lexical indicators of time introducing the past plane as such in the microcontext. On the other hand, the transmissive semantics of the perfect can so radically take an upper hand over its priority semantics even in the past plane that the form is placed in a peculiar expressive contradiction with a lexical introduction of priority. In particular, it concerns constructions introduced by the subordinative conjunction before. Cf.: p align="justify"> It was his habit to find a girl who suited him and live with her as long as he was ashore. But he had forgotten her before the anchor had come dripping out of the water and been made fast. The sea was his home (J. Tey). p align="justify"> In keeping with the general tendency, the category of retrospective coordination can be contextually neutralised, the imperfect as the weak member of the opposition filling in the position of neutralisation. Cf.: p align="justify"> "I feel exactly like you," she said, "only different, because after all I didn't produce him; but, Mother, darling, it's all right ..." (J. Galsworthy). Christine nibbled on Oyster Bienville. "I always thought it was because they spawned in summer" (A. Hailey). p align="justify"> In this connection, the treatment of the lexemic aspective division of verbs by the perfect is, correspondingly, the reverse, if less distinctly pronounced, of their treatment by the continuous. Namely, the expression of retrospective coordination is neutralised most naturally and freely with limitive verbs. As for the unlimitive verbs, these, by being used in the perfect, are rather turned into "limitive for the nonce". Cf.: p align="justify"> "I'm no beaten rug. I don't need to feel like one. I've been a teacher all my life, with plenty to show for it "(A. Hailey). p align="justify"> Very peculiar neutralisations take place between the forms of the present perfect - imperfect. Essentially these neutralisations signal instantaneous subclass migrations of the verb from a limitive to an unlimitive one. Cf.: p align="justify"> Where do you come from? (Ie What is the place of your origin?) I put all my investment in London. (I.e. I keep all my money there). p align="justify"> Characteristic colloquial neutralisations affect also some verbs of physical and mental perceptions. Cf.: p align="justify"> I forget what you've told me about Nick. I hear the ma...
