Masterclass on English Tenses

Introduction

• Focus: Understanding English tenses through the concept of character.
• Structure: Tenses consist of time and aspect.
• Objective: Understand the importance of aspects in English tenses.

Tenses and Time

• Recognized times in languages:
  • Past
  • Present
  • Future

Aspects of Verbs

• Definition: Aspect is the character of a verb, adding extra information and reflecting the speaker's perception.
• Main Aspects:
  • Simple
  • Continuous
  • Perfect

Simple Aspect

• Nature: Technically not a true aspect as it does not modify verb meaning, only form.
• Use Cases:
  • Long-term General Truth: E.g., "I like studying English."
  • Instantaneous Action: E.g., "I now pronounce you man and wife."
  • Habitual Action: E.g., "I woke up every day at 6am last year."

Continuous Aspect

• Formation: "be" + verb + ing
• Focus: Duration of an event.
• Characteristics:
  • Temporariness
  • Unfinishedness/In-progress-ness
• Examples:
  • Action happening at the moment: "I'm making a video right now."
  • Action around a certain time: "Before we met, I was living in Scotland."
  • Simultaneous action: "When you get home, I'll be working in the office."

Perfect Aspect

• Formation: "have" + past participle
• Focus: Bridging and connecting events between different times.
• Examples:
  • Relevant past event: "I've loved you since I first met you."
  • Future actions: "I will have gone to the gym by the time you get home."
  • Habitual past actions: "My father had started work at nine o'clock every day for the last 20 years."

Perfect Continuous Aspect

• Formation: "have" + been + verb + ing
• Combination: Merges forms and meanings of perfect and continuous aspects.
• Focus: Actions/events with duration relevant to multiple time periods.

Conclusion

• Key Takeaway: Understanding the character of verbs through their aspects helps in mastering tenses.
• Further Resources: Visit bbclearningenglish.com for more information.

• Presenter: Dan
• Final Note: Emphasize the concept of character in tenses, not to feel tense about them.