2. THE PRESENT PERFECT IS USED TO
DESCRIBE
An action or situation that started in the
past and continues in the present.
I have lived in Bristol since 1984
(= and I still do.)
3. EXAMPLE :
■ They haven't lived here for years.
■ She has worked in the bank for five years.
■ We have had the same car for ten years.
■ Have you played the piano since you were a
child?
4. An action performed during a period that
has not yet finished.
She has been to the cinema
twice this week.
(= and the week isn't over yet.)
5. EXAMPLE :
■ I have worked hard this week.
■ It has rained a lot this year.
■ We haven't seen her today.
6. A repeated action in an unspecified
period between the past and now.
We have visited Portugal
several times.
7. EXAMPLE :
■ They have seen that film six times
■ It has happened several times already.
■ She has visited them frequently.
■ We have eaten at that restaurant many times.
8. An action that was completed in the very
recent past, expressed by 'just'.
I have just finished my work.
9. EXAMPLE :
■ Have you just finished work?
■ I have just eaten.
■ We have just seen her.
■ Has he just left?
10. An action when the time is not important.
He has read 'War and Peace'.
(= the result of his reading is
important)
11. EXAMPLE :
■ Someone has eaten my soup!
■ Have you seen 'Gone with the Wind'?
■ She's studied Japanese, Russian, and English.
12. PRESENT PERFECT FORM
FORMING THE PRESENT PERFECT
The present perfect of any verb is composed of two elements : the
appropriate form of the auxiliary verb to have (present tense), plus
the past participle of the main verb.
The past participle of a regular verb is base+ed, e.g. played,
arrived, looked.
For irregular verbs, see the Table of irregular verbs in the section
called 'Verbs'.
15. Wh-Questions in the Present
Perfect Simple
Wh- questions are questions that require more information in their
answers. Typical wh- words are what, where, when, why, who, how,
how many, how much.
To create a wh-question, start with the wh-word, then add have or
has, then the subject (a person or thing that has done the action),
followed by the V3 (Past Participle) form of the verb and only then
add the rest of the sentence.
16.
17. TRY THIS!
1. Daniel ____ that video clip at least twenty times. (see)
2. The workers _______ a break in 4 hours. (not have)
3. We ___________ them regularly over the last few years.
(visit)
4. _______ Ella _______ her driving test yet? (pass)
5. Roger _______ to Mexico several times since 2002.(be)
18. 1. They______ to each other in ages, _______ they?
(not speak)
2. Why _______ Mathew _______his job? (quit)
3. ______the nurses ______ on strike again? (go)
4. ________ they ______ the post yet? (not deliver)
5. I _____ already_______ you the answer. (tell)
19. PRESENT PERFECT VS PAST
SIMPLE
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.
20. 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?
21. 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?
22. 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)?
