Dear Rick,

Yes, although English has a progressive present tense, meaning cannot  
always be established by applying it. "Us he devours" could mean that  
no one escapes the devouring, because it occurs constantly. Or it  
could mean that if and when the tiger arrives he devours us.

Diana

Sent from my iPod

On Mar 8, 2010, at 5:18 PM, "Rickard A. Parker"  
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>> Yes I know you're right about that. But appeals to tense don't always
>> settle disputes about meaning in English either, as evidenced by "Us
>> he devours."
>
> "Us he devours" may be ongoing but that doesn't mean that
> he is devouring me now.  First he devoured my grandparents,
> then my parents and soon he'll chew me up.
>
> Regards,
>    Rick Parker
>