Past Simple or Present Perfect

Exercise 1
Choose ‘Past Simple’ or ‘Present Perfect’

We normally use the __________________ when we want to talk about

something which happened in the past but is relevant now. Often we use words like
‘just’ / ‘already’ / not … yet’ with this tense. We also use the
_________________ to talk about an imprecise time in the past but as soon as
we become precise we swatch to the ____________________.

E.g. : I haven’t spoken to Luke yet but I’ve already informed Brian.
I’ve never been to Australia. Have you ever been there ?
Yes I have. I went in 2008.

Exercise 2
Fill in the appropriate tense: present perfect or past simple

1. I (see) ______________ that programme about telepathy last night.

2. He (come) ________________ back from Uganda a week ago.
3. Last week, he (phone) _______________ me to inform me about the matter.
4. He (travel) ___________________ a lot recently.
5. Claire (have) ________________ an appointment at the hairdresser’s
yesterday.
6. He’s the most difficult customer I (have to - ever) ______________ deal
with.
7. Sales (rise) _______________ in 2001, but then (fall)
_________________ again in 2002.
8. We (sign) ________________ a binding contract last year which is still valid.
9. I feel really tired. I (finish - just) ______________________ my homework.
10. Look at George ! He (have) __________________ a haircut.

Exercise 3
Same task, but this time questions an negative sentences

1. What films (see - you) __________________ this month ?

2. How many cigarettes (smoke - you) ___________________ today ?
3. Why (phone - not - he) ___________________ me last night ?
4. It’s obvious that you (read - not) __________________ this report.
5. Jennifer (dare - not) ____________________ to ask for her exam results
when she saw Professor Hawking last Wednesday.

Exercise 4
Select either the past tense or the present perfect form in the following sentences.

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1. Mr. Johnson left/has left last week for a business trip.
2. Sam lost/has lost his car keys and can’ get home.
3. The choir sang/has sung that song a hundred times.
4. The garage had/has had my car for a week now, and it still isn’t fixed.
5. We moved/have moved there ten years ago.
6. We lived/have lived there ever since.
7. We lost/have lost the power about noon.
8. Let’s go to the arrival section - the plane landed/has landed a few minutes ago.
9. I went/have gone to Duke University a few years ago.
10. The city permitted/has permitted parking on that street for years.
11. After the interview, the personnel director showed/has shown me the cafeteria.
12. I complained/have complained about that problem a dozen times.
13. Last winter, my grandmother fell/has fallen and broke her hip.
14. Since the train strike began, I drove/have driven to work every day.
15. I drove/have driven my wife’s car to work this morning.

Exercise 5
Choose the ‘Past Simple’ or ‘Present Perfect’ of the verbs in brackets

1. Tom ________________ (break) his leg during his skiing trip in Austria.
2. Ouch! I ________________ (cut) my finger. It’s bleeding.
3. Jeremy _______________ (go) to school by bicycle before he bought his
motor scooter.
4. The Beatles _________________ (have) a string of number-one hits in the
1960s.
5. Martin __________________ (crash) his car again.
6. The Titanic __________________ (sink) in 1912.
7. I __________________ (see) the movie Avatar three times.
8. Somebody ________________ (steal) my bicycle! Now I’ll have to walk
home.
9. Gerry __________________ (graduate) from university last June.
10. I __________________ (walk) to work every day for the last six weeks!
11. My brother ___________________ (smoke - not) for two weeks. He’s trying
to give it up.
12. I ____________________ (live) in Cork for two years and then
__________________ (go) to Dublin.
13. Mister Pound is the bank manager. He ________________ (be) for five
years.
14. Colin ________________ (work) with Monsanto for five years, but now he
works with IBM.
15. I __________________ (see - not) him for three years. I wonder where he
lives now.
16. Before going to Edinburgh, she ________________ (stay) with us for a
fortnight.
17. ____________________ (watch - you) TV lately?
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18. We ____________________ (move) into our new flat. It’s quite
comfortable.
19. How long ____________________ (be - you) out of work? I
________________ (be) out of work for three months now. I
______________________(write - already) about 20 letters of application,
but up to now only two firms ______________________ (reply).
20. ______________________ (be - ever - you) in Tuscany? I
_________________ (go) to Pisa last year. I _________________ (find)
the Leaning Tower very impressive.

Exercise 6
Fill the blanks in the conversation with a verb from the list. Use the past simple or
the present perfect. Some of the verbs can be used more than once:

to be * to expect * to have * to have to * to rent * to come

to help * to enjoy * to begin * to take * to move * to make

“Rosie is talking to Marcus, who has recently come to work in the same company as her.”

Rosie: So, Marcus, are you setting in here OK, do you think?
Marcus: Oh, yes. Everyone ______________ very friendly. I
________________ to have quite a lot of problems, but I
_______________ any really. Not here at work, anyway.
Rosie: Do you mean there ___________________ other problems?
Marcus: Well, I _______________ to move out of the flat I
_______________ when I first __________________ here.
Rosie: Oh dear. Why _______________ you _________________ do
that? Wasn’t it comfortable? Our personnel department
_________________ you to find it, didn’t they?
Marcus: That’s right. It was a good flat. I ________________ living there very
much. Unfortunately, the journey to work was too long. The bus routes
changed just before I ______________ to work here and it
_______________ me two hours to get here every day. So I
_______________ to a place just round the corner from here.
Everything’s fine now.
Rosie: I hope all this trouble _______________ (not) you sorry that you
came here.
Marcus: Not at all. I’m really enjoying the work. And I __________________
a lot of new friends already.
Rosie: That’s good. Oh, well. We’d better get on with some work now, I suppose.
Marcus: I guess so. See you later.
Rosie: Yes. Bye.

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KEY
Exercise 1
We normally use the Present Perfect when we want to talk about something which happened in
the past but is relevant now. Often we use words like ‘just’ / ‘already’ / not … yet’ with this tense.
We also use the Present Perfect to talk about a imprecise time in the past but as soon as we
become precise we swatch to the Past Simple.

Exercise 2
1. saw 6. have ever had to
2. came 7. rose / fell
3. phoned 8. have signed
4. has travelled 9. have just finished
5. had 10. has had

Exercise 3
1. have you seen - 2. have you smoked - 3. didn’t he phone - 4. haven’t read - 5. didn’t dare

Exercise 4
1. left - 2. has lost - 3. has sung - 4. has had - 5. moved - 6. have lived - 7. lost - 8. landed - 9.
went - 10. has permitted - 11. showed - 12. have complained - 13. fell - 14. have driven - 15. drove

Exercise 5
1. broke
2. have cut
3. went
4. had
5. has crashed
6. sank
7. have seen
8. has stolen
9. graduated
10. have walked
11. hasn’t smoked
12. lived / have gone
13. has been
14. worked
15. haven’t seen
16. stayed
17. Have you watched
18. have moved
19. have you been / have been / have already written / have replied
20. Have you ever been / went / found

Exercise 6
Rosie: So, Marcus, are you setting in here OK, do you think?
Marcus: Oh, yes. Everyone has been very friendly. I expected to have quite a lot of
problems, but I haven’t had any really. Not here at work, anyway.
Rosie: Do you mean there have been other problems?
Marcus: Well, I had to move out of the flat I rented when I first came here.
Rosie: Oh dear. Why did you have to do that? Wasn’t it comfortable? Our personnel
department helped you to find it, didn’t they?
Marcus: That’s right. It was a good flat. I enjoyed living there very much. Unfortunately, the
journey to work was too long. The bus routes changed just before I began to work
here and it took me two hours to get here every day. So I moved to a place just
round the corner from here. Everything’s fine now.
Rosie: I hope all this trouble hasn’t made (not) you sorry that you came here.
Marcus: Not at all. I’m really enjoying the work. And I have made a lot of new friends already.
Rosie: That’s good. Oh, well. We’d better get on with some work now, I suppose.
Marcus: I guess so. See you later.
Rosie: Yes. Bye.

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