Present Perfect Tense
FORM [has/have + past participle]
Examples:
How Do You Actually Use the Present Perfect?
Examples:
The concept of "unspecified time" can be very confusing. It is used with the following topics:
Examples:
- You have seen that movie many times.
- Have you seen that movie many times?
How Do You Actually Use the Present Perfect?
- We use the Present Perfect to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before now.
- You CANNOT use the Present Perfect with specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, today, last week, 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 think I have met him once before.
- There have been many earthquakes in California.
- Nobody has ever climbed that mountain.
The concept of "unspecified time" can be very confusing. It is used with the following topics:
TOPIC 1 Experience
You can use the Present Perfect to describe your experience. You can also use this tense to say that you have never had a certain experience. Examples:
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TOPIC 2 Change Over Time
We often use the Present Perfect to talk about change that has happened over a period of time. Examples:
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TOPIC 3 Accomplishments
We often use the Present Perfect to list the accomplishments of individuals and humanity. You cannot mention a specific time. Examples:
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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:
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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:
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Now practice here.