Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate the need for a pragmatic approach of choice between interchangeable tenses. In general, particular types of tense-aspect combinations seem fixed in English grammar level. However, from a pragmatic point of view, their boundary may be blurred and tied to a three-dimensional perspective. From the survey-based analysis of native and korean non-native speakers, the major findings are shown as follows; 1) Present Perfect or Past Perfect can be replaced with Simple Past by native speakers. 2) Tense-extension between adjacent tenses implies the resilient characteristic, which allows language users to make a flexible choice. 3) The pairing-relation of Present Perfect and particular time-adverbials (i.e., since, until now, for, so far) shows the mismatch in real language-use unlike the concept described in the Korean version of English grammar textbooks. Accordingly, tense-choice should be recognized not by a grammatical category but from a pragmatic lens. For this reason, the shift from a grammatical category to pragmatic dimension might be needed for both Korean English teachers and Korean English learners.
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