THE VERB

ASPECT refers to how an event or action is to be viewed with respect to time, rather than
to its actual location in time. In other words, aspect defines how the flow of time is
viewed in the sentence
In English there are four aspects according to which the tenses can be conveniently
sorted.

1. The Progressive (or continuous) Aspect views the action in the process of happening,
being in the middle of things and not having completed it.

Ron is cooking dinner at the moment.

[He is still doing it and not finished]

2. The Perfect Aspect views the action as having been completed before another point in
time. The action is finished but may influence what follows it.

Ron has already seen this film.

[The action is completed. It may influence our present choice of what film to see, since
we don’t want Ron to see it again]

3. The Perfect-Progressive Aspect combines the qualities of the previous two. It views
the action as an ongoing one that has been going on until a certain point in time and
having been completed up to that point. They may influence what follows.

By 1996, Dona had been dieting rather seriously and subsequently lost a lot of weight.
[Dona was in an ongoing process that was completed in 1996. This influenced what
followed – the loss of weight]

4. The Simple (or Zero) Aspect does not relate to the flow of time and merely states
whether or not the action occurs.

Dona works in London.

[Simple factual statement]

TENSE is a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time. The

names for the various English verb tenses are derived when combining time with aspect.
Tenses are an expression of three major time periods:
- past
- present
- future
The PRESENT TENSE uses the verb's base form (write, work), or, for third-person
singular subjects, the base form plus an -s ending (he writes, she works).
The PRESENT TENSE indicates that an action is present, now, relative to the speaker
or writer. Generally, it is used to describe actions that are factual or habitual -- things that
occur in the present but that are not necessarily happening right now: "It rains a lot in
Portland" is a kind of timeless statement. Compare that to the present progressive -- "It is
raining in Portland" -- which means that something is, in fact, going on right now. "I use
my bike to get around town." is in the present, but I'm not actually on my bike right now.
An instantaneous sense of the present can be conveyed with either the simple present or
the progressive: "Watch him now: he holds [is holding] down the control key at the same
time that he presses [is pressing] the letter d."
The present tense is used to describe events that are scheduled (by nature or by people):
"High tide is at 3:15 p.m. The Super Bowl starts at 6:15 p.m."
The present tense can be used to suggest the past with what is sometimes called the
fictional (or historic) present: "We were watching the back door when, all of a sudden, in
walks Dierdre." With verbs of communicating, the present tense can also suggest a past
action: "Dierdre tells me that she took her brother to the dentist." Most oddly, the present
tense can convey a sense of the future, especially with verbs such as arrive, come, and
leave that suggest a kind of plan or schedule: "The train from Boston arrives this
afternoon at two o'clock."
The PRESENT PERFECT TENSE is formed with a present tense form of "to have"
plus the past participle of the verb (which can be either regular or irregular in form). This
tense indicates either that an action was completed (finished or "perfected") at some point
in the past or that the action extends to the present:
I have walked two miles already [but I'm still walking].
I have run the Boston Marathon [but that was some time ago].
The critics have praised the film Saving Private Ryan since it came out [and
they continue to do so].

The choice between Present Perfect and Simple Past is often determined by the adverbial
accompanying the verb. With adverbs referring to a period gone by, we would use the
simple past:
I studied all night/yesterday/on Wednesday.
With adverbs beginning in the past and going up to present, we would use the present
perfect:
I have studied up to now/lately/already.
An adverbial time-marker such as "today, this month," or "for an hour" can take either the
simple past or present perfect:
I worked/have worked hard today.
We tend to use the Present Perfect when reporting or announcing an event of the recent
past:
The company's current CEO has lied repeatedly to her employees.
But we tend to use the Simple Past when reporting or announcing events of the finished,
more distant past:
Washington encouraged his troops. Because the time limits for Present Perfect
are relatively elastic (stretching up to the present), it is somewhat less definite
than the Simple Past:
Brett has worked with some of the best chefs of Europe [in the course of his
long and continuing career].
Brett worked with Chef Pierre LeGout [when he lived in Paris].
The PRESENT PROGRESSIVE TENSE indicates continuing action, something going
on now. This tense is formed with the helping "to be" verb, in the present tense, plus the
present participle of the verb (with an -ing ending): "I am buying all my family's
Christmas gifts early this year. She is working through the holiday break. Dierdre is being
a really good girl in these days before Christmas".
The present progressive can suggest that an action is going to happen in the future,
especially with verbs that convey the idea of a plan or of movement from one place or
condition to another: "The team is arriving in two hours. He's moving to Portland this
summer." Because the present progressive can suggest either the present or the future, it
is usually modified by adverbs of time.
The PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE TENSE indicates a continuous action that
has been finished at some point in the past or that was initiated in the past and continues
to happen. The action is usually of limited duration and has some current relevance: "She
has been running and her heart is still beating fast." The present perfect progressive
frequently is used to describe an event of the recent past; it is often accompanied by just
in this usage: "It has just been raining."
This tense is formed with the modal "HAVE" or "HAS" (for third-person singular
subjects) plus "BEEN," plus the present participle of the verb (with an -ing ending): "I
have been working in the garden all morning. George has been painting that house for as
long as I can remember."

PAST TENSES

The PAST TENSE indicates that an action is in the past relative to the speaker or writer.
when the time period has finished: "We went to Chicago last Christmas."
when the time period is definite: "We visited Mom last week."
with for, when the action is finished: "I worked with the FBI for two months."
The PAST PERFECT TENSE indicates that an action was completed (finished or
"perfected") at some point in the past before something else happened. This tense is
formed with the past tense form of "to have" (HAD) plus the past participle of the verb
(which can be either regular or irregular in form):
I had walked two miles by lunchtime.
I had run three other marathons before entering the Boston Marathon .
The PAST PROGRESSIVE TENSE indicates continuing action, something that was
happening, going on, at some point in the past. This tense is formed with the helping "to
be" verb, in the past tense, plus the present participle of the verb (with an -ing ending):

• I was riding my bike all day yesterday.

• Joel was being a terrible role model for his younger brother.

The past progressive indicates a limited duration of time and is thus a convenient way to
indicate that something took place (in the simple past) while something else was
happening:

• Carlos lost his watch while he was running.

The past progressive can express incomplete action.
 • I was sleeping on the couch when Bertie smashed through the door.

(as opposed to the simple past, which suggests a completed action:

• I slept on the couch last night.

The past progressive is also used to poke fun at or criticize an action that is sporadic but
habitual in nature:

• Tashonda was always handing in late papers.

• My father was always lecturing my brother.

The PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE TENSE indicates a continuous action that was
completed at some point in the past. This tense is formed with the modal "HAD" plus
"BEEN," plus the present participle of the verb (with an -ing ending): "I had been
working in the garden all morning. George had been painting his house for weeks, but he
finally gave up."

FUTURE TENSES

The FUTURE TENSE indicates that an action is in the future relative to the speaker or
writer. There are no inflected forms for the future in English (nothing like those -ed or -s
endings in the other tenses). Instead, the future tense employs the helping verbs will or
shall with the base form of the verb:

• She will leave soon.

• We shall overcome.

The future is also formed with the use of a form of "go" plus the infinitive of the verb:

• He is going to faint.

English can even use the present to suggest the future tense:

• I am leaving later today."

Note that the auxiliary will can be combined with "be" and a progressive form of the
main verb to create a sense of the future that does not harbor any hint of insistence
(which is possible with the auxiliary alone). For instance, if stress is placed on the word
will in "When will you arrive?", the sentence can sound impatient, insistent. In "When
will you be arriving?" there is less of that emotional overtone.

The construction form of to be + infinitive is used to convey a sense of planning for the
future, command, or contingency.
 • There is to be an investigation into the mayor's business affairs.
• You are to be back on the base by midnight.
• If he is to pass this exam, he'll have to study harder.

To create a sense of imminent fulfillment, the word about can be combined with the
infinitive.

• He is about to die.

Other adverbs can be used in similar constructions with various effects:

• He is liable to get in trouble.

• She is certain to do well in college.

The FUTURE PERFECT TENSE indicates that an action will have been completed
(finished or "perfected") at some point in the future. This tense is formed with "will" plus
"have" plus the past participle of the verb (which can be either regular or irregular in
form): "I will have spent all my money by this time next year. I will have run
successfully in three marathons if I can finish this one."

The FUTURE PROGRESSIVE TENSE indicates continuing action, something that

will be happening, going on, at some point in the future. This tense is formed with the
modal "will" plus "be," plus the present participle of the verb (with an -ing ending): "I
will be running in next year's Boston Marathon. Our campaign plans suggest that the
President will be winning the southern vote by November. "

The FUTURE PERFECT PROGRESSIVE TENSE indicates a continuous action that

will be completed at some point in the future. This tense is formed with the modal
"WILL" plus the modal "HAVE" plus "BEEN" plus the present participle of the verb
(with an -ing ending): "Next Thursday, I will have been working on this project for three
years."

Another related grammatical concept here is mood. Mood (or mode) regards the
relationship of the verb with reality and intent. While other languages have different verb
forms for the same tenses in different moods, English does not get too complicated with
moods. Some regard English as having the following four moods:

1. The Indicative Mood regards the action as actually occurring in reality, as a matter of
fact. All the tenses mentioned above are in the indicative mood, which is the most
prevalent in English.

2. The Imperative Mood states requests, orders, and strong suggestions.

Go there now! Do not postpone this any longer!
3. The Conditional Mood regards the action as not factually occurring in reality, but only
as a result of a potential fulfillment of some condition.

• • The Present Conditional (would+base verb) expresses hypothetical results,

reporting what someone said, and in polite speech.
• If I won the lottery, I would go on a trip around the world.
• • The Past Conditional (would+ have+ past participle form of the verb)
expresses hypothetical outcomes that may have occurred in the past and can no
longer be achieved.
• If you had told me about the party, I would have come with you (but you didn’t).

4. The Subjunctive Mood expresses desires, wishes, and assumptions that are not
necessarily to be fulfilled in reality. It is used in specific figures of speech and is of little
use in Modern English.

• I demand that she leave at once!

• If only you were here!
• If that be the case, than…