This collection of essays documents the important developments of Western linguistics from Classical times onwards.

A detailed account of the many uses and functions of these verbs. The nature of modality, and some controversial issues, are also discussed.

A long established and highly regarded account of all aspects of the English verb taking account of recent work on tense, phase and aspect, and of the author's own research. Theoretical discussion is kept to a minimum, but the arguments are always presented within a modern theoretical framework.