PERFECT TENSE

Present Perfect Tense

Present Perpect Tense is used for describing a past action’s effect on the present; He has arrived. Now he is here. This holds true for events that have just been secluded as well as for events that have not yet occured.

Present perpect is formed bay combining have/has with the main verb’s past participle form :

· I have arrived

A negation is produced by inserting not after have/has

· I have not arrived

Questions in present perpect are formulated by starting a setence with have/has.

· Has she arrived ?

Adverbs used :

Since, ever, never, once, many times, several times, before, so far, already, yet, etc.

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 describle 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 Perpect is NOT used to describe a specific event.

Examples :

· I have been to France

This setence means that you have had the experience of being in France.

Maybe yo have been there once, or several times

· I have been to France three times

You can add the number of times at the end of the setence.

· I have never been to France

This setence means that you have not had the experience of going to France.

· I think I have seen that movie before

· He has never traveled by train

· Joan has studied two foreign languages

TOPIC 2 Change Over Time

We often use the Present Perpect to talk about change that has happened over a period of time.

Examples :

• You have grown since the last time I saw you
• The goverment 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 accomplishment of individuals and humanity. You cannot mention a specifik time.

Examples :

• Man has walked on the mon
• 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 Perpect 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 occured in the past at differen times. Present Perpect suggests the procces 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.

PAST PERFECT TENSE

Past Perfect Tense is a kind of tense that is used to describle an action or an event that started in a certain time in the past and completed or finished till certain time in the past too; or past perfect tense is used to express an action or an event that had happened before the other even or action happened

The Patern :

• (+) Subject + had + Verb III + Complement
• ( - ) Subject + had not + Verb III + Complement
• ( ? ) Had + Subject + Verb III + Complement

Examples :

• (+) Wehad eaten before they came
• ( - ) They had not eaten before we came
• ( ? ) Had they eaten before we came

Adverbs used :

From 1998 to 1999, once, twice, etc.