PERFECT. A term for an aspect of the VERB concerned with completion. In the Slavonic languages, the perfective and imperfective are signalled by inflections on the verb, the perfective denoting the completion of the activity and the imperfective its non-completion. In English, the perfect (also sometimes termed the perfective) contrasts with the non-perfect, and is formed by a combination of the auxiliary have and an -ed participle: present perfect (has/have discovered); past perfect or pluperfect (had discovered); present continuous progressive perfect (has/have been discovering); past continuous progressive perfect (had been discovering); future perfect (will have discovered); future continuous progressive perfect (will have been discovering). In general, the perfect indicates a previous indefinite period with which the action of the verb takes place. For the present perfect, that period begins in the past and extends to the present: I have lived in London since I was born (until the present time); She has broken her arm (and the effect is still noticeable); I haven't seen the film (but may still do so). The past perfect indicates an action previous to another action within a past period: Tom had not seen his parents since they were divorced. The past perfect can also denote a past action (past before the past) without any aspectual force, in which case it is often replaced by the simple past: After he (had) consulted his solicitor, Colin refused to sign the contract. The future perfect refers to an event before a future event: Pat will have finished her essay by the time we arrive. See TENSE.