What is relative tense?

Definition
	Relative tense is a tense that refers to a time in relation to a contextually determined temporal reference point, regardless of the latter’s temporal relation to the moment of utterance.

Example (English)
	The -ing forms in certain subordinate clauses express relative present tense, as in the following: Walking in the woods, he saw a squirrel. Walking in the woods, he will find buried treasure. Walking in both cases is understood as simultaneous with the time of the action of the main verb. This time may have different temporal relations with the moment of utterance.

Kinds
	Here are some kinds of relative tense:
	What is relative future tense? What is relative nonfuture tense? What is relative nonpast tense? What is relative past tense? What is relative present tense?

Generic
	Relative tense is a kind of
	What is tense?

Source
	Comrie 1985b 36, 58, 124–125

Context for this page:

Concept module: relative tense
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): R
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

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