CHAPTER 4.

THE PRESENT PERFECT AND THE PRESENT PERFECT

CONTINUOUS

1. Use of the present perfect

The English Present Perfect tense is used to express actions which have already been
completed, or perfected, at the time of speaking or writing. In the examples given below,
the verbs in the Present Perfect tense are underlined.
e.g. I have done the work.
She has answered half the questions.
In the first example, the use of the Present Perfect tense emphasizes the fact that, at the time
of speaking or writing, the work has already been completed. In the second example, the
use of the Present Perfect indicates that, at the time of speaking or writing, half the
questions have been answered.

2. Formation of the present perfect: Regular verbs

The Present Perfect tense of any English verb is formed from the Simple Present of the
auxiliary to have, followed by what is generally referred to as the past participle of the
verb.
Most English verbs form the past participle in a regular, predictable manner. These verbs
are commonly referred to as regular verbs.
The past participle of a regular English verb is formed by adding the ending ed to the bare
infinitive of the verb. For instance, the past participle of the verb to work is worked.
Thus, the Present Perfect tense of the verb to work is conjugated as follows:
I have worked
you have worked
he has worked
she has worked
it has worked
we have worked
they have worked

See Exercise 1.
The following contractions are often used in spoken English:
Without Contractions
I have
you have
he has
she has
it has
we have
they have

With Contractions
I've
you've
he's
she's
it's
we've
they've

It should be noted that the contractions for he has, she has and it has are the same as the
contractions for he is, she is and it is.
See Exercise 2.

3. Spelling rules for adding ed to form the past participle

Some regular verbs change their spelling when the ending ed is added to form the past
participle.
a. Verbs ending in a silent e
When a regular verb ends in a silent e, only the letter d must be added in order to form the
past participle. For example:
Infinitive
to close
to move
to please
to receive

Past Participle
closed
moved
pleased
received

b. Verbs ending in y
When a regular verb ends in y immediately preceded by a consonant, the y is changed to i
before the ending ed is added. For example:
Infinitive
to study
to rely
to carry

Past Participle
studied
relied
carried

However, when a regular verb ends in y immediately preceded by a vowel, the y is not
changed before the ending ed is added. For example:
Infinitive
to play
to convey
to enjoy

Past Participle
played
conveyed
enjoyed

See Exercise 3.
c. Verbs ending in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel
The rules concerning the doubling of final consonants which apply when adding the ending
ing to form the present participle also apply when adding the ending ed to form the past
participle.
Thus, when a one-syllable verb ends in a single consonant other than w, x or y immediately
preceded by a single vowel, the final consonant must be doubled before the ending ed is
added to form the past participle. In the following examples, the consonants which have
been doubled are underlined. For example:
Infinitive
to rub
to trim
to plan
to stop

Past Participle
rubbed
trimmed
planned
stopped

When a verb of more than one syllable ends in a single consonant other than w, x or y
immediately preceded by a single vowel, the final consonant is doubled before the ending
ed only when the last syllable of the verb is pronounced with the heaviest stress. In the
following examples, the syllables pronounced with the heaviest stress are underlined. For
example:
Infinitive
to control
to infer
to occur
to permit
to fasten
to order
to focus
to limit

Past Participle
controlled
inferred
occurred
permitted
fastened
ordered
focused
limited

In the first four examples, the last syllable of the verb is pronounced with the heaviest
stress, and the final consonant is doubled before ed is added. In the last four examples, the
first syllable of the verb is pronounced with the heaviest stress, and the final consonant is

not doubled before ed is added.

The final consonants w, x and y are never doubled when the ending ed is added. For
example:
Infinitive
to follow
to box
to portray

Past Participle
followed
boxed
portrayed

It should also be noted that final consonants immediately preceded by two vowels are not
doubled when the ending ed is added. For example:
Infinitive
to greet
to rain
to soak
to treat

Past Participle
greeted
rained
soaked
treated

See Exercise 4.

4. Pronunciation of the ed ending

The ending ed is usually not pronounced as a separate syllable. For instance, in each of the
following examples, both the bare infinitive and the past participle consist of one syllable.
For example:
Bare Infinitive
puff
work
miss
watch

Past Participle
puffed
worked
missed
watched

However, when the ending ed is added to verbs which end in d or t, the ed ending of the
past participle is pronounced as a separate syllable. The reason for this is that the sounds of
d and t are so similar to the sound of the ed ending, that the ending must be pronounced as
a separate syllable in order to be heard clearly.
In each of the following examples, the bare infinitive consists of one syllable; whereas the
past participle consists of two syllables. For example:
Bare Infinitive
add

Past Participle
added

land
hunt
wait

landed
hunted
waited

Similarly, when d is added to verbs ending in a silent e preceded by d or t, the final ed of

the past participle is pronounced as a separate syllable. In each of the following examples,
the bare infinitive consists of one syllable; whereas the past participle consists of two
syllables. For example:
Bare Infinitive
fade
glide
cite
note

Past Participle
faded
glided
cited
noted

See Exercise 5.

5. Formation of the present perfect: Irregular verbs

In addition to regular English verbs, there are many irregular English verbs, which do not
form the past participle with the ending ed. The English irregular verbs are related to the
strong verbs of the German language. The following are examples of irregular English
verbs. For example:
Bare Infinitive
begin
find
go
let
take

Past Participle
begun
found
gone
let
taken

The past participles of irregular English verbs are formed in an unpredictable manner, and
must be memorized. A table of common English irregular verbs is provided.
Except for the irregularity of the past participle, the formation of the Present Perfect tense is
the same for an irregular verb as for a regular verb. In both cases, the Simple Present of the
auxiliary to have is followed by the past participle of the verb.
For instance, the irregular verb to take has the past participle taken. Thus, the Present
Perfect of the irregular verb to take is conjugated as follows:
I have taken
you have taken

he has taken
she has taken
it has taken
we have taken
they have taken
See Exercise 6.

6. Questions and negative statements

As is the case with other English tenses, questions and negative statements in the Present
Perfect are formed using the auxiliary. In the case of the Present Perfect, the auxiliary is
have or has.
a. Questions
In order to form a question, the auxiliary is placed before the subject of the verb. For
example:
Affirmative Statement
I have worked.
You have worked.
He has worked.
She has worked.
It has worked.
We have worked.
They have worked.

Question
Have I worked?
Have you worked?
Has he worked?
Has she worked?
Has it worked?
Have we worked?
Have they worked?

b. Negative statements
In order to form a negative statement, the word not is placed after the auxiliary. For
example:
Affirmative Statement
I have worked.
You have worked.
He has worked.
She has worked.
It has worked.
We have worked.
They have worked.

Negative Statement
I have not worked.
You have not worked.
He has not worked.
She has not worked.
It has not worked.
We have not worked.
They have not worked.

The following contractions are often used in spoken English:

Without Contractions
have not
has not

With Contractions
haven't
hasn't

c. Negative questions
In order to form a negative question, the auxiliary is placed before the subject, and the word
not is placed after the subject. However, when contractions are used, the contracted form of
not follows immediately after the auxiliary. For example:
Without Contractions
Have I not worked?
Have you not worked?
Has he not worked?
Has she not worked?
Has it not worked?
Have we not worked?
Have they not worked?

With Contractions
Haven't I worked?
Haven't you worked?
Hasn't he worked?
Hasn't she worked?
Hasn't it worked?
Haven't we worked?
Haven't they worked?

d. Tag questions
Tag questions are also formed using the auxiliary. In the following examples, the negative
tag questions are underlined.
Affirmative Statement
I have worked.
You have worked.
He has worked.
She has worked.
It has worked.
We have worked.
They have worked.

Affirmative Statement with Tag Question

I have worked, haven't I?
You have worked, haven't you?
He has worked, hasn't he?
She has worked, hasn't she?
It has worked, hasn't it?
We have worked, haven't we?
They have worked, haven't they?

See Exercise 7.

7. The present perfect continuous

a. Use
The Present Perfect Continuous tense is used to express continuous, ongoing actions which
have already been completed at the time of speaking or writing.
In the following example, the verb in the Present Perfect Continuous tense is underlined.
e.g. The bus has been waiting for one hour.
The use of the Present Perfect Continuous tense in this example indicates that, at the time

of speaking or writing, the bus has completed one hour of continuous waiting.
b. Formation
The Present Perfect Continuous tense of any English verb is formed from the Present
Perfect of to be, followed by the present participle of the verb. For instance, the Present
Perfect Continuous tense of the verb to work is conjugated as follows:
I have been working
you have been working
he has been working
she has been working
it has been working
we have been working
they have been working
Thus, it can be seen that the Present Perfect Continuous tense has two auxiliaries. The first
auxiliary is have or has, and the second auxiliary is been.
See Exercise 8.
c. Questions and negative statements
When a verb has more than one auxiliary, it is the first auxiliary which must change its
form to agree with the subject of the verb. It is also the first auxiliary which is used to form
questions and negative statements.
Questions are formed by placing the first auxiliary before the subject of the verb. For
example:
Affirmative Statement
I have been working.
You have been working.
He has been working.
She has been working.
It has been working.
We have been working.
They have been working.

Question
Have I been working?
Have you been working?
Has he been working?
Has she been working?
Has it been working?
Have we been working?
Have they been working?

Negative statements are formed by placing the word not after the first auxiliary. For
example:
Affirmative Statement
I have been working.
You have been working.
He has been working.
She has been working.

Negative Statement
I have not been working.
You have not been working.
He has not been working.
She has not been working.

It has been working.

We have been working.
They have been working.

It has not been working.

We have not been working.
They have not been working.

Negative questions are formed by placing the first auxiliary before the subject, and the
word not after the subject. However, when contractions are used, the contracted form of
not follows immediately after the first auxiliary. For example:
Without Contractions
Have I not been working?
Have you not been working?
Has he not been working?
Has she not been working?
Has it not been working?
Have we not been working?
Have they not been working?

With Contractions
Haven't I been working?
Haven't you been working?
Hasn't he been working?
Hasn't she been working?
Hasn't it been working?
Haven't we been working?
Haven't they been working?

Tag questions are formed using the first auxiliary. In the following examples, the negative
tag questions are underlined. For example:
Affirmative Statement
I have been working.
You have been working.
He has been working.
She has been working.
It has been working.
We have been working.
They have been working.

Affirmative Statement with Tag Question

I have been working, haven't I?
You have been working, haven't you?
He has been working, hasn't he?
She has been working, hasn't she?
It has been working, hasn't it?
We have been working, haven't we?
They have been working, haven't they?

See Exercise 9.
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