5.69 Timing by adjuncts

In many statements, it is the adjunct rather than the tense of the verb which carries the time reference. For this reason, many adjuncts can be used with more than one set of tenses, because they refer to time and not to tense.

For example, a common use is to put adjuncts which normally refer to future time with the present tense when it is used to refer to future actions, including habitual actions. They can also be used with references to the future that are made in the past.

The adjuncts 'now', 'today', 'tonight' and those involving 'this' refer to a period of time which includes the present moment. They are used fairly commonly with all tenses. This is because an event can be located before, during, or after the time specified by the tense of the verb.