Present Perfect / Past simple

• Remember that we use the present perfect for things that happened in the past but are important in the present,egWe have visited Paris. (and we can tell you about it now)I have washed the dishes. (so you don’t have to do them now)Have you read this book? (or do you want to read it now / can you tell meabout it now?)

• We often use the time expressions for, since, just, yet, already, before, ever and never with Present PerfectegI have lived here for years.Have you seen Fiona since yesterday?He has never eaten Greek food before!

• Remember that in the present perfect, we do not say when something happened,egI have seen that film. (not I have seen that film last week.)

• We use the past simple for things that have finished. We also use the past simple if we want to say when something happened,egHe knocked the door and shouted my name. (finished actions)I spoke to Donna last night. (so you don’t need to speak to her today)

• For the past simple, we use the time expressions yesterday, last week, in June, in 2005, when I was seven, etc,egWe lived there when I was a little boy.I bought some great new clothes on Saturday.The lesson started half an hour ago!

• Sometimes we use the present perfect and the past simple together.The present perfect usually introduces the subject, and the past simple gives us more information,

egBen has met Tom. (present perfect) He met him yesterday. (past simple).I have read that book. (present perfect) It was great. (past simple).We have been to London. (present perfect) We went there in 2006. (past

simple).

• We use the present perfect to give new information but if we continue to talk about it, we normally use the past simple:

* A: Ow! I've burnt myself.B: How did you do that? (not 'have you done')A: I picked up a hot dish. (not 'have picked')* A: Look! Somebody has spilt milk on the carpet.B: Well, it wasn't me. I didn't do it. (not 'hasn't been ... haven't done')A: I wonder who it was then. (not 'who it has been')The present perfect is a present tense. It always tells us something about

now. 'Tom has lost his key' = he doesn't have his key nowThe past simple tells us only about the past. If somebody says 'Tom lost his

key', we don't know whether he has it now or not. We only know that he lost it at some time in the past.

Complete with the past simple or present perfect form of theverbs in brackets.1 Martin ………..…………….…… school when he was 16. (leave)2 ………………………….…… the film about penguins last night? (you /

watch)3 Wendy isn’t here now – she ……….…………….…… to the shops.

(go)4 I …………………….…… a story – do you want to read it? (just /

write)5 The footballers ………………….…… onto the pitch. (already / come)6 I might buy this CD. ………………….…… it? (you / hear)7 People ………………….…… in Athens for thousands of years. (live)8 You ………………….…… to the party yesterday. Why? (not / go)

Circle the correct tense.

My Uncle Billy (1) did / has done some amazing things! He’s only 45, but he

(2) already travelled / has already travelled around the world.

Amazingly, he (3) has climbed / climbed Mount Everest. He (4) did / has

done that when he was only 16! And he (5) flew / has flown a plane. He

was a pilot in the Air Force when he (6) learnt / has learnt how to do

that. Once, when his plane crashed in Africa, he (7) walked / has walked

across the Sahara desert for ten days with no food or water! Isn’t that

amazing? And two years ago, he (8) caught / has caught a tiger and a

lion with his bare hands. He said he (9) hasn’t been / wasn’t scared of

them at all! But my mum doesn’t think he’s amazing. She says that Uncle

Billy (10) never told / has never told the truth in his life!

1 left2 Did you watch3 has gone4 have just written5 have already come6 Have you heard7 have lived8 didn’t go

1 has done2 has already travelled3 has climbed4 did5 has flown6 learnt7 walked8 caught9 wasn’t10 has never told

Put the verbs in brackets in the correct form, present perfect or past simple.1. 'Where's your key?' 'I don't know. I've lost it.' (lose)2. I was very tired, so I lay down on the bed and went to sleep. (be)3. Mary --------- to Australia for a while but she's back again now. (go)4. 'Where's Ken?' 'He -------- out. He'll be back in about an hour.' (go)5. I did German at school but I ----------------- most of it. (forget)6. I meant to phone Diane last night but I ------------------ (forget)7. I ----------------------- a headache earlier but I feel fine now. (have)8. Look! There's an ambulance over there. There ---------------- an accident.

(be)9. They're still building the new road. They ----------------- it. (not/finish)10. 'Is Helen still here?' 'No, she ------------------- out.' (just/go)11. The police --------------- three people but later they let them go. (arrest)12. Ann ---------------- me her address but I'm afraid I ------- it. (give, lose)13. Where's my bike? It -------------- outside the house. It --------------- (be,

disappear)14. What do you think of my English? Do you think I -------------? (improve)

Are the underlined parts of these sentences right or wrong? Correct the ones that are wrong.

1. Do you know about Sue? She's given up_ her job. RIGHT2. The Chinese _have invented_ printing. WRONG: The

Chinese invented3. How many plays _has Shakespeare written?_ ---4. _Have you read_ any of Shakespeare's plays? ---5. Aristotle _has been_ a Greek philosopher. ---6. Ow! _I've cut_ my finger. It's bleeding. ---7. My grandparents _have got_ married in London. ---8. Where _have you been born?_ ---9. Mary isn't at home. _She's gone shopping._ ---10. Albert Einstein has been the scientist who _has

developed_ the theory of relativity. ---

3 went4 has gone/'s gone5 have forgotten/'ve forgotten6 forgot7 had8 has been/'s been9 haven't finished10 has just gone/'s just gone11 arrested12 gave ... lost or have lost/'ve lost13 was ... has disappeared/'s disappeared14 have improved/'ve improved*********************3 wrong--did Shakespeare write4 right5 wrong--was6 right7 wrong--My grandparents got married.8 wrong--were you born9 right10 wrong--was the scientist who developed. was ... has disappeared/'s disappeared