Perfect Tenses

Present

Past

Past

Perfect

Perfect

Perfect

Tense

Tense

Tense

Quiz on the simple perfect tenses

Present Perfect Tense

have/has (not) + VERB-ed2

An action or emotion started in the past

and has continued into the present.
Example ~ I have read that book.

A moment in
the past

The present
moment

 Actions that are more long-term in nature

are used more in the present perfect tense
than in the present perfect continuous
tense.
Example~
Wendy has made a lot of money since
2002.

 An action is complete.
Example~ I have washed the dishes.
(The job is finished.)

 An action has been done several times.

Example~ Joe has read this book few
times.

Note: The time of an action is not specified.

Example~ The teacher has corrected it.
When specified, simple past is used.
Example~ The teacher corrected it last night.

Past Perfect Tense

had (not) + VERB-ed2

An action happened in the past before

another action in the past.
Example~
Kevin had waited for an hour when he decided to leave.

Time 1

Time 2

The
present
moment

 The past perfect tense is often used with

by + a time.
Example~
By five oclock Dr. Lees lecture had ended.

 If it is not clear which action happened first,

it is necessary to use the past perfect.
Example~
When Dr. Lee had given her lecture, she sat down.
(She stood and gave her lecture; then she sat down.)

Compare the following sentence~

When Dr. Lee gave her lecture, she sat down.
(She was speaking and sitting at the same time.)

Future Perfect Tense

will (not) + have + VERBed2

An action starting in the past, present or

future will be finished at some time in the
future.
Example~ Mark already has his Masters,
and he will have gotten his Ph.D. before hes 30.

The past

The present
moment

A Future time

 The future perfect is often used with

by + a time,
before + a time
in + a time.
Example~
Mary will have gotten her new car in three weeks.

Practice
Choose the best answer

Question 1:
David _________ five books so far.
a.) publishes
b.) is publishing
c.) has published
d.) has been published
Click for the answer key:

(c)

Practice
Choose the best answer

Question 2:
_____ you ever _____ that man?
a.) Are; seeing
b.) Have; seen
c.) Were; seeing
d.) Did; see
Click for the answer key:
(b)

Practice
Choose the best answer

Question 1:
When I woke up this morning, my parents ______ already.
a.) leave
b.) had left
c.) were leaving
d.) left

Click for the answer key:

(b)

Practice
Choose the best answer

Question 2:
John _________ a panda before he moved to Si Chuan, China.
a.) had never seen
b.) has seen
c.) never saw
d.) never sees
Click for the answer key:

(a)

Practice
Choose the best answer

Question1:
She __________ enough Chinese to communicate before
she moves to Beijing.
a.) will learn
b.) learns
c.) is learning
d.) will have learned
Click for the answer key:
(d)

Practice
Choose the best answer

Question 2:
By the time I finish this course, I __________ ten tests.
a.) will take
b.) will have taken
c.) will be taking
d.) have taken
Click for the answer key:
(b)

Quiz
Complete the following sentences using the correct simple perfect tense

1.) By next Saturday you _____ (stay) with us for three weeks.
Click for the
answer key

will have stayed

2.) Mrs. Wang _____ (teach) English for more than 20 years.
Click for the have taught
answer key

3.) It was he who _____ (give) us the piano.

Click for the
answer key

had given

4.) They _____ already _____ (go) when we arrived.

Click for the
answer key

had already gone

5.) We shall _____ (grow) old before we learn it really well.

Click for the
answer key

have grown