UNIVERSITY „GOCE DELCEV” – STIP

RESEARCH PAPER

THEME: Present Perfect Tense? Definition, Examples of English Tenses

Professor: Made by:

доц. Д-р.

Strumica, 2019
 Contents

Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 3
Present Perfect Tense? Definition, Examples of English Tenses .................................... 4
Present Perfect Tense Examples .................................................................................... 4
Using Present Perfect Tense ........................................................................................ 4
Examples of Present Perfect Tense............................................................................. 5
English ............................................................................................................................ 7
Examples of the Present Perfect Tense .......................................................................... 8
More Examples of the Present Perfect Tense ................................................................. 8
Conclusions................................................................................................................... 10
References: ................................................................................................................... 11

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 Introduction

The present perfect is a grammatical combination of the present

tense and perfect aspect that is used to express a past event that has present
consequences.[1] The term is used particularly in the context of English grammar to refer
to forms like "I have left". The forms are present because they use the present tense of
the auxiliary verb have, and perfect because they use that auxiliary in combination with
the past participle of the main verb. (Other perfect constructions also exist, such as
the past perfect: "I had eaten.")

Analogous forms are found in some other languages, and they may also be described
as present perfect; they often have other names such as the German Perfekt, the
French passé composé and the Italian passato prossimo. They may also have different
ranges of usage: in all three of the languages just mentioned, the forms in question
serve as a general past tense, at least for completed actions.

In English, completed actions in many contexts are referred to using the simple
past verb form rather than the present perfect.

English also has a present perfect continuous (or present perfect progressive) form,
which combines present tense with both perfect aspect
and continuous(progressive) aspect: "I have been eating". The action is not necessarily
complete; and the same is true of certain uses of the basic present perfect when the
verb expresses a state or a habitual action: "I have lived here for five years."

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 Present Perfect Tense? Definition, Examples of English Tenses

Present perfect definition: The present perfect tense is a verb tense used to express
actions that occurred at a non-specific time. The present perfect tense is also used to
express actions that started in the past but continue to the present.

The present perfect tense expresses actions that happened at a time that is not specific.

Present Perfect Tense Examples

Present perfect tense combines the present tense and the perfect aspect used to
express an event that happened in the past that has present consequences. This tense
is used to show a link between the present and past and is commonly used in everyday
conversations, in the news, on the radio, and when writing letters.

Using Present Perfect Tense

To create the present perfect tense of any verb, you will combine the present
tense of the verb "to have" plus the past participle of the main verb of the sentence. The
past participle of a regular verb is the base word plus -ed. You can find a list of the past
participle of irregular verbs here.

One example of this tense is: "have jumped." "Have" is the present tense and "jumped"
is the past participle. Some other forms of this tense are:

 Has lived: She has lived here all her life.

 Have written: They have written three letters already.
 Have worked: I have worked here since I graduated school.
 Has done: He has finished his homework.
 Have been: We have been to Canada.
 Has forgotten: She has forgotten her folder.
There are many different situations where the present perfect tense can be used. It can
be used in the following ways:

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 To describe an action that is being repeated between the past and present.
Example: We have gone to the beach many times.
 To describe an action that started in the past and is still continuing in the future.
Example: I have lived in the United States since 1990.
 To describe an action that has not yet been finished. Example: It has rained a lot
this month.
 To describe an action that was completed in the recent past. Example: I have just
finished my internship at the museum.
 To describe an action when time was not an important aspect. Example: She has
lost her wedding ring.
There are times when you cannot use the present perfect tense. For example, you
cannot use it with specific expressions of time that have already finished, such as last
year, that month, when I was a baby, etc.

Examples of Present Perfect Tense

Present perfect tense can be used with expressions that are unspecific in time:

 I have lost my purse.

 We have seen this movie already.
 He has broken his leg.
 There has been an accident.
Some examples of present perfect tense used to express an unfinished period of time
are:

 We haven't seen her today.

 They have been to the mall twice this month.
 She has watched that show three times this week.
Examples of using present perfect in talking about events that happened in the recent
past but the effect of the recent event is still felt in the present include:

 The children have made a mess in the kitchen.

 He has started a new job.

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 She has finished her chores.
Present perfect tense can be used in questions as well. Here are some examples:

 Where have I left my sandals?

 Have you visited England?
 Has she met John?
Other Combinations of Words

In addition, you can use time-related adverbs in the present perfect tense, as long as
they don't refer to a time which is finished. These words include: "already," "just" and
"yet." Some examples of how these words are used are:

 The book came out yesterday, but I have already read it. (Already is used to
express that something has happened sooner than expected.)
 She has just left the building. (Just is used to convey that the event happened a
short time ago.)
 He hasn't finished it yet. (Yet is used in negative sentences to mean that something
is expected to happen.
Present perfect tense can also be used in questions using the words "already" and
"yet." For example:

 Why has he gone already?

 Have you called your mom yet?
 Has Anthony played basketball yet?

The Importance of Present Perfect Tense

The present perfect tense is used when talking about experiences from the past, a
change or a situation that has happened in the past but is still continuing today. This
tense is an important part of English grammar since it demonstrates that actions or
events in the past have an effect on the present situation.

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 English
The present perfect in English is used chiefly for completed past actions or events when
it is understood that it is the present result of the events that is focused upon, rather
than the moment of completion. No particular past time frame is specified for the
action/event. When a past time frame (a point of time in the past, or period of time which
ended in the past) is specified for the event, explicitly or implicitly, the simple past is
used rather than the present perfect.

The tense may be said to be a sort of mixture of present and past. It always implies a
strong connection with the present and is used chiefly in conversations, letters,
newspapers and TV and radio reports.[2]

It can also be used for ongoing or habitual situations continuing up to the present time
(generally not completed, but the present time may be the moment of completion). That
usage describes for how long or since when something has been the case, normally
based on time expressions with "for" or "since" (such as for two years, since 1995).
Then, the present perfect continuous form is often used, if a continuing action is being
described.

For examples, see Uses of English verb forms § Present perfect as well as the sections
of that article relating to the simple past, present perfect continuous, and other perfect
forms.

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 Examples of the Present Perfect Tense
Here are some examples of the present perfect tense (highlighted):

 Janet has run two miles.

(This is the present perfect tense. In this example, Janet is still running when
the words were said.)

 Janet ran two miles.

(This is the simple past tense. In this example, Janet has stopped running
when the words were said.)

 David has worked alongside two of the world's finest scientists in the field of
entomology.
(This is the present perfect tense. In this example, David might have finished
working with those scientists, but the sentence carries the connotation that he
is still working as an entomologist.)

 David worked alongside two of the world's finest scientists in the field of
entomology.
(This is the simple past tense. This example carries the connotation that David
no longer works as an entomologist.)

More Examples of the Present Perfect Tense

Here are some more examples of the present perfect tense:

 The board has decided not to uphold the appeal.

(Connotation: The board continues to uphold the appeal.)

 I have taken the wrong path again.

(Connotation: I am still on the wrong path.)

Of course, you can have the negative version, which is formed "has not" or "have not" +
"[past particple]":

 The board has not decided not to uphold the appeal.

 I have not taken the wrong path again.

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And the question versions:

 Has the board decided to uphold the appeal?

 Have I taken the wrong path again?

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 Conclusions

The present perfect is used to indicate a link between the present and the past.
The time of the action is before now but not specified, and we are often more
interested in the result than in the action itself. The present perfect of any verb is
composed of two elements : the appropriate form of the auxiliary verb to have (present
tense), plus the past participle of the main verb. The past participle of a regular verb
is base+ed, e.g. played, arrived, looked. For irregular verbs, see the Table of irregular
verbs in the section called 'Verbs'.

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 References:

 https://www.ef.com/wwen/english-resources/english-grammar/present-perfect/

 http://www.studyandexam.com/presenet-perfect-tense.html

 https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-present-perfect-tense-definition-
examples.html

 https://examples.yourdictionary.com/present-perfect-tense-examples.html

 https://www.ef.com/wwen/english-resources/english-grammar/present-perfect/

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