Arabic and English Sentence Patterns: A Comparative Guide

19 | P a g e Supposed (to) ﻣَﻔْﺮوضٌ The above forms are not directly marked for tense 41 and resemble English modals in not consistently affecting time reference. TENSE AND TIME TENSE AND ASPECT MOOD AND MODALITY SENTENCE TYPES NOTES 5 Charts 5.1 FORMAT AND CONTENT The charts follow a four-sentence format based on the assertive quality of the verb phrase. The sentences in the first chart, for example, are 1. The student studied. – positive assertive/declarative 2. The student did not study. – negative assertive 3. Did the student study? – positive non-assertive/interrogative 4. Didn’t the student study? – negative non-assertive 42 This format reveals the changes that occur when Arabic expresses the various English structures. As certain time/tense/mood combinations do not appear in all forms, some charts will lack one or more of the four structures. Included are: past, present, and future time; past and present tense; perfective and progressive aspect; indicative, subjunctive, and jussive mood. Most Arabic grammar texts include complete imperative mood forms, thus obviating the need to repeat them here. Examples. Samples from classical and popular literature and media supplement the pattern sentences. The patterns in the charts are not exhaustive. Examples are provided as published, with or without internal voweling, and headlines are reproduced and translated without periods. Structural Elements. Above each sentence is a list including parts of speech, tense, aspect, mood, and function 43 adhering to the following