Present Perfect
FORM
[has/have + past participle]
Examples:
- You have seen that movie many times.
- Have you seen that movie many times?
- You have not seen that movie many times.
USE 1 Unspecified Time Before Now
We use the Present Perfect to say that an action happened at an
unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important. You CANNOT
use the Present Perfect with specific time expressions such as:
yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I lived in
Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc. We CAN use the Present
Perfect with unspecific expressions such as: ever, never, once, many
times, several times, before, so far, already, yet, etc.
Examples:
- I have seen that movie twenty times.
- I think I have met him once before.
- There have been many earthquakes in California.
- People have traveled to the Moon.
- People have not traveled to Mars.
- Have you read the book yet?
- Nobody has ever climbed that mountain.
- A: Has there ever been a war in the United States?
B: Yes, there has been a war in the United States.
How Do You Actually Use the Present Perfect?
The concept of "unspecified time" can be very confusing to English
learners. It is best to associate Present Perfect with the following
topics:
TOPIC 1 Experience
You can use the Present Perfect to describe your experience. It is
like saying, "I have the experience of..." You can also use this tense
to say that you have never had a certain experience. The Present Perfect
is NOT used to describe a specific event.
Examples:
- I have been to France.
- I have been to France three times.
- I have never been to France.
- I think I have seen that movie before.
- He has never traveled by train.
- Joan has studied two foreign languages.
- A: Have you ever met him?
B: No, I have not met him.
TOPIC 2 Change Over Time
We often use the Present Perfect to talk about change that has happened over a period of time.
Examples:
- You have grown since the last time I saw you.
- The government has become more interested in arts education.
- Japanese has become one of the most popular courses at the university since the Asian studies program was established.
- My English has really improved since I moved to Australia.
TOPIC 3 Accomplishments
We often use the Present Perfect to list the accomplishments of individuals and humanity. You cannot mention a specific time.
Examples:
- Man has walked on the Moon.
- Our son has learned how to read.
- Doctors have cured many deadly diseases.
- Scientists have split the atom.
TOPIC 4 An Uncompleted Action You Are Expecting
We often use the Present Perfect to say that an action which we
expected has not happened. Using the Present Perfect suggests that we
are still waiting for the action to happen.
Examples:
- James has not finished his homework yet.
- Susan hasn't mastered Japanese, but she can communicate.
- Bill has still not arrived.
- The rain hasn't stopped.
TOPIC 5 Multiple Actions at Different Times
We also use the Present Perfect to talk about several different
actions which have occurred in the past at different times. Present
Perfect suggests the process is not complete and more actions are
possible.
Examples:
- The army has attacked that city five times.
- I have had four quizzes and five tests so far this semester.
- We have had many major problems while working on this project.
- She has talked to several specialists about her problem, but nobody knows why she is sick.
Time Expressions with Present Perfect
When we use the Present Perfect it means that something has happened
at some point in our lives before now. Remember, the exact time the
action happened is not important.
Sometimes, we want to limit the time we are looking in for an
experience. We can do this with expressions such as: in the last week,
in the last year, this week, this month, so far, up to now, etc.
Examples:
- Have you been to Mexico in the last year?
- I have seen that movie six times in the last month.
- They have had three tests in the last week.
- She graduated from university less than three years ago. She has worked for three different companies so far.
- My car has broken down three times this week.
NOTICE
"Last year" and "in the last year" are very different in meaning.
"Last year" means the year before now, and it is considered a specific
time which requires
Simple Past. "In the last year" means from 365 days ago until now. It is not considered a specific time, so it requires Present Perfect.
Examples:
- I went to Mexico last year.
- I have been to Mexico in the last year.
USE 2 Duration From the Past Until Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)
With
Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of
Mixed Verbs,
we use the Present Perfect to show that something started in the past
and has continued up until now. "For five minutes," "for two weeks," and
"since Tuesday" are all durations which can be used with the Present
Perfect.
Examples:
- I have had a cold for two weeks.
- She has been in England for six months.
- Mary has loved chocolate since she was a little girl.
Although the above use of Present Perfect is normally limited to
Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, the words
"live," "work," "teach," and "study" are sometimes used in this way even
though they are NOT Non-Continuous Verbs.
ADVERB PLACEMENT
The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
- You have only seen that movie one time.
- Have you only seen that movie one time?
ACTIVE / PASSIVE
Examples:
- Many tourists have visited that castle.
- That castle has been visited by many tourists.
EXERCISES AND RELATED TOPICS
PRESENT PERCFECT vs PAST SIMPLE
| Simple Past |
Present Perfect Simple |
irregular verbs: see 2nd column of irregular verbs
- Example:
- I spoke
|
irregular verbs: form of 'have' + 3rd column of irregular verbs
- Example:
- I / you / we / they have spoken
- he / she / it has spoken
|
regular verbs: infinitive + ed
- Example:
- I worked
|
regular verbs: form of 'have' + infinitive + ed
- Example:
- I / you / we / they have worked
- he / she / it has worked
|
| Exceptions |
Exceptions when adding 'ed':
-
when the final letter is e, only add d
- Example:
- love - loved
-
after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled
- Example:
- admit - admitted
-
final l is always doubled in British English (not in American English)
- Example:
- travel - travelled
-
after a consonant, final y becomes i (but: not after a vowel)
- Example:
- worry - worried
- but: play - played
|
See also explanations on
Simple Past and
Present Perfect Simple
Use
In British English, the use of Simple Past and Present Perfect is
quite strict. As soon as a time expression in the past is given, you
have to use Simple Past. If there are no signal words, you must decide
if we just talk about an action in the past or if its consequence in the
present is important.
Note that the following explanations and exercises refer to
British English
only. In American English, you can normally use Simple Past instead of
Present Perfect. We cannot accept this in our exercises, however, as
this would lead to confusions amongst those who have to learn the
differences.
Certain time in the past or just / already / yet?
Do you want to express that an action happened at a certain time in
the past (even if it was just a few seconds ago) or that an action has
just /
already /
not yet happened?
| Simple Past |
Present Perfect Simple |
certain time in the past
- Example:
- I phoned Mary 2 minutes ago.
|
just / already / not yet
- Example:
- I have just phoned Mary.
|
Certain event in the past or how often so far?
Do you want to express when a certain action took place or whether / how often an action has happened till now?
| Simple Past |
Present Perfect Simple |
certain event in the past
- Example:
- He went to Canada last summer.
|
whether / how often till now
- Example:
- Have you ever been to Canada? / I have been to Canada twice.
|
Emphasis on action or result?
Do you just want to express what happened in the past? Or do you
want to emphasise the result (a past action's consequence in the
present)?
| Simple Past |
Present Perfect Simple |
Emphasis on action
- Example:
- I bought a new bike. (just telling what I did in the past.)
|
Emphasis on result
- Example:
- I have bought a new bike. (With this sentence I actually want to express that I have a new bike now.)
|
Signal Words
| Simple Past |
Present Perfect Simple |
- yesterday
- ... ago
- in 1990
- the other day
- last ...
|
- just
- already
- up to now
- until now / till now
- ever
- (not) yet
- so far
- lately / recently
|
Exercises on Simple Past and Present Perfect Simple
Tests on Simple Past and Present Perfect Simple
Present Perfect with Already, Just, Still & Yet Exercise
Just, yet, still, already
http://www.eslcafe.com/grammar/present_perfect_tense06.html
Just, yet, still, already
These words are often used with the
present perfect tense although
yet,
still and
already can all be used with other tenses.
Just
‘
Just’ is usually used only with the present perfect tense and it means ‘
a short time ago’.
- I’ve just seen Susan coming out of the cinema.
- Mike’s just called. Can you ring him back please?
- Have you just taken my pen? Where has it gone?
In the present perfect, ‘
just’ comes between the auxiliary verb (‘
have’) and the past participle.
Yet
‘
Yet’ is used to talk about something which is expected to happen. It means ‘
at any time up to now’. It is used in questions and negatives.
- Have you finished your homework yet? The speaker expects that the homework will be finished.
- I haven’t finished it yet. I’ll do it after dinner.
‘
Yet’ usually comes at the end of the sentence.
Still
‘
Still’ is used to talk about something that hasn’t finished – especially when we expected it to finish earlier.
- I’ve been waiting for over an hour and the bus still hasn’t come.
- You promised to give me that report yesterday and you still haven’t finished it.
‘
Still’ usually comes in ‘mid-position’
Still is often used with other tenses as well as the present perfect.
- I’ve still got all those letters you sent me.
- Are you still working in the bookshop?
Already
‘
Already’ is used to say that something has happened early – or earlier than it might have happened.
- I’ve already spent my salary and it’s two weeks before pay day.
- The train’s already left! What are we going to do?
‘
Already’ usually comes in mid-position.
Exercises:
