The present perfect tense
To form the Present Perfect Tense we use has or have with the past participle form of the verb. Most past participles end in -ed (worked, studied, etc.). Irregular verbs have special past participles that must be memorized. (went, spoken, seen, etc.)
We use Present Perfect Tense:
to express an action that began in the past and continues in the present (often with sinceand for).
Example: David has worked in Spain since 1996.
with adverbs such as ever, already,never, recently, lately, yet, always, etc.
Example: Jane has already recieved her birthday presents.
to express an action that happened at an indefinite time in the past (the exact time when it happened is not important)
Example: We have moved into a new house.
to talk about a repeated action in the past with unspecified time of completion (with so far, many times, since, for the last year,for hours, for a week, several times, etc.)
Example: He has been in New York many times.
to talk about a very recently completed action
Example: We have just finished our lunch.
we often use Present Perfect after a superlatives
Example: This is the most delicious food I have ever eaten.
we also use Present Perfect with the expressions "This is the first time...", "It's the first time...", etc.
Example: It's the first time I've ever eaten Chinese food
sometimes Present Perfect is used to emphasise on the completion of the act in the time clause (with time words such as when,until, after, before, as soon as)
Example: You can go out as soon as you have finished your homework.
Exercise 1: Rewrite the following sentences with the present perfect. The present perfect used may be the one that has no time, OR the one that means a continuing activity. You must decide. The first one has been done for you.
1. The Brown Family goes to Switzerland every winter. They started to do this 4 years ago.
The Brown Family has gone to Switzerland every winter for 4 years.
2. My brother ate frogs' legs. He ate frogs' legs three times.
3. Carol is in Morocco. She went there last month.
4. Timothy rides a bus to school. He started to do it when his car broke down.
5. Jorge and Carmen are married. They got married in 1980.
6. Scientists are concerned with the world's rain forests. This concern started many years ago.
7. James knows how to repair a computer. He learned how to do it a long time ago.
8. I wanted to go to Japan several years ago. I still want to go.
9. Maria was excited about space exploration when she was young. She is still excited about it.
I saw the answers to the test. When I saw the answers is a secret.
Exercise 2 Past simple or present perfect? Chose the right tense of the verb given in brackets.
All samples ( failed / have failed) under the first test condition.
Recent studies (showed / have shown) that...
Research conducted in the 1990s ( showed / has shown) that...
The studies ( were not completed / have not been completed) yet.
Two years ago, researchers ( demonstrated / have demonstrated) the link between...
Over the past six years, there ( were / have been) several exciting developments in the field of mechatronics.
Lewis's (2004) investigation ( proved / has proved) the effect of...
An investigation ( was carried out / has been carried out) recently into...
Exercise 3 Put the following words into a sentence in the present perfect tense.
they / last / since / marry / summer
never / along / they / each / get / with / other
recently / not / hear / from / I / her
teach / her / Maria / all / life / English
call / his / Tom / several / girlfriend / times
appear / not / he / since / on / TV / 2005
my / I / see / April / since / sister
five / Mike / read / summer / so / this / books / far
watch / for / TV / hours / Matt / two
visit / the / he / museum / month / times / this / three
Exercise 4 Write sentences in present perfect tense using the words or phrases given in each question.
1. Jane / return / from / office.
2. She / write / a novel.
3. He / act / in / ten films.
4. I / not / receive / your / letter.
5. I / never / hear /of that / place.
7. Look / what / john / give / me!
8. Police / arrest / 80 suspected / drug traffickers / in raids.
9. A 24-year old / woman / kill / in an accident.
10. Honey / I / lose / my keys.
11. I / answer / six / phone calls / since / lunchtime.
12. I / study/ hard / for years.
Exercise 5: Fill in the blanks with the present perfect tense. Choose one of the suitable words:
be, spot , work, have, repair, take , see, end, leave, face, postpone, eat, be, win, write, prepare, return, organize, apply, go hiking
Exercise 6 Complete these sentences with either the present perfect tense or the past tense.
Exercise 7. Have you mastered the present perfect yet? Prove it by correcting the mistakes in these sentences.
