Tense and Aspect Systems

Simple

AUX -> { {TM} (pm) (perf) (prog) -imper} The auxiliary of a non-imperative English sentence must have

either a modal or a tense marker It may have several optional components: phrasal modals, perfect

aspect, and progressive aspect

The four aspects – simple (sometimes called zero aspect, perfect, progressive, and perfect progressive.

Simple Perfect Progressive Perfect Progressive

ø Have+ (-en) Be _ (-ing) Have + (-en) be+ (-ing)

Present Write/writesWalk/walks

Has/have writtenHas/have walked

Am/is/are writingAm/is/are walking

Has/have been writingHas/have been walking

Past WroteWalked

Had writtenHad walked

Was/were writingWas/were walking

Had been writingHad been walking

Future Will writeWill walk

Will have writtenWill have walked

Will be writingWill be walking

Will have been writingWill have been walking

The traditional 12 tenses are actually 12 combinations of tense and aspect

The simple present remains in its base form with one exception – the third person singular form, which is made by adding an –s to the verb (writes,walks).

The present perfect is formed with the verb have (has for the 3rd person singular) and the past participle, here symbolizes by –en.

The present progressive form combine a form of the be verb depending on the person and number of the subject, with the present participle, an –ing form.

The past perfect form is made with the past form of the have verb followed by the past participle of the main verb.

We use the modal will since there is no future tense that appears as a marking on the verb in English.

Simple Aspect

Susan and Carl live in Newark.

Susan and Carl are living in Newark.

The simple present in the first sentence presents the fact that Susan and Carl live in Newark as a whole event, not allowing for further development, and with no suggestion of change.

The present progressive in the second sentence suggests that their living in Newark may be temporary, thus allowing for the possibility of change.

Simple Present Tense

The present tense conveys immediate factuality

I skim the New York Times at breakfast. The earth rotates around the sun. My mother loves daisies. It is a beautiful day.a. Habitual actions in the present:

He walks to school everyday.

b. General timeless truths,, such as physical laws or customs:

Spaniards eat dinner late.

c. With be and other stative verbs to indicate states:

There is a large house on the corner.

d. Expresses future:

I have a meeting next Wednesday at that time.

e. Present event/action:

Now I add three eggs to the mixture.

f. Present speech acts:

I resign from the commission.

Simple Past Tense

The simple past also states facts.

The Toronto Blue Jays won the world series in 1992.

a. A definite single completed event/action in the past:

I attended a meeting of that committee last week.

b. Habitual action in the past:

It snowed almost every weekend last winter.

c. An event with duration that applied in the past with the implication that it no longer applies in the present:

Professor Nelson taught at Yale for 30 years.

d. With states in the past:

He appeared to be a creative genius.

e. Social distancing:

Did you want to sit down and stay a while?

Simple Future Tense with will

Simple future is used when the event is conceptualized as a whole.

One difference in its core meaning is that events in the future time cannot be factually knowable in the same way as those in the past present can.

We will cover the first half of the book this term. We will never know what cures tropical plants possess if we don’t

become serious about preserving the forests in which they grow.

Will ahs other meaning as well , and these are dealt with in the chapter on modals.

a. An action to take place at some definite future time:Joel will take the bar exam next month.

b. A future habitual action or state:After October, judy will take the 7:30 train to Chicago every day.

c. In the main clause of future conditionals:If you go, you’ll be sorry.

Simple aspect allows us to talk about events as not open to development or change and to make factual statements or strong predictions about them.

Perfect Aspect

The core meaning of ‘perfect’ is prior, and it is used in relation to some other point in time.

Have you done your homework?

The past perfect offers a retrospective point of view on some past time:

He had left before I arrived.

Present perfect

a. A situation that began at a prior point in time and continues into the present:

I have been a teacher since 1967.

b. An action occurring or not occurring at an unspecified prior time that has current relevance

I have already seen that movie.

c. Very recently completed action:Mort has just finished his homework.

d. With verbs in subordinate clauses of time or condition:She won’t be satisfied until she has finished another

chapter.

If you have done your homework, you can watch TV.

Past Perfect

a. An action completed in the past prior to some other past events or time:

He had already left before I could offer him a ride.She had worked at the post office before 1962.

b. Imaginative conditional in the subordinate clause:

If Sally had studied harder, she would have passed the exam.

Future Perfect

a. A future action that will be completed prior to a specific future time:

I will have finished all this word processing by 5 P.M.

b. A state or accomplishment 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

Is imperative, meaning that it portrays an event in a way that allows for it to be incomplete, or somehow limited.

Susan and Carl are living in Newark.

In contrast with an ongoing state:

Susan and carl live in Newark.

Present Progressive

a. Activity in progress:

He is attending a meeting now.

b. Extended present:I’m studying geology at the university of Colorado.

c. A Temporary situation:Phyllis is living with her parents.

d. Repetition in a series of similar ongoing actions:Henry is kicking the soccer ball around the backyard.

e. Expresses future:She’s coming tomorrow.

f. Emotional comment on present habit: He’s always delivering in a clutch situation.

Past progressive

a. An action in progress at a specific point of time in the past:He was walking to school at 8:30 this morning.

b. Past action simultaneous with some other eventr that is usually stated in the simple past:

Karen was washing her hair when the phone rang.c. Repetition of some ongoing past action:

Jake was coughing all night going.

d. Social distancing:I was hoping you could lend me $10

Future progressive

a. An action that will be in progress at a specific time in the future:He will be taking a test at 8 A.M. tomorrow.

b. Duration of some specific future action:Mavis will be working on her thesis for the next three years.

Perfect Progressive Aspect

Present Perfect Progressive

a. A situation or habit that began in the past and that continues up to the present:

Burt has been going out with Alice.b. An action in progress that is not yet completed:

I have been reading that book.

c. A state that changes over time:The students have been getting better and better.

d. An evaluative comment on something observed over time triggered by current evidence:

You’ve been drinking again!

Past Perfect Progressive

a. An action taking place over a period of time in the past prior to some other past event or time:

Carol had been working hard, so her doctor told her to take a vacation.

b. A past action in progress that was interrupted by a more recent past action:

We had been planning to vacation in Maine, but changed our minds after receiving the brochure on Nova Scotia.

c. An ongoing past action or state that becomes satisfied by some other event:

I had been wanting to see that play, so I was pleased when I won the tickets.

Future Perfect Progressive

Durative action that is taking place in the present and that will continue into the future up until or through a specific future time:

On Christmas Eve we will have been living in the same house for 20 years.

He will have been keeping a journal for 10 years next month.