Aspect

&
Present and Past Perfect
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Aspect Defined
Aspect is a concept that we use to talk about a
special feature of verb meaning. The idea is
that verbs are not just about time (past, present,
future) but about other kinds of meanings, too.
One type of aspectual meaning involves a sense
of completion--or a lack of completion. For
example, "I'm typing this information right
now" uses the present progressive form which
combines present tense with progressive
aspect. The meaning is that the typing is not
finished. I'm telling you that the typing is in
progress. So, the present progressive verb
phrase combines both "present time" and "lack
of completion."
Sometimes the verb means something about
times in relationship to each other--that
meaning involves perfect aspect, one of the
most difficult of grammar concepts for us to
explain and for our students to learn.
Present and Past Perfect Verb Phrases
We use verbs in the perfect forms to put two
times in relationship to each other, saying that
one of the times is before the other time. That
concept seems to be easiest to grasp in
examples with past perfect: