The past perfect - its functions and translation equivalents

The aim of this thesis was to observe the functions and translation equivalents of the English pluperfect. This thesis worked with 120 examples of the pluperfect excerpted with the help of ParaConc, using a parallel Czech-English corpus. Examples of the pluperfect found in the corpus were compared and analysed with regards to the differences of Czech and English language systems and the different devices that these two languages use to express anteriority and related meanings. Theoretical Background provides a systematic survey of the descriptions concerning the pluperfect provided by linguists till this time. Basic means of expressing anteriority in Czech and English are also presented there. In the practical part, Analysis, the examples of the pluperfect were analysed and compared to their Czech equivalents. The examples were dividend into several groups. The primary criterion for classification were the semantic relations for the examples of the past perfect found in the main clauses and simple sentences. For the broad grouping of examples found in dependent clauses syntax was taken as the decisive criterion and only after the semantics. Telic/atelic verbs in English, perfective/imperfective aspect of Czech verbs, the correspondence between these two phenomena and adverbials accompanying verbs in the..