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Present perfect simple

The present perfect simple expresses an action that is still going on or that has stopped

recently, but has an influence on the present. It puts emphasis on the result.

AN ACTION IN THE PAST WITH A RESULT NOW.

Positive Negative Question

I / you / we / they I have spoken. I have not spoken. Have I spoken?

he / she / it He has spoken. He has not spoken. Has he spoken?

For irregular verbs, use the participle form. For regular verbs, just add “ed”.

Exceptions in Spelling when adding ‘ed’

Exceptions in spelling when adding ed Example

after a final e only add d love – loved

final consonant after a short, stressed vowel or l as final consonant after a vowel is doubled

admit – admitted travel – travelled

final y after a consonant becomes i hurry – hurried

Use of Present Perfect:

puts emphasis on the result Example: She has written five letters.

action that is still going on Example: School has not started yet.

action that stopped recently Example: She has cooked dinner.

finished action that has an influence on the present Example: I have lost my key.

action that has taken place once, never or several times before the moment of speaking

Example: I have never been to Australia. Examples:

I have seen that movie twenty times.

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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.

Present perfect continuous

The present perfect continuous expresses an action that recently stopped or is still going on. It puts

emphasis on the duration or course of the action.

Positive Negative Question

I / you / we / they

I have been speaking.

I have not been speaking.

Have I been speaking?

he / she / it He has been speaking.

He has not been speaking.

Has he been speaking?

Exceptions in Spelling

Exceptions in spelling when adding ing Example

final e is dropped (but: ee is not changed)

come – coming (but: agree – agreeing)

after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled sit – sitting

l as final consonant after a vowel is doubled (in British English)

travel – travelling

final ie becomes y lie – lying

Use of Present Perfect Continuous:

puts emphasis on the duration or course of an action (not the result) Example: She has been writing for two hours.

action that recently stopped or is still going on Example: I have been living here since 2001.

finished action that influenced the present Example: I have been working all afternoon.

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Examples:

They have been talking for the last hour.

She has been working at that company for three years.

What have you been doing for the last 30 minutes?

James has been teaching at the university since June.

We have been waiting here for over two hours!

Why has Nancy not been taking her medicine for the last three days?

Ever & Never with Present Perfect Tense

Use the present perfect + ever to ask questions about experiences in someone’s life.

“Have you ever taken dance classes?”

“Yes, I have. I took 6 weeks of lessons before my wedding!”

“Has your brother ever been to India?”

“No, he hasn’t.”

“Have your friends ever helped you move to a new apartment?”

“Yes – twice!” Don’t use ever in the answer. Only use it in questions. If you want, you can use before in the answer: Yes, I’ve ever taken dance classes. Yes, I’ve taken dance classes before. Use the present perfect + never to talk about things you have NOT done at any time in your life.

I’ve never failed a test. I’ve always gotten 80% or more.

He’s never heard of Michael Jackson. I can’t believe he doesn’t know the King of Pop!

Samantha has never been surfing. She’s afraid of the ocean.

We’ve never studied Italian. We studied French and Spanish in school, but Italian wasn’t available.

They’ve never told a lie. I know we can trust them. Conversation Tip: Many conversations begin with a question in the present perfect, and then continue with more specific questions about the experience in the simple past:

“Have you ever taken dance classes?”

“Yes, I have. I took 6 weeks of lessons before my wedding last year.”

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“Wow! So did you dance well on the big day?”

“No, I didn’t – I forgot everything I’d learned in the classes, and I stepped on my wife’s feet many times!”

“Oh no! Was she angry?”

“No – she said she still loved me!”

1. Have you ever .......... to New York?

a) flew

b) went

c) goed

d) been

2. No I've never .......... there.

a) been

b) went

c) was

d) existed

3. In fact I've just .......... back from there.

a) been

b) gone

c) came

d) come

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4. and I've .......... at least six weeks there in the last year.

a) past

b) passed

c) spent

d) spend

5. Have you .......... to the top of the Empire State Building?

a) flown

b) sat up

c) grown up

d) gone up

6. No, I .......... yet.

a) haven't

b) don't

c) not

d) won't

7. I haven't .......... the ferry to Ellis Island either.

a) taken

b) swam

c) jumped over

d) driven

8. I've just .......... work so hard.

a) looked

b) seen

c) must

d) had to

9. though I have .......... dinner at Sardi's

a) had

b) taken

c) seen

d) served

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10. and .......... a Broadway show.

a) taken

b) watched

c) seen

d) starred in

Just, already, yet, for and since with Present Perfect Tense

JUST: Means something happened a short time ago. A: Have you bought the tickets? B: Yes, I’ve just bought them. Look! That man has just stole a lady’s purse. ALREADY: Means something happened before you expected. A: Don’t forget to water the flowers, Jane? B: Oh, mum. I’ve already watered them. YET: Means “until now”. It is used in negative sentences or questions. A: Have you finished your homework yet? B: No, I haven’t finished it yet.

FOR: We use for to talk about a period of time - 5 minutes, 2 weeks, 6 years.

SINCE: We use since to talk about a point in past time - 9 o'clock, 1st January, Monday.

FOR SINCE

a period of time a point in past time

x------------

20 minutes 6.15pm

three days Monday

6 months January

4 years 1994

2 centuries 1800

a long time I left school

ever the beginning of time

I have been here for 20 minutes. I have been here since 9 o'clock. John hasn't called for 6 months.

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John hasn't called since February. He has worked in New York for a long time. He has worked in New York since he left school. I've been waiting for you for ages. He has been living here since last week. "How long have you been learning Spanish?" "For 2 months." "Since when have they been dating?" "Since October."

Find the present perfect tenses and highlight them in the text.

A Look at the Intriguing History of Snowboarding

By Keith Kingston

To say who actually invented the sport of snowboarding would be impossible because

people have always loved to slide down a snow-covered hill. Soaring through the

snow on some kind of seat or board is nothing new. The

ways to enjoy the snow are numerous, and people have

devised ways to turn garbage can lids and cardboard

into ‘snow boards’ to enjoy an afternoon frolic outdoors.

The various ways to glide through snow have become more

sophisticated and have evolved into using polished boards

or skis in much the same manner as a surfboarder would

ride a wave.

There have been many attempts at developing a modern

snowboard. In 1965, the ‘Snurfer’ (a word play on ‘snow’ and ‘surfer’) was developed

as a child’s toy. Two skis were bound together and a rope was placed at the front end

to afford control and stability. Over 500,000 ‘Snurfers’ were sold in 1966 but they

were never seen as more than a child's plaything even though organized competitions

began to take place. The year 1969 brought a slightly more sophisticated snowboard

based on the principles of skiing combined with surfboard styling.

The ‘Flying Yellow Banana’ was developed in 1977. This was nothing more than a

plastic shell covered with a top surface like that of a skateboard, but at the time it was

considered a major advance in the little known sport of snowboarding. The first

national snowboard race was held in the area outside Woodstock and was known

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as ‘The Suicide Six.’ The race consisted of a steep

downhill run called The Face in which the main goal

was probably mere survival.

Snowboarding continued to increase in popularity

over the next several years. In 1985 the first

magazine dedicated specifically to snowboarding hit the news stands with huge

success and furthered the popularity of this exciting sport. Hoards of fans began to

organize regional events and pretty soon snowboarding events were held in all parts

of the world. In the year 1994 snowboarding was finally declared an Olympic event,

much to the delight of fans. The not-so-new sport of snowboarding was finally

recognized and meant a huge victory for serious snowboarders across the globe.

A collection of snowboarding tricks and stunts was released on video in 1996. Filmed

in Alaska, the breathtaking beauty and captivating snowboarding techniques featured

in the video exposed snowboarding to a new generation, and by 1998 snowboarding

constituted almost 50% of all winter activity. Today, nearly all ski resorts accept

snowboarders. There are still a few holding on to the past but this is unlikely to

continue as the number of snowboarders continually increases.

From the first crudely built snowboards to the advanced and specialized models

available today, snowboarders have carried a‘bad boy’ image. This rebel reputation is

still common today in spite of the fact that snowboarding appeals to men, women,

and children of all nationalities and social groups. At most major ski resorts you can

find snowboarding gear, information, and lessons. Olympic and world wide

snowboarding events are among the most popular of winter sports and the

competition to be the best is fierce.

Retailers nation wide and around the world carry many types of snowboards, and the

choice in specially made snowboarding gear is immense. Snowboarders have

participated in the X Games and even charity events such as Boarding for Breast

Cancer. From its early meager beginnings snowboarding has progressed into a fully

recognized sport, and large numbers of people are turning to snowboarding for

adventure, fun, and professional recognition.

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Past Perfect Simple

The past perfect simple expresses an action taking place before a certain time in the

past.

Positive Negative Question

no differences I had spoken. I had not spoken. Had I spoken?

For irregular verbs, use the past participle form. For regular verbs, just add ed.

Exceptions in Spelling when Adding ed

Exceptions in Spelling when Adding ed Example

after final e, only add d love – loved

final consonant after a short, stressed vowel or l as final consonant after a vowel is doubled

admit – admitted travel – travelled

final y after a consonant becomes i hurry – hurried

Use of Past Perfect

action taking place before a certain time in the past (putting emphasis only on the fact, not the duration)

Example: Before I came here, I had spoken to Jack.

Conditional Sentences Type III (condition that was not given in the past)

Example: If I had seen him, I would have talked to him.

Examples:

I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.

I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.

Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.

Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?

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She only understood the movie because she had read the book.

Kristine had never been to an opera before last night.

We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not booked in advance.

A: Had you ever visited the U.S. before your trip in 2006?

B: Yes, I had been to the U.S. once before.

Past Perfect Continuous

The past perfect progressive puts emphasis on the course or duration of an action

taking place before a certain time in the past.

Positive Negative Question

no differences I had been speaking. I had not been speaking. Had I been speaking?

For irregular verbs, use the past participle form. For regular verbs, just add ed.

Exceptions in Spelling

Exceptions in spelling when adding ing Example

final e is dropped (but: ee is not changed)

come – coming (but: agree – agreeing)

after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled sit – sitting

l as final consonant after a vowel is doubled (in British English)

travel – travelling

final ie becomes y lie – lying

Use of Past Perfect

action taking place before a certain time in the past

sometimes interchangeable with past perfect simple

puts emphasis on the course or duration of an action

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Examples:

They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived.

She had been working at that company for three years when it went out of

business.

How long had you been waiting to get on the bus?

Mike wanted to sit down because he had been standing all day at work.

James had been teaching at the university for more than a year before he left for

Asia.

Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect Continuous?

Both tenses are used to express that an action began in the past and is still going on or

has just finished. In many cases, both forms are correct, but there is often a difference

in meaning: We use the Present Perfect Simple mainly to express that an action is

completed or to emphasise the result. We use the Present Perfect Continuous to

emphasise the duration or continuous course of an action.

Present Perfect Simple Present Perfect Progressive

Result (what / how much / how often) I have written 5 letters. / I have been to London twice.

Duration (how long) I have been writing for an hour.

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Find the past perfect tenses and highlight them in the text.

The Canterville Ghost

The ghost did not appear for the rest of the week. The only strange thing that happened was the blood-stain, which they found on the library-floor every morning. It was also quite strange that the colour of the stain changed from time to time. Some mornings it was red, then brown or purple, or even green. These changes amused the family very much, and bets on the colour were made every evening. The only person who did not enter into the joke was Virginia. For some unexplained reason, she was rather annoyed at the sight of the blood-stain, and nearly cried the morning it was green. The second appearance of the ghost was on Sunday night. Shortly after the family had gone to bed they heard a fearful crash in the hall. A suit of armour had fallen on the floor and in a chair sat the Canterville ghost and rubbed his knees, which seemed to hurt. When the twins started shooting peas at him with their pea-

shooters, the ghost stood up with an angry growl and passed through them like a mist. He also blew out the candle, leaving them all in total darkness. On top of the stairs the ghost turned around and, in order to frighten the Otis boys, laughed his most horrible laugh. Just then, a door opened and Mrs Otis came out of her bedroom. “I am afraid you are not well,” she said, “I have therefore brought you this bottle of medicine.” The ghost looked at her furiously, and then he disappeared. When he reached his room, he was completely exhausted. This American family was extremely annoying. But what annoyed him most was, that he had not been able to wear the suit of armour. The weight of it had made him fall and hurt his knees. For some days after this the ghost only left his room to renew the blood-stain. However, on Friday, the 17th of August, he tried to frighten the Otis family again. At half-past ten the family went to bed. For some time the ghost heard the twins laugh, but at a quarter past eleven all was still. So, at midnight he left his secret chamber and glided through the corridors, when suddenly, behind one corner, a horrible ghost stood right in front of him. As the Canterville ghost had never seen another ghost before, he was terribly frightened. He quickly hurried back to his room. But then he thought that he should go and and speak to the other ghost. After all, two ghosts were better than one, and his new friend might help him to frighten the twins. However, when he came back to the spot, he found that this 'other ghost' was not real, but only a white sheet which the twins had hung there to play a trick on him. Very upset the Canterville ghost went back to his chamber.

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HOMEWORK:

1. Write sentences in present perfect simple (positive)

we / reach / our goal _____________________________________________________

our team / lose / the match ________________________________________________

she / underline / the word _________________________________________________

they / not / discover / the treasure __________________________________________

Ron / not / talk / about the problem _________________________________________

2. Write sentences in present perfect simple. (negative)

Phil / not / miss / the bus _______________________________________________

they / not / plant / a tree _______________________________________________

Vanessa / catch / the ball _______________________________________________

we / sell / our old car _______________________________________________

the train / leave / the station _______________________________________________

3. Write questions in present perfect simple. (interrogative)

you / correct / my mistakes _______________________________________________

you / practise / your English _______________________________________________

she / tidy up / her room _______________________________________________

the boss / sign / the letter _______________________________________________

Mary / shut / the door_______________________________________________

4. Ask for the information in the bold part of the sentence.

Tony has built a house. ___________________________________________________

Avril has crossed the street at the traffic lights. ________________________________

They have never been to Australia. __________________________________________

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Rupert has dialled the number. _____________________________________________

Betty has spent 200 euros at the shopping mall. _______________________________

5. Write positive sentences in present perfect continuous.

Albert / squash / play _____________________________________________________

Hannah / the match / watch_______________________________________________

we / in the park / wait ____________________________________________________

you / a song / sing _______________________________________________________

I / a magazine / read _____________________________________________________

6. Write negative sentences in present perfect continuous.

we / not / in the mountains / walk __________________________________________

Beatrice / not / in Boston / teach ___________________________________________

Ricky / not / the car / wash ________________________________________________

she / not / a poem / write _________________________________________________

we / not / tea / drink _____________________________________________________

7. Write questions in present perfect continuous.

she / on the phone / talk __________________________________________________

his brother / dinner / cook _________________________________________________

Sue / in the gym / exercise _________________________________________________

Robert / the room / paint _________________________________________________

they / trees / plant _______________________________________________________

8. Write the words in the correct order (ever, never)

ridden Have you ever horse? a

_______________________________________________________________

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never a competition. We've won

_______________________________________________________________

flown in ever Has plane? David a

_______________________________________________________________

seen ghost. He's a never

_______________________________________________________________

visited London. have My parents never

_______________________________________________________________

Has ever sister school? for been late your

_______________________________________________________________

9. Choose the best word to complete the gaps: already, just, yet.

1. "Would you like something to eat?" "No thanks, I've ____________ had lunch."

2. "Have you finished your homework _________________?"

3. "What time is Pilar leaving?" "She's ___________________ left."

4. Are you going to make dinner?" "No, I've _________________ made it. It's in the

oven!"

5. "Are we too late to see the film?". "No, it hasn't started ________________."

6. I need to take the Intermediate exam because I've _____________________ taken

the Elementary.

7. "Do you know where Mauricio is?" "Yes, I've ___________________ seen him in the

Library."

8. "Why isn't Simone coming to the cinema with us?" "She's ___________________

seen the film."

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9. "Have you tidied your room ______________?" "No, not ________________. I'll do

it in a minute."

10. You have ___________________ completed the first nine questions.

10. Choose the best word to complete the gaps: already, just, yet.

1. I have _____________ heard that Mr.Brown had an accident. His wife called me a

minute ago.

2. A: You can’t go out before you finish your homework.

B: Oh, mum I have _____________ finished my homework.

3. Teacher: Have you finished answering all the questions _____________?

Student: Yes, teacher. I have _____________. completed them. I will write my name

and give the exam paper to you.

4.A: Do you want met o help you with the washing up.

B: You are too late. I have_____________done the washing up.

5.A: Where is your father?

B: He has _____________. arrived home. He is taking off his coat.

6.A: Has your father come home_____________

B: Yes, he has _____________ come. He is sleeping now.

7. An accident has _____________ happened. A man with a mustache is calling the

ambulance. The police haven’t come yet. All the injured people are shouting in pain.

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11. Fill in the blanks with “for” or “since”

1.George has been a teacher ………….. six years.

2.John and Mary have been married ………….. they finished university.

3.My father has worked in that factory ………….. 1990.

4.My parents have had their house ………….. they moved to London.

5.We have had this parrot only …………..three weeks.

6.Rachel has been in France…………..she found a job in Paris.

7.Steven has played in our school team ………… three years.

8.He has been miserable ___________________ he lost his wife.

9.I haven’t seen Meg ______________________ages.

10.He has collected 2500 stamps ____________________ he was a little boy.

11.David has driven his car ____________________ seven years.

12.I haven’t met my high school friends ____________ I became a doctor.

13.Anny and Fanny hasn’t eaten chips ________________ they went on a diet.

14.She hasn’t been able to walk ______________ she had a car accident.

15.I haven’t read any books ____________________ July.

12. Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in present perfect simple.

Note: In this exercise, all of the past participles are irregular.

Example: Amy (eat) has eaten lunch already.

1) Mark (eat) _______ ________________________ dinner already. He is not hungry.

2) Beth (write) _______ ________________ three letters today. She misses her family.

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3) Yoko and Armand (take) _______ _________________ the test. Now they can relax.

4) Marty and I (be) _______ ____________________ to Costa Rica three times. We are

familiar with the culture.

5) I (drink) _______ ____________________________ six cups of water today.

6) Eva (sing) ____________________ ________ in a chorus before. Her voice is pretty.

7) Chong-Li (get) ______________________________ ________ very good at speaking

English. She has practiced a lot.

8) Lucy (hide) __________ ________ in the woods. Now her friends will try to find her.

9) It (be) _______ ________________________ a good week so far.

10) You (show) ________ __________________ that you are a hard worker. Good job!

11) Daisy (wear) _______ _______________ a dress to work every day this week.

12) Mr. Lee (drive) _______ ___________________________ from Texas to Iowa for

the conference. He needs to get some rest before it starts.

13) Juan (ride) _______ _____________________ horses since he was a little boy. It is

easy for him.

14) Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez (become) _______ ___________________ grandparents.

Their daughter, Josefina, had a baby yesterday.

15) The movie (begin) _______ _______________________. Please be quiet!

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