What Is the Complete Aspect? (with Examples)
What Is the Complete Aspect? (with Examples)
The complete aspect (or perfect aspect as it's more commonly known) is the aspect of a verb that expresses a completed action.Complete aspect is the collective term for verbs (past, present, or future) in a complete tense (or perfect tense).
Examples of Verbs in the Complete Aspect
Here are some examples of verbs in the complete aspect:In the Past Tense
- I had gone.
- They had eaten.
- She had felt.
- I have gone.
- We have cleaned.
- It has recovered.
- I will have gone.
- You will have acted.
- He will have flown.
Forming the Complete Aspect
The complete aspect is formed using a form of the auxiliary verb have and the past participle. For example:Forming the Past Complete Tense
"had" + past participle
- They had eaten.
"has" or "have" + past participle
- He has eaten.
- We have eaten.
"will have" + past participle
- He will have eaten.
Verb Tenses Showing the Complete Aspect
Here is a list of the verb tenses. The ones in the complete aspect are shaded.| The 4 Past Tenses | Example |
|---|---|
| simple past tense | I went |
| past progressive tense | I was going |
| past perfect tense | I had gone |
| past perfect progressive tense | I had been going |
| The 4 Present Tenses | Example |
| simple present tense | I go |
| present progressive tense | I am going |
| present perfect tense | I have gone |
| present perfect progressive tense | I have been going |
| The 4 Future Tenses | Example |
| simple future tense | I will go |
| future progressive tense | I will be going |
| future perfect tense | I will have gone |
| future perfect progressive tense | I will have been going |
See Also
perfect aspect What is aspect? What is the perfect tense? What is the past perfect tense? What is the present complete tense? What is the future present tense? Glossary of grammatical terms
