Verb Aspects

Secara Silviana

Tipuri de modernitate in spatiul anglofon si francofon, an 1

The Aspect

is a grammatical category of verbs which implies the duration

of the action or of the state it expresses.

Indefinite or common aspect Continuous or progressive aspect Frequentative aspect

Some grammarians add another aspect: includes all perfect tenses.

the Perfective aspect,

which

The indefinite aspect

denotes an action without stressing the idea

that it develops in time. It stresses the idea that the action is complete.

The continuous aspect

is always formed of a tense of the

auxiliary verb to be and the indefinite participle of the verb to be conjugated. It does not describe the whole event. The continuous aspect indicates an action or a state in progress at a given moment. There are some cases when the continuous aspect is not used: The verb to be is used in the continuous aspect only to express a temporary state: He is being mean to us. Verbs of perception (to see, to hear, to smell, to taste)

Verbs like to smell, to taste, to fell may be used in continuous forms when they imply a voluntary action: I am smelling the flower. I smell your perfume.

 dislike.

Verbs denoting feelings, attitudes: to like, to hate, to love, to prefer, to

Sometimes, to denote temporary feelings, some of them may be used in continuous forms: Im loving your painting. Verbs expressing wish: to wish, to want, to desire: I wish to see the film. Verbs expressing mental activities: to know, to think, to understand, to believe. I think you are right. (Cred ca ai dreptate.) I am thinking of you. (Ma gandesc la tine.) Therefore, when the verb to think means a gandi it may be used in continuous form. Auxiliary verbs, link verbs, modal verbs and also verbs like to belong, to

possess, to owe, etc. He has a phone. When these verbs imply a certain emotional force they may be used in continuous forms, but usually accompanied by adverbs like always, forever. You are always keeping secrets from me!

The frequentative aspect

Will/would + short infinitive When the cats away, the mice will play.

denotes a repeated action.

This part of speech, which is the verb, is a very complex matter and aspect comprises all moods and tenses. Regarding the indicative mood, the following chart summarizes tenses used in indefinite aspect and continuous aspect.

Indefinite Aspect, Indicative Mood

I

Present Indefinite Present Perfect Indefinite Past Tense Indefinite Past Perfect Indefinite Indefinite future Future Perfect Indefinite

Continuous Aspect, Indicative Mood Present Continuous Present Perfect Continuous Past Continuous Past Perfect Continuous Future Continuous Future Perfect Continuous
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Regarding Conditional mood, there are tenses which are used in indefinite aspect and others used in continuous aspect. In indefinite aspect we encounter: Present Conditional and Past Conditional. Tenses like Conditional Present Continuous and Past Conditional Continuous are used in continuous aspect. Present Conditional denotes an action whose fulfillment depends on the fulfillment of a condition. Past Conditional denotes an action whose fulfillment depended on the fulfillment of a condition. The Conditional Present Continuous denotes an action in progress while Past Conditional Continuous denotes an action in progress in the past.

Indefinite Aspect, Conditional Mood

Present Conditional
Should/would + short infinitive I should ask.

s
Past Conditional
Should/would + short perfect infinitive I should have written.

Continuous Aspect, Conditional Mood

Present Conditional Continuous
conditional present of to be + infinitive participle I should be writing.

Past Conditional Continuous

conditional past of to be + indefinite participle I would have been writing if I had not been so busy. The Subjunctive mood is mainly represented by the following forms: Present Subjunctive, Past Subjunctive and Perfect Subjunctive. They are in indefinite aspect.

Indefinite Aspect, Subjunctive Mood

Present Subjunctive
Short infinitive Long live the queen!

Perfect Subjunctive
HAD + past participle I would have learnt if I had been you.

Past Subjunctive
2nd form of the verb I would learn if I were you. 6

Aspect is to be found also in non-finite verbal forms like infinitive. For example, the verb to go has the form of long infinitive, indefinite aspect, while the form to be going is used in continuous aspect. Next, the listeners will be grouped into six teams. Each team receives two tenses (Present Tense Indefinite, Present Tense Continuous/ Present Perfect Indefinite, Present Perfect Continuous, etc.) and they have to mention when are the tenses used, emphasizing the main difference between them, as well as their forms. Present Tense Indefinite refers to: general truths or statements (Water boils at 100oC) habitual actions: I often read a good novel. permanent state or characteristic: He lives in London.

Present Tense Continuous is used: to denote actions of short duration: What are you reading now?

to denote actions or states stressing the idea of repetition: He is always doing that. to show an action that occurs at the moment of speaking: I am watching TV. To refer to a future action: I am leaving you.

Present Perfect Tense is used: to denote an action that began in the past and may still go on at the moment

of speaking: I have opened the book. Present Perfect Continuous is used: to denote an action that began in the past, and continues in the present but stressing the idea of duration: I have been waiting you for twenty minutes. Past Tense Indefinite is used: to express actions that happened in the past: I wrote a short story yesterday.

Past Tense Continuous is used:

 came home.

to express a continuous action in the past: I was watching TV when she

Past Perfect Indefinite is used to denote an action begun and finished in the past, before another action in the past: He wrote his homework after he had finished the classes. Past Perfect Continuous is used to denote continuous actions in the past before another action in the past: She had been writing for two hours when her mother came. Indefinite Future is used to express an action in the future: I will keep my promises. Future Continuous denotes an action in progress in the future: Tomorrow I will be working all day long. Future Perfect Indefinite expresses an action that will occur in the future before another future moment, or an action begun before a future moment and still going on at that future moment: We will have known each other for two months by the end of the year. Future Perfect Continuous denotes an action begun before a given moment in the future and continuing: When you come back, I will have been waiting for you for more than half an hour.

Present Indefinite or Present Continuous?

Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect Continuous? 9

Which of the Past Tenses? Rewrite the following text, making the necessary tense changes:

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Future Indefinite, Future Perfect Indefinite or Future Perfect Continuous? 11

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Therefore, the category of aspect is a very complex grammar matter, because it includes all tenses in English. Knowing when to use these tenses requires a lot of practice.

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Bibliography
Claudia, Leah, 2006, Elemente de Morfologie Engleza, Editura Universitatii din Oradea. Betty, Schrampfer Azar, 2003, Fundamentals of English Grammar, 3rd edition, Longman Press. Elaine, Walker, Steve, Elsworth, 2000, Grammar Practice, Longman Press.

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