The construction "won't" is ambiguous: it can be a prediction by the speaker based on his assumptions, or it may be a report of what the expressed subject of "won't" said. "I talked to them and they won't come" could mean "I predict they won't come" or "they refused to come." (PJM)

Attempts to show that conditional sentences are based on two separate binary choices: the choice between "open" and "theoretical" and the choice between "event condition" and "truth condition." Truth conditions, unlike event conditions, are concerned not with what might or might not happen but with what…

Certain verbs in English can be followed by both "ing" and by a "to"+ infinitive, with a difference in meaning. The "ing" ending is used for events or states already in existence at the time of the preceding verb. The infinitive points ahead to a later time. Examples are given. (PJM)

Discusses future-tense form possibilities in English and their pedagogical implications. Six possibilities are discussed: (1) the future tense proper, signalled by "if" + present or mental state verbs; (2) declaration of intent, with "I'll" or "we'll"; (3) "Shall I/we" questions; (4) "will you"…

Discusses the difficulty in recognizing and expressing the formation of concession and counter-assertion. Words like "although" and "if," while familiar in other contexts, present problems when used for these functions. While the markers for concession are interchangeable, those for counter-assertion are not. Two different types of…