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I found a table at [this
page](http://homepage3.nifty.com/jgrammar/grammar/jgr_part.htm) that seems to
be labeling Vし・Vせず・Adjなく・Nに as present tense, and Vして・Vしないで・Adjなくて・Nで as past
tense. Please teach me about this distinction in the above words.
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2014-11-13T00:47:44.337
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2014-11-13T04:07:15.730
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question
grammar
This text appears to be labeling V-し・V-せず・Adj-なく・N-に as present, V-して・V-しないで・Adj-なくて・N-で as past. Why?
They seem to be attempting to draw a distinction between _sequential
coordination_ forms and _simultaneous coordination_ forms.

し・せず・なく・に are (theoretically) _simultaneous_ coordination. The state/action
they describe is true/occurring _while_ whatever next thing is true/occurring:

> 本を読み、テレビを見た。
>
> He read a book and watched television (at the same time).

して・しないで・なくて・で are (theoretically) _sequential_ coordination. The state/action
they describe is true/occurring _before_ whatever next thing is
true/occurring:

> 本を読んで、テレビを見た。
>
> He read a book and (then) watched television.

In modern Japanese the distinction mostly isn't bothered with, though, and
instead the differences work out something like this:

し is literary (書き言葉) / して is colloquial (話し言葉)

せず (/しなくて) is 'without doing' / しないで is 'instead of doing'

なく is literary / なくて is colloquial

「Xに、」 isn't really used as 'is X, and' in modern Japanese / 「Xで、」 is

(though correct me if I'm wrong, I'm not as sure on the last two)
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answer