Tense-Aspect Combinations in English

Present Perfect

• Present Perfect is NOT just another way to express past action. It is NOT the same as Simple Past.
• There are FOUR different types of meaning:
• A “box” of time
• Experience
• Results
• Immediate past
• …however, we should remember…

Present Perfect

• Present Perfect of RESULT (Type 3) is almost always interchangeable with SIMPLE PAST.
• Present Perfect of Type 1, 2, and 4 are NOT interchangeable with SIMPLE PAST. The meanings are usually quite different.
• end of present perfect

Past Perfect

• Form: had + V3
• Meaning/use: To emphasize that one past action occurred earlier than another.
• (“Past” is the tense; “perfect” is the aspect.)

Past Perfect

• Past Perfect generally requires TWO actions in the past.
• If you use Past Perfect with only ONE past action, you usually have a mistake.
• Past Perfect emphasizes which of two actions is earlier. Sometimes, native speakers will use Simple Past instead of Past Perfect if the meaning is clear and cannot be confused.

Past Perfect

• When Susan arrived at the party, all of the food had already been eaten.
• I had studied at the university before I went on a mission.
• I studied at the university before I went on a mission.
• Note: The third sentence has essentially the same meaning as the second. Because there is no confusion about which action occurred first, native speakers may use Simple Past as a shortcut, instead of Past Perfect.

Past Perfect

• I came downstairs at six o’clock to see if Santa Claus had visited our house. The cookies and milk that I had left for him had not been touched.
• Note:
• Usually, Past Perfect is used with TWO actions in the SAME SENTENCE. However, the actions can appear in different sentences if the time relationship is clear.

Fa04, W05, Su05 Fa05, Wi06, Sp06, Fa06, Wi07, Fa07, Wi08, Su08, Fa08, Fst09, Fst 11