The tense-

aspect system

Summary and revision

Introduction

 English finite verb stems are not inflected to express future

time –> no future tense.
 Future time is expressed by other means, such as modals,
adverbials of time, etc.
 Tense-aspect system: the natural division between tense,
which relates to time, and aspect, which has to do with the
internal structure of the action occurring in any time.
Introduction

 Four aspects: simple, perfect, progressive and perfect

progressive.
Present combinations

1.Simple present: base form with one exception (3rd person

singular +s) -> walk/walks.
2.Present perfect: have+past participle -> have/has
walked/written.
Present combinations

3. Present progressive: be+present participle (-ing form) ->

am/is/are walking/writing.
4.Present perfect progressive: have + past participle + be + ing
-> has/have been writing/walking.
Past combinations

1.Simple past: regular verb +ed or past irregular form ->

walked/wrote.
2.Past perfect: had + past participle -> had walked/written.
Past combinations

3. Past progressive: was/were + present participle (-ing) ->

was/were writing/walking.
4.Past perfect progressive: had + been + present participle (-
ing) -> had been writing/walking.
Future (will)

1.Simple future: will + base form -> will write/walk.

2.Future perfect: will + have + past participle -> will have
written/walked.
Future (will)

3. Future progressive: will + be + -ing form -> will be

writing/walking.
4.Future perfect progressive: will + have + been + -ing form ->
will have been writing/walking.
Tense - time

 Understanding the semantics of tense in terms of time is

inadequate.
E.g.: Did you want something to eat before the game?
(Present offer, past tense).
Simple aspect (no aspect)

 Simple present tense: complete or unchanging nature and

immediate factuality.
1.Habitual actions – He walks to school every day.
2.General timeless truths – Water freezes at 0 degrees.
3.States – I know Jackson.
Simple aspect (no aspect)

4. Subordinate clauses – If Cindy passes the exam, she’ll be able to

practice law.
5. Future – I have a meeting next Wednesday.
6. Demonstrations/procedures – Now I add 3 eggs to the mixture.
7. Present speech acts – I resign from the commission.
8. Historical present – He stands up in the boat and waves his arm
to catch our attention.
Simple aspect (no aspect)

 Simple past tense: “remoteness”; the event is over and

done.
1. Single completed event – I attended a meeting.
2. Habitual event in the past – It snowed every weekend last winter.
3. Event with duration – Professor Nelson taught at Yale for 30
years.
Simple aspect (no aspect)

4. States – He owed me a lot of money.

5.Imaginative conditional – If he took a better care of himself,
he wouldn’t be absent.
6.Social distancing – Did you want to sit down and stay a
while?
Simple aspect (no aspect)

 Simple future with will: future can’t be reported on

factuality; ‘will’ is said to be used for strong predictions not
factual reports.
1.Definite future time – Joe will take the exam next month.
2.Future habitual action – After October, Judy will take the 7pm
train to Chicago every day.
Simple aspect (no aspect)

3. Present and future with future end – Nora will live in

Caracas until she improves her Spanish.
4.Future conditionals – If you go, you will be sorry.
Perfect aspect

 The core meaning of the perfect is “prior”. It is used in

relation to some other point in time.
- Present perfect: retrospectively refers to a time prior to now.
- Past perfect: retrospective point of view on some past time.
- Future perfect: retrospective point of view on some future
time.
Perfect aspect

 Present perfect
1.A situation that began at a prior point in time and continues
into present – I have been a teacher since 1967.
2.An action occurring at an unspecified prior time that has
current relevance – I have already seen that movie.
Perfect aspect

3. A very recently completed action – Mark has just finished his

homework.
4. As action that occurred over a prior time period and that is
completed at the moment of speaking – The value of the house
has doubled in the last 4 years.
5. In time or condition subordinate clauses – If you have done
your homework, you can watch TV.
Perfect aspect

 Past perfect
1.An action completed in the past prior to some other past
event or time – She had worked at the post office before
1962.
2.Imaginative conditional – If Sally had studied harder, she
would have passed the exam.
Perfect aspect

 Future perfect
1.A future action that will be completed prior to a specific
future time – I will have finished this work by 5 pm.
2.An event that will be completed in the future prior to some
other future time or event – At the end of the summer, the
Blakes will have been married for 10 years.
Progressive aspect

 It is imperfective, meaning that it portrays an event in a way

that allows for it to be incomplete or somehow limited.
 Compare: Susan and Carl are living in Newark.
Susan and Carl live in Newark.
Progressive aspect

 Present progressive (present continuous)

1.Activity in progress – He is attending a meeting now.
2.Extended present – I am studying geology at the University
of Colorado.
3.Temporary situation – Phil is living with his parents.
Progressive aspect

4. Repetition – Henry is kicking the ball.

5.Future – She is coming tomorrow.
6.A change in progress – She is becoming more and more like
her mother.
Progressive aspect

 Past progressive
1.An action in progress at a specific past time – He was walking
to school at 8am today.
2.Past action simultaneous with other event – Karen was
washing her hair when the phone rang.
Progressive aspect

3. Repetition – Jake was coughing all night.

4.Social distancing – I was hoping you could lend me 10
dollars.
Progressive aspect

 Future progressive
1.An action that will be in progress at a specific time in the
future – He will be taking a test at 8am tomorrow.
2.Duration of future action – Mary will be working on her
thesis for the next 3 years.
Perfect progressive aspect

• It combines the sense of “prior” of the perfect with the

meaning of “incompleteness” of the progressive.
Perfect progressive aspect

 Present perfect progressive

1.A situation that began in the past and that continues up to
the present – Burt has been going out with Alice.
2.An action in progress that is not yet completed – I have been
reading this book.
Perfect progressive aspect

3. A state that changes over time – The students have been

getting better and better.
4.An evaluative comment – You have been drinking again!
Perfect progressive aspect

 Past perfect progressive

1. An action taking place over a period of time in the past prior to
some other past event or time – She had been trying to finish
her degree that year.
2. A past action in progress that was interrupted by a more
recent past – We had been planning our vacation but changed
our minds.
Perfect progressive aspect

3. An ongoing past action that becomes satisfied by other

event – I had been wanting to see the play, so I was pleased
when I won the tickets.
Perfect progressive aspect

 Future perfect progressive

1.Durative or habitual action that is taking place in the present
and that will continue into the future concerning a specific
future time – He will have been keeping a journal for 10
years next month.
Final remarks

 Only when the clauses report two events out of sequence and
there are no time adverbials that indicate the actual order is
the past perfect necessary.
E.g.: Marlon worked in a company for 10 years and retired in
1997.
Final remarks

 ‘Will’ and ‘be going to’ are sometimes interchangeable when

‘be going to’ expresses the speaker’s certainty and ‘will’ is
used to make a strong prediction.
 ‘Will’ is used for quick, “on-the-spot” decisions, whereas ‘be
going to’ is used with more premeditated ones.
Reference

CELCE-MURCIA, M.; LARSEN-FREEMAN, D. The tense and aspect

system. In: CELCE-MURCIA, M.; LARSEN-FREEMAN, D. The
grammar book: an ESL/EFL teacher’s course. Heinle & Heinle
Publishers, 1999, p. 109 – 136.
Exercises

1) Is there any difference between the sentences? Explain it.

I had finished my homework before I practiced the piano.
I finished my homework before I practiced the piano.
Exercises

1) Is there any difference between the sentences? Explain it.

I had finished my homework before I practiced the piano.
I finished my homework before I practiced the piano.
No. Both sentences have the same ordering of events. The use of
‘before’ makes the order explicit without the necessity to use the
past perfect.
Exercises

2) The word ‘since’ does not usually occur with the simple past
tense. Why do you think this is so?
3) People often associate ‘now’ with the present progressive.
What interpretations can you give to the following sentences?
He goes to the store now. / Now you’ve done it!
Exercises

2) The use of ‘since’ implies that something started at a

definite time in the past and has continued until now. This
notion is what distinguishes the present perfect from the
simple past.
3) It refers to a time when he habitually goes to the store. / It
entails a result; you did something that has a result now.
Exercises

4) What are the problems with the following sentences?

a) William has bought it last Saturday.
b) I’m believing you.
c) Help! I’ll fall!
d) When Larry will come, I will go.
e) Phyllis was lived with her parents for 20 years.
Exercises

4) What are the problems with the following sentences?

a) William has bought it last Saturday. (Specific past time)
b) I’m believing you. (Stative verbs do not normally take the
progressive)
c) Help! I’ll fall! (Will expresses future intention; be going to would
be the best option)
Exercises

4) What are the problems with the following sentences?

d) When Larry will come, I will go. (When Larry comes...)
e) Phyllis was lived with her parents for 20 years. (has lived / was
living)