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.

In the Present Tense

I have gone.
We have cleaned.
It has recovered.

In the Future Tense

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.

Forming the Present Complete Tense

"has" or "have" + past participle

He has eaten.
We have eaten.

Forming the Future Complete Tense

"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

Interactive Exercise

Here are three randomly selected questions from a larger exercise, which can be edited and printed to create exercise worksheets.

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