Focus On GrammarBook 2, 5th edition

Lesson 9: Present Perfect Tense

9.0• ALL the perfect tenses tell about “the time

before”– Present Perfect Tense is about the time before the

present• She has studied English for two years.

– Past Perfect Tense is about the time before some other event in the past

• She had eaten when her husband came home.

– Future Perfect Tense is about the time before some other event in the future.

• I will retire when I have a million dollars.

9.1 - Overview

• FORM– HAVE (or HAS) with the Past Participle

• Write, wrote, WRITTEN; go, went, GONEbui

– There have or There has• Depends on the noun that follows

9.2 – The Past Participle

• REGULAR verbs– The past participle looks the same as the past

tense form (add –ed to the present/base)

• IRREGULAR verbs– Have to be studied like other vocabulary– See page 283– Google “irregular English verbs”

9.3 Contractions and Negatives

• NOT goes after the helping verb (HAVE).

Singular Plural

1st I’ve, I’ve not, I haven’t

We’ve, We’ve notWe haven’t

2nd You’ve, You’ve notYou haven’t

You’ve, You’ve notYou haven’t

3rd He’s, she’s, it’s (not)He/she/it hasn’t

They’ve, They’ve notThey haven’t

9.4 – Adding an Adverb (of frequency?)

• After the helping verb• Even if it is a BE verb

– I often write essays.– I am often happy.– I have often written essays.– I have often been happy.

9.5 – Questions

• Same Rules that you learned in June.• Subject Questions are easy.• Y/N = Move the Helping Verb (HV) in front of

the subject• Other WH (not subject)

– First, make a Y/N question– Then, move the WH to the front.

• Use How Long to ask about time periods

9.6 – Continuation (with FOR and SINCE)

• FOR a period of time– For ten seconds…– For 50,000 years

• SINCE a moment of time.– Since 1995…– Since lunch time…– Since she got married…

• ALWAYS and NEVER

9.7 – Simple Pres. & Pres. Perfect

• Simple Present = always• Present Perfect = Before the Present

(Remember, all the perfect tenses are about “the time before…”

9.8 – Simple Past & Pres. Perf.

• Most difficult, because SOMETIMES both are ok to use

• Use BOTH for some unknown time before now.– She lived in Thailand.– She has lived in Thailand.

9.8 – Simple Past & Pres. Perf.• Present Perfect

– The action is not finished (with FOR or SINCE)• She has lived in Thailand for two years.

• Simple Past– The action is finished.

• She lived in Thailand for two years.

– The time of the action is known (in the past)• She lived in Thailand in 2008.

• EITHER ONE– The action was at an unknown time before now.

• But Pres. Perf. may have relevance to the present. (pg.305; 9.14)

9.8 – Simple Past & Pres. Perf.

• Questions– Past

• When did he live in Thailand?• How long did he live in Thailand?

– Present Perfect• ?[When has he lived in Thailand?]?• How long has he lived in Thailand?

9.9 Present Perfect ProgressiveSubject HAVE VERB-EN VERB-ING Object

Pres. Perf. She Has Eaten Rice.

Pres. Prog. She Is Eating Rice.

Pres. Perf. Prog She Has Been Eating Rice.

• Same as Present Perfect, with the idea that the action will continue into the future.

• Can’t use it with STATIVE verbs. (page 297)• I don’t see this very often in essays.

9.10 – Pres. Perf. Prog. - Forms

• I/You/We/They have BEEN verbING• He/She/It has BEEN verbING

• Questions and Negatives: Guess what??? – Same Rules; Have/Has is your first Helping Verb– Olena has been studying English Grammar at

home.

9.11 – Pres. Perf. Prog. - Use

• Not much new here; nice review• Don’t use PPP with

– Stative Verbs– ALWAYS, NEVER

• Think, have, (etc.) are sometimes stative and sometimes actions.– She has been looking out the window.– [She has been looking very vivacious.]

9.12 – With Repetition…• Use the Present Perfect (NOT the Pres. Perf.

Prog.) to talk about repeated actions that happened one after another.

• If you use the Pres. Perf. Prog., it seems that you have been doing all of them at the same time.– I have read ten books this summer. – I have been reading ten books this summer.– I have taken four classes this year.– I have been taking four classes this year.

9.12 – Misc.

• “so far”• “until now”, “up to now”• How much, how many• “not at all”

9.13 – skip this???

• The main idea here is Pres. Perf. And Past, but notice the location of “probably”

• I have eaten rice three times today.– And probably will probably do it again today.

• I ate rice three times today.– And probably won’t do it again today.– And will probably not do it again today.

9.14 – 9.15

• 9.14 Either one is ok, but Pres. Perf. Suggests recent/continuing activity.

• 9.15 Same message: use Past for things that are in the past. Use Pres. Perf. For things that may continue.