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Present Perfect
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The Present Perfect
is used to connect the past and the present.
It's core purpose is to show the present relevancy
of a past action or situation. For example:
- John has gone home.
John went home in the past, but our real
interest is where he is now. This sentence
gives past information to inform a present situation.
Form
The Present Perfect is made with have/has
(the auxiliary verb "to have") and
the past participle. For example:
- I have worked in London.
- She has worked in a bank.
Regular past participles are made by adding
-ed to the verb, for example work
- worked, play - played. There are however
many irregular past participles which you can
see at the Irregular Verb Page.
Here are the Present
Perfect forms of the verb to work.
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Singular
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Plural
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Affirmative
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I have worked
You have worked
He has worked
She has worked
It has worked
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We have worked
You have worked
They have worked
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Negative
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I haven't
worked (haven't = have not)
You haven't worked
He hasn't worked
She hasn't worked
It hasn't worked
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We haven't
worked
You haven't worked
They haven't worked
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Interrogative
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Have I worked?
Have you worked?
Has he worked?
Has she worked?
Has it worked?
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Have I worked?
Have you worked?
Have they worked?
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Usage
Here are some of the many usages of the Present
Perfect. Bear in mind that for all these individual
cases the main purpose of connecting past and
present is essentially the same.
A. Past informing
Present
1. The Present
Perfect is used to give past information that
is relevant to the present. For example:
- Have you been shopping? Yes, I went this morning.
The question "Have you been shopping?"
asks about a past fact - did you go shopping
or not. However this question is asked because
of a present need - If you have been shopping,
we don't need to go now - If you haven't
been shopping we need to go now. This
question is about a present need, not a past
fact.
2. The Present
Perfect is used to relate past experience. For
example:
- Have you been to Italy?
- No, I haven't been there.
Again the question "Have you been to Italy?"
asks about a past fact, but the past time or
circumstances are not so important. Instead
we want this information for a present need
- perhaps we are having a conversation about
travel abroad, or maybe I'm interested in Italy.
We can't tell from just one sentence, but the
focus here is on a present need, not a past
fact.
3. The Present
Perfect is used for achievements. For example:
- James has won first prize for math.
James won the prize in the past, but the focus
is on his present achievement.
B. Past Time -
Present Time
1. The Present
Perfect is used to show change from the past
to the present.
- John's English wasn't very good, but he's
got much better.
Between a past time and the present, John's
English has improved. The focus is less on how
poor John was in the past, but rather how much
better he is now.
2. The Present
Perfect is used for a situation or action that
started in the past and continues to the present.
It's common to use for and since
in these situations.For example:
- John's lived in Boston for 5 years.
John came to Boston 5 years ago, and he still
lives there.
- He's been a lawyer for 12 years.
3. The Present
Perfect is used for repeated actions that started
in the past and continue to the present. For
example:
- We've been to England 4 times.
We went to England several times the past, and
it's possible we could go there again in the
future.
4. The Present
Perfect is used for a period of time that started
in the past but still continues in the present.
- I've studied at the library every day this
week.
This week started in the past, but it's still
going on, it isn't finished yet.
Indefinite and
Definite Time
One convenient rule
about the Present Perfect is it cannot be used
with definite time. For example:
- I've been on vacation. OK
- I went on vacation last month. OK
- I've been on vacation last month.
Incorrect.
We cannot use definite time with the Present
Perfect. By definition the Present Perfect uses
past information to focus on the present time,
so introducing a past time as well is non-sensical.
As a general rule:
If the exact past time is important use the
Present Simple - If the exact past time is not
important use the Present Perfect. For example:
- I went to Paris last year. - Focus is on the
past time.
- I've been to Paris. - Focus is how our past
experience affects the present.
The Present Perfect
can be used with time adverbs. For example:
- I haven't had a vacation recently.
Note the Present
Perfect can be used with time periods that haven't
finished yet. For example:
I haven't had a vacation this year. OK - This
year isn't finished yet, so the Present Perfect
is used for a time that continues from past
to present.
I haven't had a vacation last year. Incorrect
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Click below for exercises
using the Present Perfect.
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