Contrastive Research on Tense and Aspect in English Present Perfect and Korean Past Tense Affix '-었-' - Centered on Contextual Time

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to gain a rather thorough understanding of English tense through a contrastive analysis and research on English present perfect and Korean past tense affix '-었-.' The study discusses the meaning of time and tense and the different usages of the two separate tenses, present perfect tense and past tense and their exceptions. Furthermore, it explores context, which is a crucial determining factor in tense, and identifies which tense is selected in different implications of the utterance. The result of the study reveals that the verb in a sentence is chosen based on the corresponding context and it expresses the implications of the speaker's intent. Based on the theoretical considerations, this study attempts to provide help to learners faced with difficulty making choice between present perfect and past tense both in English and in Korean.