Английского

§ 10. From the given description of the aspective subclass division 
of English verbs, it is evident that the English lexical aspect differs 
radically from the Russian aspect. In terms of semantic properties, 
the English lexical aspect expresses a potentially limited or unlim-
ited process, whereas the Russian aspect expresses the actual con-
clusion (the perfective, or terminative aspect) or non-conclusion 
(the imperfective, or non-terminative aspect) of the process in 
question. In terms of systemic properties, the two English lexical 
aspect varieties, unlike their Russian absolutely rigid counterparts, 
are but loosely distinguished and easily reducible. 
In accord with these characteristics, both the English limitive verbs 
and unlimitive verbs may correspond alternately either to the Rus-
sian perfective verbs or imperfective verbs, depending on the con-
textual uses. 
For instance, the limitive verb arrive expressing an instantaneous 
action that took place in the past will be translated by its perfective 
Russian equivalent: 
The exploratory party arrived at the foot of the mountain. Russ.: 
Экспедиция прибыла к подножию горы. 
But if the same verb expresses a habitual, interminately repeated 
action, the imperfective Russian equivalent is to be chosen for its 
translation: 
In those years trains seldom arrived on time. Russ.: В те годы по-
езда редко приходили вовремя. 

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Cf. the two possible versions of the Russian translation of the fol-
lowing sentence: 
The liner takes off tomorrow at ten. Russ.: Самолет вылетит зав-
тра в десять (the flight in question is looked upon as an individual 
occurrence). Самолет вылетает завтра в десять (the flight is 
considered as part of the traffic schedule, or some other kind of 
general plan). 
Conversely, the English unlimitive verb gaze when expressing a 
continual action will be translated into Russian by its imperfective 
equivalent: 
The children gazed at the animals holding their breaths. Russ.: Де-
ти глядели на животных, затаив дыхание. 
But when the same verb renders the idea of an aspectually limited, 
e. g. started action, its perfective Russian equivalent should be used 
in the translation: 
The boy turned his head and gazed at the horseman with wide-open 
eyes. Russ.: Мальчик повернул голову и уставился на всадника 
широко открытыми глазами. 
Naturally, the unlimitive English verbs in strictly unlimtive contex-
tual use correspond, by definition, only to the imperfective verbs in 
Russian.