Conveying meaning with a Continuum Line

A continuum line is a horizontal line drawn across a page or white/black board that has relevant time references marked on it (past, present, future).

Ideal for illustrating certain grammatical points; when a certain type of grammar might for example express two or more events in relation to one another or perhaps one event that happens either in an instant or over a period of time. It’s important and sometimes confounding to realise that English has tenses that lots of other languages don’t; for example, English has two tenses that express events in the present whereas French only has one. With relation to this specifically it’s important to bear in mind also that English tenses don’t always refer to the ‘time-frame’ in their title; for example present perfect refers to events that has happened in the past. Tenses and time references are not the same thing.

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