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Learning outcomes

  • identify tense and aspect in sentence forms
  • choose verb forms using time markers
  • avoid common tense consistency errors

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Tense vs aspect

  • Tense: locates action in time (present/past/future).
  • Aspect: shows action type (ongoing, completed, repeated).

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Core aspect patterns

  • Simple: habitual/fact
    • “She writes.”
  • Progressive: ongoing
    • “She is writing.”
  • Perfect: completed with relevance
    • “She has written.”
  • Perfect progressive: duration up to a point
    • “She has been writing for two hours.”

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Time markers and likely forms

  • now, currently -> progressive often
  • since, for -> perfect/perfect progressive often
  • yesterday, last year -> past forms
  • already, just -> present/past perfect context-based

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Exam hints and traps

  • Match auxiliary with participle correctly (has gone, not has went).
  • Do not mix time marker and wrong tense.
    • wrong: “He has gone yesterday.”
  • Keep tense consistency across related clauses unless time shift is intended.

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Quick practice

  1. Fill verb: “She ___ (read) now.”
  2. Fill verb: “They ___ (finish) the work already.”
  3. Correct: “I am knowing the answer.”
  4. Choose correct:
    • A) He has seen her yesterday.
    • B) He saw her yesterday.
Answer key:
  1. is reading
  2. have finished
  3. “I know the answer.”
  4. B