Lesson #6: Aspect

What is aspect?
• Aspect is another type of inflection that
adds some extra meaning to the verb
phrase.
• English has four aspects: simple,
progressive, perfect, and perfect
progressive. We will now examine how
each works.
 The simple
The simple aspect is unmarked. That means
that no auxilaries or word endings (suffixes)
are needed to express this aspect.
Present tense simple aspect: My family eats a
lot of lentils. The idea conveyed is that this is a usual or
habitual activity.
Past tense simple aspect: My Labrador
retriever chased a rabbit yesterday. The idea
conveyed is the idea that this chasing happened and is now
over and done with.
 The progressive (sometimes called “the
continuous” by British people).

The progressive is formed with a form of the

verb “be” used as an auxiliary and the lexical
verb in the form of the -ing participle.
• Present tense progressive aspect: My family
is eating some lentils. The idea conveyed is that this
action is happening right now.
• Past tense progressive aspect: My Labrador
retriever was chasing a rabbit yesterday when
he ran into the train. The idea conveyed is that the
chasing was ongoing when some other activity (the running into
the train) interrupted this chasing.
 The perfect
The perfect is formed with a form of the verb
“have” used as an auxiliary and the use of the
past participle for the lexical verb.
• Present tense perfect aspect: My family has eaten a
lot of lentils since we became vegans. The idea conveyed is
that this is an activity that started in the past (at the point we
became vegans) and continues as a habitual activity.
• Past tense perfect aspect: My Labrador retriever had
chased a rabbit down a hole before I could stop him. The idea
conveyed is that this chasing happened before some other thing
in the past (the attempt at stopping him) happened.
 The perfect progressive
The perfect progressive is formed with a form of the verb “have”
used as an auxiliary, followed by the past participle of “be” --
been -- (that’s the perfect part), followed by the lexical verb in
the -ing participle form (that’s the progressive part).
• Present tense perfect progressive aspect. Waiter! My family has
been eating lentils for the last twenty minutes and we’re ready for the
second course now please! The idea conveyed is that the activity
started in the past and continues through the present -- right now.
• Past tense perfect progressive aspect. My Labrador retriever had been
chasing a rabbit when suddenly he ran into a porcupine. The idea
conveyed is that the activity of chasing started before the second
activity running into the porcupine and was interrupted by the second
activity.
 Some Cautionary Notes
• Remember there are only two tenses in
English. Often, however, you will hear
English teachers say, “Present Perfect
Progressive Tense.” This is wrong.
The tense is the present, but the aspect
is the progressive. Get in the habit of
saying, “Present Tense Perfect
Progressive Aspect.”
 Exercise
Watch this video to see how the present
tense/progressive (continuous) aspect is
often taught. What should the viewer/learner
understand about the present
tense/progressive aspect from this video?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=MdPOnvRwSZw
 Exercise
• This is an online grammar tutorial for
ESL/EFL learners of English. The purpose is
to contrast the present tense/simple aspect
with the present tense/progressive aspect.
There are some tricky questions!

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs2.
htm