Present Perfect

vs
Past Perfect
Ana Lucía Chaves Barquero
 Present Simple
•Things which are always true:
• Water boils at 100 degrees.
•Permanent situations (or nearly permanent; true for a few years at least):
• Julie lives in London.
•Habits or things we do regularly:
• I drink coffee every morning.
•Future events which are part of a timetable:
• My plane leaves at eight tonight.
•To talk about the future after certain words ('when' 'until' 'after' 'before' 'as soon
as’):
• I'll call you when I get home.
•To talk about what happens in books, plays and films:
• At the end of the book, the detective catches the killer.
Present Continuous
•Things which are happening at the moment of speaking:
• The water is boiling now, so you can put in the pasta.
•Temporary situations:
• Julie is living in Paris for a few months (usually she lives in London).
•Situations which are slowly changing:
• I'm getting better and better at speaking English.
•Temporary or new habits:
• I'm drinking too much coffee these days because I'm so busy at work.
•Annoying habits (usually with 'always’):
• My flatmate is always leaving the kitchen in a mess!
•Definite future plans:
• I'm meeting John after class today.

•To talk about people in pictures and photos:

• In this photo, my mother is walking beside a lake.
 Present Continuous: Uses
1. For things that are happening at the moment of speaking. These things usually last for quite a short
time and they are not finished when we are talking about them.
• I'm working at the moment.
• Please call back as we are eating dinner now.
• Julie is sleeping.
2. For other kinds of temporary situations, even if the action isn't happening at this moment.
• John's working in a bar until he finds a job in his field. (He might not be working now.)
• I'm reading a really great book.
• She's staying with her friend for a week.
• I'm working in a school. (I think this is a temporary situation.)
3. For temporary or new habits (for normal habits that continue for a long time, we use the present
simple). We often use this with expressions like 'these days' or 'at the moment’.
• He's eating a lot these days.
• She's swimming every morning (she didn't use to do this).
• You're smoking too much.
4. For habits that are not regular, but that happen very often. In this case we usually use an adverb like
'always', 'forever' or 'constantly'. Often, we use this to talk about an annoying habit.
• You're forever losing your keys!
• She's constantly missing the train.
• Lucy's always smiling!
 Present Continuous: Uses
Future Uses

5. For definite future arrangements (with a future time word). In this case we
have already made a plan and we are pretty sure that the event will happen in
the future.
• I'm meeting my father tomorrow.
• We're going to the beach at the weekend.
• I'm leaving at three.
• We can't use this tense (or any other continuous tense) with stative verbs.
 DIFFERENCE
S AND
SIMILARITIE
Simple Present vsS
Present Progressive
 USE

Simple Past Past Progressive

•Action was in progress at a special
•Action finished in the past (single or
time in the past
repeated)
•Two actions were happening at the
•Series of completed actions in the
same time (the actions do not
past
influence each other)
 FORM

Simple Past Past Progressive

• Regular verbs: infinitive + -ed

• Irregular verbs: 2nd column of (was or were) + infinitive + -ing
the table of the irregular verbs
 EXAMPLES:
Affirmative Sentences

Simple Past Past Progressive

I played football. He was playing football.

You played football. You were playing football.

He played football. He was playing football.
 EXAMPLES:
Negative Sentences

Simple Past Past Progressive

I did not play football. He was not playing football.

You did not play football. You were not playing football.

He did not play football. He was not playing football.
 EXAMPLES:
Questions

Simple Past Past Progressive

Did I play football? Was I playing football?

Did you play football? Were you playing football?

Did he play football? Was he playing football?
 Spelling

Simple Past Past Progressive

•Stopped (Double the consonant
after a short vowel.)
•Loved (one -e at the end of the
word → Add only -d.)
•Worried (consonant before -y →
Change to -i.)
•sitting (Double the consonant after a
short vowel.)
•writing (Drop the -e.)
•lying (Change -ie to -y.)
DIFFERENCE
S AND
SIMILARITIE
S vs Past Perfect
Present Perfect
 PRESENT PERFECT
• An action that started in the past and continues
to the present.
I have lived in this city for six months.
• An action that happened before
now (unspecified time)
I have been to Japan twice.
• HOW TO FORM THE PRESENT PERFECT:
• HAVE / HAS + past participle
• EXAMPLES OF THE PRESENT PERFECT:
• I haven’t seen the new movie yet.
• Have you finished your homework?
• I’ve been to Japan three times.
• My mother’s just gone to the store.
• Janet’s lived abroad for five years.
VS PAST PERFECT
• An action that happened before a time in the past
• When I arrived at the office this morning, I discovered that I had
left my computer on the night before.
• HOW TO FORM THE PAST PERFECT:
• HAD + past participle
• SITUATIONS WHERE YOU WOULD USE THE PAST PERFECT:
• I went to Japan in 1988 and 1991.
• I turned 10 years old in 1994.
• Past perfect sentence:
• I had been to Japan twice by the time I was 10 years old.
• Situation:
• My husband ate breakfast at 6:00 AM
• I woke up at 7:00 AM
• Past perfect sentence:
• When I woke up this morning, my husband had already
eaten breakfast.
• It’s common to use the contraction ‘d in the past perfect:
• I’d traveled to five different countries by the time I was 20 years
old.
 Make the Present Perfect Simple
1. (she / pass the exam?)
_______________________________________________________________
2. (you / eat lunch yet?)
_______________________________________________________________
3. (he / read the newspaper today?)
______________________________________________________________
4. (you / not / study French for ten years)
_______________________________________________________________
5. (they / be in London for six months)
_______________________________________________________________
6. (where / you / be?)
_______________________________________________________________
7. (we / not / go to Paris)
_______________________________________________________________
8. (she / not / see ‘The Lord of the Rings’)
_______________________________________________________________
9. (he / not / meet my mother)
_______________________________________________________________
10. (they / not / visit St. Paul’s Cathedral yet)
_______________________________________________________________
11. (what / she / eat today?)
_______________________________________________________________
12. (why / you / do your homework already?)
_______________________________________________________________
13. (how / she / make this fantastic cake?)
_______________________________________________________________
14. (why / I / miss the plane?)
_______________________________________________________________
15. (they / not / go to bed)
_______________________________________________________________
16. (it / rain a lot this week)
_______________________________________________________________
17. (they / use a credit card before?)
_______________________________________________________________
18. (we / have enough to eat?)
_______________________________________________________________
19. (she / not / play basketball before)
_______________________________________________________________
20. (I / wear a kimono)
_______________________________________________________________
 Make the Past Perfect
1. Mary ___________________ (give) me Tony's address before she left.
2. When the boys arrived at the cinema, the film ___________________ (already, start).
3. Before we reached the station we saw that we ___________________ (lose) our way.
4. All the tickets ___________________ (be) sold before the concert began.
5. They took a shower after they ___________________ (finish) the game.
6. I asked Mr Green how many books he ___________________ (read)
7. Mum asked me why I ___________________ (not tidy) up my room.
8. Bob was sorry that he ___________________ (told) me the story.
9. Alan watched TV after he ___________________ (have) lunch.
10.The sun ___________________ (shine) yesterday after it ___________________ (be) cold for
many weeks.
 Answers Present Perfect Simple
1. Has she passed the exam?
2. Have you eaten lunch yet?
3. Has he read the newspaper today?
4. You haven’t studied French for ten
years.
5. They have been in London for six
months.
6. Where have you been?
7. We haven’t gone / been to Paris.
8. She hasn’t seen ‘The Lord of the
Rings’.
9. He hasn’t met my mother.
1. What has she eaten today?
2. Why have you done your homework
already?
3. How has she made this fantastic
cake?
4. Why have I missed the plane?
5. They haven’t gone to bed.
6. It has rained a lot this week.
7. Have they used a credit card before?
8. Have we had enough to eat?
9. She hasn’t played basketball before.
20. I have worn a kimono.
Answers Past Perfect
1. Mary had given me Tony's address before she left.
2. When the boys arrived at the cinema, the film had already started
3. Before we reached the station we saw that we had lost our way.
4. All the tickets had been sold before the concert began.
5. They took a shower after they had finished the game.
6. I asked Mr. Green how many books he had read
7. Mum asked me why I had not tidied up my room.
8. Bob was sorry that he had told me the story.
9. Alan watched TV after he had had lunch.
10. The sun shone yesterday after it had been cold for many weeks