ENGLISH 9

Quarter 1 Week 4: Perfect Tenses

We know that verb tense is necessary in understanding when the action of the sentence was performed,
but did you know that there are more ways to express tense than just past, present, and future?
While simple verb tense describes when an action was performed, is performed, or will be
performed, perfect verb tense expresses when an action was completed, is completed, or will be completed.
Although there is a small difference, it is an important one. Simple verb tense expresses the possibility of an
action happening while perfect verb tense expresses with absolute certainty that the action will be completed.
PERFECT TENSE- a verb tense that is used to refer to an action or state that is completed at the time of
speaking or at a time spoken of. This tense is expressed by adding one of the auxiliary verbs — have, has, or
had — to the past participle form of the main verb.
Present Perfect Tense

The present perfect expresses actions that happened at time that is not specific and actions that started in the
past but continue to the present.
To form the present perfect: Subject + has/have + past participle of verb
For example:
 I have seen that movie.
 My father has told me that before.
 I have lived in Caloocan since 1990.
The present-perfect tense shows a connection with the past and a connection with the present. Its use is
appropriate in three situations: (1) to show experience, (2) to show a change or new information, and (3) to
show a continuing action or state.
Remember the three conditions and if one of these conditions doesn’t persist, then the present-perfect tense is
incorrectly used.
Us of for or since with the Present Perfect Tense
You’ll often use the words for or since with the present-perfect tense. The word for will establish a duration of
time, since an identified moment when the action or state began. Take a look:
1. The word for establishes a duration of time.
He has practiced medicine for 25 years.
She hasn’t called for a long time.
2. The word since identifies the moment when the action or state began.
I have been here since 9 o’clock.
She has worked in that company since leaving law school.
Past Perfect Tense
The past perfect most often expresses actions in the past that finished before another action (also in the past)
started.
To form the past perfect: Subject + had + past participle of verb
For example:
• Sonny had taken the pill before the team reached him.

(First: He took the pill. Next: The team reached him.)

• I had called the police before I investigated the noise in the garden.
(First: I called the police. Next: I investigated the noise.)
• The weather changed, but the team had planned its next move.

(First: The team planned. Next: The weather changed.)

The past perfect just emphasizes that the first action was completed before the second action.
Future Perfect Tense
The future perfect is used to describe an action that will have been completed at some point in the future.
Ironically, it expresses a past in the future. That is, the future-perfect tense expresses an action or state taking
place before another action or time period in the future.
To form the future perfect: Subject + will have + past participle of verb
For example:
• By the time you arrive, we will have finished the meal and the speeches.
(Note: "By the time you arrive" identifies the point in the future.)
• I will have read every magazine in the waiting room before I see the dentist.
(Note: The clause "before I see the dentist" identifies the point in the future.)
• He hopes that, when he leaves this planet, he will have touched a few people in a positive way.
(Note: The clause "when he leaves this planet" identifies the point in the future.)
The future perfect has very limited use because we rarely know a future sequence of events with any certainty.
When it is used, the future perfect usually refers to major life events that are planned years in advance.

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS!

THE PERFECT TENSES EXAMPLES

Present Perfect has/ have cooked, has/ have gone

Past Perfect had cooked, had gone

Future Perfect will have cooked, will have gone

ACTIVITY 1
Pick out the verb then write a if the sentence is in the present perfect tense, if it is the past perfect tense
and if it is the future perfect tense.

1. Olga had figured out the answer before her teacher’s explanation.
2. Irene has practiced piano every day for a week.
3. The window had cracked before the wind storm.
 4. I will have cleaned the whole kitchen by the time Mom returns.
5. The rescuers have searched the area for hours.
6. We will have learned a lot by the end of the year.
7. My grandmother has slept ten hours already.
8. We had practiced math before I started school.
9. Her sister will have done research before writing her essay.
10. The baseball team had played well for the entire tournament.
ACTIVITY 2
Write the correct for of the verb using the given verb and tense.
11. I _________ (got) a long letter from a friend this week. (present perfect)
12. Sophie ________ (participate) in countless dance competitions prior to this one. (present perfect)
13. Zach _______(run) three marathons by the time he is 21. (future perfect)
14. The snow plows ______ (clear) our street before the really heavy snowstorm. (past perfect)
15. Olga ________ (figure out) the answer before her teacher’s explanation. (past perfect)

ACTIVITY 3
Construct a sentence using the given verb and tense. Observe the rules in writing a sentence.
16. send- past perfect 18. get- present perfect 20. leave- past perfect
17. notice- present perfect 19. ask- future perfect

FINAL TASK

A. What are the things that you have done recently? Write at least three activities using the present perfect tense.
B. Share at least three past experiences that taught you a lesson. Use the past perfect tense in your sentences.
C. Think of the things that you will be doing when you reach the age of 25. Write at least three sentences about it
using the future perfect tense. Begin your sentence with “By the time I am 25, ………”

SGA ’21-“22