ASPECTS OF TENSES

INTRODUCTION:

For each grammatical tense, there are subcategories called aspects. Aspect refers to the duration of an event within a particular tense. In other words, the aspect of a tense allows us to describe or understand how an event unfolds over time. The present, past and future tenses are divided into four aspects: the simple, progressive, perfect and perfect progressive. Now, let's discuss Each of them in detail.

1.SIMPLE ASPECT:

Definition:

The simple aspect includes all verbs in the simple tense (past, present, or future). It is the verb form used to express a fact. The simple aspect can be confusing because it does not make clear if the action is a completed action or a habitual action.

For Example:

The simple aspect of a verb is the same as its past, present, and future tenses, such as:

PAST: "I walked,"

PRESENT: "I walk,"

FUTURE: "I will walk."

2. PROGRESSIVE ASPECT:

Definition:

The progressive aspect (or continuing aspect as it's sometimes called) is the aspect of a verb that expresses an on-going action. Progressive aspect is the collective term for verbs (past, present, or future) in a progressive tense. (This means the perfect progressive tenses too.)

For Example:

Verbs in the progressive aspect are recognizable by the present participle (i.e., the word which ends –ing). 

PAST: "She was Flying."

PRESENT: "She is Flying."

FUTURE: " She will be flying."

3. PERFECT ASPECT:

Definition:

In English grammar, perfect aspect is a verb construction that describes events occurring in the past but linked to a later time, usually the present. In English, the perfect aspect is formed with has, have or had + the past participle (also known as the -en form).

For Example:

The perfect aspect expresses completed actions. 

PAST: "The dog has eaten bones."

PRESENT: "The dog had eaten bones."

FUTURE: "The dog will have eaten bones."

4. PERFECT PROGRESSIVE ASPECT:

Definition:

The perfect progressive aspect (or "perfect continuing aspect" as it's sometimes called) is the aspect of a verb that expresses the end of an ongoing action. In other words, "perfect progressive aspect" is the collective term for verbs (in the past tense, present tense, or future tense) in a perfect progressive tense.

For Example:

The perfect progressive aspect expresses the end of an ongoing action. 

PAST: "The octopus has been eating small crabs."

PRESENT: "The octopus had been eating small crabs."

FUTURE: "The octopus will have been eating small crabs."

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