Present Perfect
FORM
[has/have + past
participle]
Examples:
You
have seen that movie many times.
Have you seen that movie many times?
You
have not seen that movie many times.
Complete List of
Present Perfect Forms
USE 1 Unspecified Time
Before Now
We use the Present
Perfect to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before now. The
exact time is not important. You CANNOT use the Present Perfect with specific
time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a
child, when I lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc. We CAN
use the Present Perfect with unspecific expressions such as: ever, never, once,
many times, several times, before, so far, already, yet, etc.
Examples:
I
have seen that movie twenty times.
I
think I have met him once before.
There have been many earthquakes in California.
People have traveled to the Moon.
People have not traveled to Mars.
Have you read the book yet?
Nobody has ever climbed that mountain.
A:
Has there ever been a war in the United States?
B:
Yes, there has been a war in the United States.
How Do You Actually
Use the Present Perfect?
The concept of
"unspecified time" can be very confusing to English learners. It is
best to associate Present Perfect with the following topics:
TOPIC 1 Experience
You can use the
Present Perfect to describe your experience. It is like saying, "I have
the experience of..." You can also use this tense to say that you have
never had a certain experience. The Present Perfect is NOT used to describe a
specific event.
Examples:
I
have been to France.
This sentence means that you have had the experience of being in France. Maybe
you have been there once, or several times.
I
have been to France three times.
You
can add the number of times at the end of the sentence.
I
have never been to France.
This sentence means that you have not had the experience of going to France.
I
think I have seen that movie before.
He
has never traveled by train.
Joan has studied two foreign languages.
A:
Have you ever met him?
B:
No, I have not met him.
TOPIC 2 Change Over
Time
We often use the
Present Perfect to talk about change that has happened over a period of time.
Examples:
You
have grown since the last time I saw you.
The
government has become more interested in arts education.
Japanese has become one of the most popular courses at the university since the
Asian studies program was established.
My
English has really improved since I moved to Australia.
TOPIC 3
Accomplishments
We often use the
Present Perfect to list the accomplishments of individuals and humanity. You
cannot mention a specific time.
Examples:
Man
has walked on the Moon.
Our
son has learned how to read.
Doctors have cured many deadly diseases.
Scientists have split the atom.
TOPIC 4 An Uncompleted
Action You Are Expecting
We often use the
Present Perfect to say that an action which we expected has not happened. Using
the Present Perfect suggests that we are still waiting for the action to
happen.
Examples:
James has not finished his homework yet.
Susan hasn't mastered Japanese, but she can communicate.
Bill has still not arrived.
The
rain hasn't stopped.
TOPIC 5 Multiple
Actions at Different Times
We also use the
Present Perfect to talk about several different actions which have occurred in
the past at different times. Present Perfect suggests the process is not
complete and more actions are possible.
Examples:
· The army has
attacked that city five times.
· I have had four
quizzes and five tests so far this semester.
· We have had
many major problems while working on this project.
· She has talked
to several specialists about her problem, but nobody knows why she is sick.
Time Expressions with
Present Perfect
When we use the
Present Perfect it means that something has happened at some point in our lives
before now. Remember, the exact time the action happened is not important.
Sometimes, we want to
limit the time we are looking in for an experience. We can do this with
expressions such as: in the last week, in the last year, this week, this month,
so far, up to now, etc.
Examples:
Have you been to Mexico in the last year?
I
have seen that movie six times in the last month.
They have had three tests in the last week.
She
graduated from university less than three years ago. She has worked for three
different companies so far.
My
car has broken down three times this week.
NOTICE
"Last year"
and "in the last year" are very different in meaning. "Last
year" means the year before now, and it is considered a specific time
which requires Simple Past. "In the last year" means from 365 days
ago until now. It is not considered a specific time, so it requires Present
Perfect.
Examples:
I
went to Mexico last year.
I
went to Mexico in the calendar year before this one.
I
have been to Mexico in the last year.
I
have been to Mexico at least once at some point between 365 days ago and now.
USE 2 Duration From
the Past Until Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)
With Non-Continuous
Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the Present Perfect to
show that something started in the past and has continued up until now.
"For five minutes," "for two weeks," and "since
Tuesday" are all durations which can be used with the Present Perfect.
Examples:
I
have had a cold for two weeks.
She
has been in England for six months.
Mary has loved chocolate since she was a little girl.
Although the above use
of Present 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.
ADVERB PLACEMENT
The examples below
show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever,
still, just, etc.
Examples:
You
have only seen that movie one time.
Have you only seen that movie one time?
ACTIVE / PASSIVE
Examples:
Many
tourists have visited that castle. Active
That castle has been visited by many tourists. Passive
Present Perfect Forms
Positive
|
Negative
|
Question
|
I have traveled.
You have traveled.
We have traveled.
Theyhave traveled.
He has traveled.
She has traveled.
It has traveled.
|
I have not traveled.
You have not traveled.
We have not traveled.
They have not traveled.
He has not traveled.
She has not traveled.
It has not traveled.
|
Have Itraveled?
Have youtraveled?
Have wetraveled?
Havetheytraveled?
Has hetraveled?
Has shetraveled?
Has ittraveled
|
