Hello Children,
Let us understand the meaning of an Aspect:
Aspect is a form of action or category that indicates factors related to time, such as completion, duration, or repetition of an action. When used as an adjective, it varies.
In other words, it is determined whether an action expresses a fact, an ongoing action, a completed action, or the end of an ongoing action. This is a simpler idea than it sounds.
Four Aspects of a Verb
Here are some more examples of the four aspects:
(1) Simple Aspect. The simple fact reveals the truth.
- John fished in the sea. (This aspect is also known as the indefinite aspect.)
(2) Perfect Aspect. A positive feature indicates a completed action
- John had caught two mackerel before the seals arrived. (This aspect is also known as the complete aspect.)
(3) Progressive Aspect. The continuous feature indicates continuous action.
- John was fishing when the seals arrived. (This aspect is also known as the continuing aspect.
(4) Perfect Progressive Aspect. A positive continuous feature indicates the end of a continuous action.
- John had been fishing successfully before the seals arrived.
Examples of Aspect
Here are some examples of the four aspects in sentences. These four examples are all in the past tense.
- He took the photos.
(This is a simple feature. There is no emphasis on whether the action is completed or continuing.)
- He had taken the photos by the time the owner arrived.
(This is the right thing to do, emphasizing that the action was completed.)
- He was taking the photos when the owner arrived.
(This is an ongoing process. It emphasizes that the action was ongoing.)
- He had been taking the photos before the owner arrived.
(This is a good aspect to keep going. It emphasizes that the action continued but then ended.)
These sentences are all in the past tense, but they all have a different aspect. Remember that we need aspect to tell us whether the action was on going or completed.
Why Should I Care about Aspect?
Tenses do not tell us simply whether something is past, present, or future. And they tell us whether the action is normal, completed, or ongoing. That is part of the crisis. If you are learning or teaching English, you should spend time getting to know the various times and aspects because the accuracy of the transfer when something happens and whether the work is in progress or completed is a basic communication skill.