What is a preterit?

A preterit, in traditional terminology, is a simple past tense not marked for aspect or modality.

• What is past tense?

Hartmann and Stork 1972 184

Crystal 1987 428

Mish 1991 932

Richards, Platt, and Weber 1985 209

Context for this page:

• Concept module: preterit
• In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): P
• 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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