capa

index
1. Introduction..............................................................................................................................1

2. Present perfect (past-to-present)..............................................................................................2

2.1. Forms of the present perfect..............................................................................................2

2.1.1. I have done (present perfect 1)..................................................................................3

2.2. Present perfect with unfished time....................................................................................4

2.2.1. Present Perfect with already, yet, recently, lately, and just.......................................4

2.2.2. Have you ever…? (present perfect 3)........................................................................6

2.2.3. Present Perfect with for/since....................................................................................6

3. Past perfect (past-before-past).................................................................................................7

3.1. List of past perfect forms..................................................................................................8

4. Conclusion.............................................................................................................................10

5. Bibliography..........................................................................................................................11

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 1. Introduction.

The present perfect connects the past with the present; it expresses completed past actions and
experiences that we have an influence on or connection to present. We use the present perfect
when the exact time of the action is not important.

The present task research addresses about the present perfect and past perfect, it will describe the
main ways of using the two themes above mentioned, know the main aspects that mark the
differences between the present perfect and the past participle, with concrete examples.

General Objective- talk about the present perfect and the past perfect.

Specifics objectives:

 Differentiate present perfect with past perfect;

 Show different concrete examples of present perfect and past perfect and forms of use.

Methodological: for the accomplishment of the work, it was through the bibliographical
consultation of the course manuals and some internet sites.

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 2. Present perfect (past-to-present).

The 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.

We have two basic reasons for using the present perfect:

1. To show that the situation began in the past and still continues into he present:

Example: Carl has lived in Texas for many years. (He still lives there.)

Carl and Jim have lived in Texas since 1985. (They still live there.)

If we want to show the continuous nature of a situation, we use another form:

Carl has been living in Texas since 1985.

Whenever you use since to name a specific time in the past (since 1985, since I was a child,
since yesterday), you have to use present perfect.

2. To show a situation that happened at an unspecified time in the past.

She has visited Mexico. (We don't know exactly when.)

I have seen that movie several times. (We don't know exactly when.)

In both sentences, the experience, rather than the specific time or number of events, is
Emphasized.

2.1. Forms of the present perfect.

There are three forms that we can use in the present perfect.

 Has/have + -ed ending (past participle):

My family has lived in San Francisco for many years.

 has/have + been + -ing word (present participle):

My family has been living in San Francisco for as long as I can remember.

 has/have + been + -ed ending (past participle):

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They have been cheated by their landlord many times

2.1.1. I have done (present perfect 1).

His shoes are dirty → he is cleaning hid hoes → he has cleaned his shoes (= his shoes are clean
now).

They are at home → they are going out → they have gone out. (=they are not at home now).

Has cleaned / have gone, etc. is the present perfect (have + past participle):

 Regular verbs: the past participle is – ed (the same as the past simple):

Example: clean → I have cleaned, finish → we have finished, start → she has started

 Irregular verbs: the past participle is sometimes the some as the past simple and
sometimes different.

Example:

The same: buy → I bought / I have bought. have→ he had / he has had.

Different: break → I broke / I have broken. fall→ it fell / it has fallen.

We use the present perfect for an action in the past with a result now:

I’ve lost my passport. (= I can’t find my passport now).

‘where’s Linda?’ ‘She’s gone to bed’. (=she is I bed now).

Can I take this newspaper? Have you finished with it?

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 2.2. Present perfect with unfished time.

 Present Perfect with ever / never.

The present perfect is used with ever and never to talk about actions done at any time in a
person’s life, or at any time in history until now.

Examples:

Have you ever been to Japan?

Has she ever seen Titanic?

Have they ever ridden a motorcycle?

Use ever in questions only – not in statements.

Example: “I’ve ever been to Japan.” not correct

“I’ve been to Japan.” Correct.

We use never in statements- but only with have/has, not with haven’t/ hasn’t:

“My sister hasn’t never seen Titanic.” Not correct

“My sister has never seen Titanic.” Correct.

“My sister hasn’t seen Titanic.” Correct.

2.2.1. Present Perfect with already, yet, recently, lately, and just.

 I have just… I have already… I have not… yet (present perfect 2)

 I have just.

Just = a short time ago, (usually means very recent) is typically only used in positive statements
and questions

Example: A: are Diana and Paul here?

B: yes, they have just arrived.

A: are you hungry?

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B: no, I have just had dinner.

 I have already.

Already = before you expected / before i expected.

Example: A: what time are Diana and Paul coming?

B: they have already arrived. (= before you expected).

 I have not… yet / have you… yet?

Yet = until now. We can use yet in negative sentences and questions, yet is usually at the end.

Example:

A: Are Esther and Tiago here?

B: No, they have not arrived yet. (but B expects Esther and Tiago to arrive soon).

The film has not started yet.

 Yet in questions.

A: have Esther and Tiago arrived yet?

B: No, not yet. We’re still waiting for them.

A: This is my new dress.

B: Oh, it’s nice. Have you worn it yet?

 Recently, lately.

Recently and lately can be used in positive statements, negative statements, or questions:

a) Recently.

Examples:

“He’s recently lost some weight.”

“I haven’t seen her recently.”

“Have you spoken to Beth recently?”

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 b) Lately.

“I’ve gotten a lot of spam e-mails lately.”

“Adam and Jessica haven’t been to church lately.”

“Have you seen any good movies lately?”

2.2.2. Have you ever…? (present perfect 3).

We use the present perfect (have been / have had / have played, etc) when we talk about a time
from the past until now- for example, a person’s life:

Have you been to France? (in your life) ‘No, I haven’t’.

I’ve seen that woman before but I can’t remember where.

How many times has Brazil won the World Cup?

 Present perfect + ever (in question) and never:

Has Ann ever been to Australia? ‘Yes, once.’ (once= one time.)

Have you ever played golf? ‘Yes, I often play golf.’

My mother has never travelled by air.

2.2.3. Present Perfect with for/since

The present perfect is also used with for and since to talk about actions that began in the past and

continue to the present.

Example:

“I’ve lived here since 2004.”

“I’ve lived here for 8 years.”

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Since is used with a point in time, and means “from that point in time until the present.” Use
since with dates (2011, January, Tuesday, etc.), times (6:15, noon, this morning, etc.), and past
events (I was a child, he graduated from college, etc)

Since is always used with the present perfect, and not the simple past:

Examples:

“I’ve gone to the beach every year since I was a child.”

(repeated action that continues until today)

“I went to the beach when I was a child.”

(finished action at a specific time in the past; I don’t go to the beach today).

For is used with a time period, and means “for that period of time until the present.” Use for
with times of any length (five seconds, eight hours, two days, six weeks, nine months, ten years,
a decade, centuries, etc.).

Be careful with for, because using the present perfect or the simple past can change the meaning:

Examples:

“We’ve lived in Berlin for 6 months.” (and we live in Berlin now)

“We lived in Berlin for 6 months.” (and we don’t live in Berlin now)

3. Past perfect (past-before-past).

We use the past perfect to show that something happened in the past before another past action.

Form: Had + past participle.

Example: By the time you arrived, I had left.

2 1
The thief simply walked in because I had forgotten to lock the door.
2 1
Her eyes were red because she had been crying
2 2

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In the above sentences, the past perfect (1) shows which past action happened first, and simple
past tense (2) shows what happened after the first action.

3.1. List of past perfect forms.

 Use 1: complete action before something in the past.

The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It
can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past.

Examples:

I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Nampula.

I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.

Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.

Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?

 Use 2: duration before something in the past (Non-continuous verbs).

With Non-Continuous Verbs and some non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the Past
Perfect to show that something started in the past and continued up until another action in the
past.

Examples:

We had had that car for ten years before it broke down.

By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London for over eight years.

They felt bad about selling the house because they had owned it for more than forty years.

Although the above use of Past Perfect is normally limited to Non- Continuous Verbs and non-
continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, the words "live," "work," "teach," and "study" are sometimes
used in this way even though they are NOT Non-Continuous Verbs

 Important, specific times with the past perfect.

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Unlike with the Present Perfect, it is possible to use specific time words or phrases with the Past
Perfect. Although this is possible, it is usually not necessary.

Examples:

She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

 Moreover

If the Past Perfect action did occur at a specific time, the Simple Past can be used instead of the
Past Perfect when "before" or "after" is used in the sentence. The words "before" and "after"
actually tell you what happens first, so the Past Perfect is optional. For this reason, both
sentences below are correct.

Examples:

She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

She visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

 However.

If the Past Perfect is not referring to an action at a specific time, Past Perfect is not optional.
Compare the examples below. Here Past Perfect is referring to a lack of experience rather than
an action at a specific time. For this reason, Simple Past cannot be used.

Examples:

She never saw a bear before she moved to Alaska. Not Correct

She had never seen a bear before she moved to Alaska. Correct

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 4. Conclusion.

Until this point, ends the development of the work where it allows to conclude that, we use the
present perfect talk about recent or past events that happened at an indefinite time, and we use
the past perfect to refer to something that occurred before something else.

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 5. Bibliography.

Iatridou, S., Anagnostopoulou, E., & Pancheva, R. (2001). Observations about the form and
meaning of the perfect. In M. Kenstowicz (Ed.), Ken Hale: A life in language (pp. 189–238).

Klein W. (1992) The present perfect puzzle. Language 68(3): 525–552.

McCawley J.D. (1971) Tense and time reference in English. In: Fillmore C.J., Terence
Langendoen D. (eds) Studies in linguistic semantics. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York, pp
96–113.

Michaelis L. (1994) The ambiguity of the English present perfect. Journal of Linguistics, 30:
111–157

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