Questions tagged [aspect]

General issues about verb aspect, perfective, continuous, etc.

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How many tenses are there in English?

Do we have 16 tenses in English? With future present past future in the past in these forms simple continuous perfect perfect continuous Can we manipulate these together to create English tenses? ...
Mohammad Rafiee's user avatar
47 votes
6 answers
8k views

Please, don't - I'm not

“Please, don't mock me.” “Oh, no, I don't! I’m not! I'm completely serious about that.” This is a correction I received from a proofreader of my story. How does that work? What happens here so ...
SF.'s user avatar
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27 votes
2 answers
3k views

Whose tense is it, anyway?

I have questions which perhaps should be posted to Linguistics.SE; but since my primary concern is to discover what terminology in discussing English grammar and usage on ELU (and in similar contexts),...
StoneyB on hiatus's user avatar
9 votes
3 answers
55k views

Is the tense called “Present Progressive” or “Present Continuous”?

What is the correct term used to describe this tense in English — Present Progressive or Present Continuous? I see both terms used in grammar books.
kevan's user avatar
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8 votes
2 answers
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Q: Why isn't he answering? A: 1) He must have already slept 2) ... must have been sleeping? [closed]

I didn't reply to a ping in the chatroom. The English enthusiast suggested this about me at the time: He must have already slept. Hours (and dreams) later, I came back, I saw the above sentence, ...
Jim Reynolds's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
3k views

Is “attempt” a durative or a punctual verb?

I think it’s punctual because an attempt in my view is a specific action and not a process, but I’d appreciate your thoughts on it.
fay's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
259 views

Verb aspect for "be" preceding participle in AAVE

In many dialects of African-American Vernacular English, I understand the following two constructions to carry different aspects: Mama doing laundry. Mama be doing laundry. What is the change ...
brainchild's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
29k views

"Would you mind if I use" vs. "would you mind if I used" [duplicate]

Would you mind if I use/used your mobile? One of my friends said used is wrong here. But I think it's grammatical. Who is right?
Sudhir's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
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"When I last saw him he was dying, but now you'd hardly know he'd been ill"

The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, page 122, reads He was dying is an implicature because of the possibility of cancellation, as in When I last saw him he was dying, but now you would ...
GJC's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
286 views

Past perfect simple - strange usage

By definition, past perfect simple tense "expresses an action taking place before a certain time in the past". I have a hard time to understand why Terry Pratchett used it in the sentence: "The ...
tucna's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
784 views

A since-clause in present tense marking off a period of time

Question: In English, can you use a present tense since-clause to mark off a period that starts at some time in the past and continues to and includes the present? Background: Unfortunately, my ...
Catomic's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
451 views

Use of the present perfect for repetitive actions

I've already searched a lot on the web, but still can't figure out one specific example. For instance: Mary has been to England twice. Alice has been to the cinema twice this week. (= The week is ...
Sam Farjamirad's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
117 views

Progessive or simple aspect?

Is he still smoking? vs Does he still smoke? Which aspect would be correct, progessive or simple? In my opinion, the first question sounds somehow better, however, I think the second question is ...
rena's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
409 views

Is “he should be seventeen” correct?

Is the following sentence correct to describe a young man? He should be seventeen. My colleague was absolutely sure it was correct. I disagreed, so we had a bit of an argument. I would agree on ...
Emmamarie's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
1k views

"stuck" vs "sticking" vs "stick" - Why is this third sentence weird? Issue of: Participles or Aspects?

Lots of people have his photo stuck on their wall. Lots of people have his photo sticking on their wall. Lots of people have his photo stick on their wall. The third sentence doesn't necessarily ...
StuckPleaseHelp's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
8k views

"Before it was too late" vs. "before it would be too late"

What is the difference between the sentences below? Mary decided to get pregnant before it was too late. Mary decided to get pregnant before it would be too late.
galia Hatav's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
591 views

AAVE grammar: Difference between "continue to/keep on" vs "steady"

For those who are speakers of AAVE or those who are relatively learned in this area, could someone explain to me the context in which one would use "steady" as an aspectual marker, and its ...
Josh's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
137 views

What is the grammar of "CJ Dennis had 2 edit suggestions approved"?

I'm trying to explain the grammar of CJ Dennis had 2 edit suggestions approved to other people, however, the more I try to explain it, the more confused I get about it myself. The context is from ...
CJ Dennis's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
3k views

Aspect (simple, perfect and progressive): What are the differences?

Could you please explain to me the differences between the simple, progressive and perfect aspects. "Simple aspect" means completed action (action starts and finishes) but I don't really understand ...
jango's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
493 views

is + past participle

What would be the correct name for the following formula: is + past participle. Would this be the present perfect? An example sentence would be- The meat is stored in the freezer.
Joseph Michael's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
48 views

"love" as a punctual verb [closed]

I'm familiar with the verb "love" as a durative and stative verb. It's common to say "I love you," for example. However, I am wondering whether it's possible for "love" ...
Apollyon's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
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Does "How do you know?" have the inchoative aspect?

In English, a verb that expresses a state can also express the entrance into a state. This is called inchoative aspect. Would a sentence like "How do you know me?" have the inchoative aspect? I think ...
Joe's user avatar
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0 votes
0 answers
38 views

How can I determine the aspect of a participle clause like this "A person parking a car in an illegal place will be arrested."

(1)A person parking a car in an illegal place will be arrested. Which is true, (A) or (B)? How can I determine the aspect of participle clause like this. (A) The rule (1) applies only to those who ...
Aki's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
19 views

The aspect of psychological resultatives

Take a look at the psychological resultatives: (1) a. Facebook’s apps have annoyed me into not using them. b. The lines of the prose are what fascinated me into making the painting. c. Staff did not ...
Arek's user avatar
  • 31
0 votes
1 answer
34 views

What is the tense/modality of these two sentences? [duplicate]

He be like “I know a spot” and then drag you through miles and miles of forest to show you a tiny meadow. From Reddit Tora be getting impatient. * wink* From top comments on Webtoon I know this is ...
Jenny's user avatar
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0 votes
0 answers
74 views

The use of the future tense for describing one's usual routines [duplicate]

In this video at 5 minute and 50 seconds, for reasons unknown to me, a speaker used the future tense for describing his usual routine. So in the assistance portion of my workout, I will choose row ...
Dmytro O'Hope's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
15 views

aspect(perfective or imperfective) [duplicate]

In CGEL page no.126 "I already knew how to do it."[Tr included within Tsit]..., if Tr is internal part within Tsit so this shows imperfective aspect.., is this right or wrong? And also 1) I knew how ...
ram's user avatar
  • 29
0 votes
0 answers
39 views

aspectuality(perfective or imperfective) [duplicate]

In CGEL page no.126 "I already knew how to do it."[Tr included within Tsit]..., if Tr is internal part within Tsit so this shows imperfective aspectuality.., is this right or wrong?
ram's user avatar
  • 29
-1 votes
2 answers
850 views

Using 'will' vs. 'would' in this sentence

I'd like to know which one of the following is correct: I would like to have a job which I will like and which will earn me a lot of money. I would like to have a job which I would like and ...
Lukas Z.'s user avatar