PRESENT TENSE
Present Perfect
PRESENT PERFECT
Present perfect sentences must contain the auxiliary verb “have”.
Sentence structure:Subject + has/have + past
participle
PRESENT PERFECT
Subject + has/have + past participle
Examples She has gone to the mall. (singular)They have gone to the mall. (plural)
How is Present Perfect similar to Simple Past, Present & Past Progressive?
There is only ONE conjugation of the main
verb in both singular and plural sentences.
The auxiliary verb changes according to the number of
subject.
PRESENT PERFECT
Conjugation of past participle
Regular Verbs Examples
Add “-ed” to base form of verbs
• Talk + -ed Talked• Present + -ed Presented• Delay+ -ed Delayed
PRESENT PERFECT
Conjugation of past participle
Regular Verbs Examples
Add “-d” to base form of verbs (ending with “-e”)
• Update + -d Updated• Whine + -d Whined• Decide + -d Decided
PRESENT PERFECT
Conjugation of past participle
Irregular Verbs
Refer to irregular verb list @ http://www.englishpage.com/irregularverbs/irregularverbs.html
PRESENT PERFECT
3 Primary FunctionsFunction 1
Unspecified timeTo express something in the past when
We do not know when it happened Example: I have lost my keys When? You do not know exactly.
PRESENT PERFECT
3 Primary FunctionsFunction 1
Unspecified timeTo express something in the past when
The time of event is not important.Example: I have travelled to Australia.
When? Not the main point here.
PRESENT PERFECT
Function 1Unspecified timeThis is often confused with simple past
tense.The key is whether the time is
specified or not.
PRESENT PERFECT
I have travelled to Australia.
In this sentence, no time is specified.
I travelled to Australia in 2010.
In this sentence, time is specified.
“in 2010” can be replaced with “last year”, “this morning”, “when I was 10” etc.
Present Perfect Simple Past
PRESENT PERFECT
Function 2RepetitionTo describe something that has
happened several times in the past and is true even till now
PRESENT PERFECT
Function 2RepetitionExampleI have dined at Bosses thrice already.She has walked past that museum
countless times but has never gone in.
PRESENT PERFECT
Function 3To describe something that started in
the past, continues until now, and may or may not continue into the future
ExampleMy cousin has lived in Perth since
2005.
PRESENT PERFECT
Function 3To describe something that started in
the past, continues until now, and may or may not continue into the future
Present perfect tense can be replaced by present perfect progressive when you want to emphasize on the time/duration.
PRESENT PERFECT
I have waited for you for 10 minutes.
Neutral tone
I have been waiting for you for 10 minutes.
Time is emphasized Inference
The speaker is angry.
Present PerfectPresent Perfect Progressive
The duration does not need to be long to use PPP. The main point is that the speaker wants to
emphasize the duration.
PRESENT PERFECT
How to decide when to use Present Perfect and Simple Past?
If the sentence contains “for” or “since”, Present Perfect is used.
PRACTICE TIMEPresent Perfect