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Cambridge Grammar of English -
Carter & McCarthy (2006CARTER, Ronald; MCCARTHY, Michael. 2006. Cambridge Grammar of English: a comprehensive guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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With the progressive aspect, the focus is principally on the duration of the event. It may therefore be used to indicate that something is ongoing, unfinished, or that it is extended but temporary. It may indicate that something is/was/will be in progress when something else happens/happened. In other words, the focus is not on the starting or finishing point of an event, but on the event as seen from its centre. (p. 412) |
Perfect aspect is concerned with the speaker’s perspective on the relationship between one time frame and an event that takes place in another time frame. An event which took place in the past may be seen as relevant to the present moment. Likewise, an event due to take place in the future may be seen as linked to the present moment. (p. 415) |
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| Examples: |
Examples: |
| Why is he smiling like that? (present tense) |
They have changed the time. (have is present) |
| Why was he smiling like that? (past tense) |
They had changed the time. (had is past) |
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The Oxford English Grammar -
Greenbaum (1996GREENBAUM, Sidney. 1996. The Oxford English Grammar. New York: Oxford University Press.
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The progressive aspect primarily focuses on the duration of the situation. (p. 254) |
The perfect aspect is primarily used to place the time of one situation relative to the time of another situation. |
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| Example: |
Example: |
| I have written many times before now. |
I am writing a letter to my parents. |
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A Grammar of Contemporary English -
Quirk et al (1980QUIRK, Randolph et al. A grammar of Contemporary English. Harlow: Longman, 9th ed., 1980.
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“Progressive aspect indicates temporariness - an action in progress instead of the occurrence of an action or the existence of a state.” (p. 92) |
“The present perfect indicates a period of time stretching backwards into some earlier time. It is past with ‘current relevance’. (…) The choice of perfective aspect is associated with time-orientation and consequently also with various time-indicators (lately, since, so far, etc).” (p.91) |
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“The past perfect has the meaning of past-in-the-past.” (p.92) |
| Examples: |
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| Joan is singing well. |
Examples: |
| Joan was singing well. |
John has lived in Paris for ten years. |
| His sister has been an invalid all her life (i.e. she is still alive). |
| For generations, Nepal has produced the world’s greatest soldiers (i.e. the nation of Nepal must stilll exist). |
| Peter has injured his ankle but now it's still bad. |
| John had lived in Paris for ten years (when I met him). |
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Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English -
Biber et al (1999BIBER, Douglas et al. 1999. Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English. Harlow: Pearson Education.
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“The progressive aspect designates an event or state of affairs which is in progress, or continuing, at the time indicated by the rest of the verb phrase.” (p. 460) |
“The perfect aspect designates events or states taking place during a period leading up to the specified time.” (p. 460) |
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| Examples: |
Examples: |
| Progressive aspect present tense |
Perfect aspect present tense |
| I’m looking for an employee of yours. (Fiction) |
We have written to Mr Steven, but he has ignored our letters (News) |
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| Progressive aspect past tense |
Perfect aspect past tense |
| I was just coming back from Witham. (Conversation) |
He had seen him picking purses (Fiction) |
