Present perfect
We use present perfect to talk about :
1- a recently completed action.
e.g. She has already left.
2- complete past actions connected to the present with stated or
unstated time reference.
e.g. They have sold their house. ( unstated time reference)
e.g. They have just sold their house. ( stated time reference)
3- personal experiences.
e.g. He has learnt Russian.
4- changes which have happened
e.g. He has become good at Russian. (He wasn’t good at…)
5- emphasis on number
e.g. I have read this book three times.
Time Expressions:
Already, just, ever, never, so far, recently, for(over a period of time),
since(from a starting point in the past), yet(negations and questions)
Structure:
Affirmative: have/has verb(past participle)
Negative: haven’t/hasn’t +had
Interrogative: Have/Has +subject+ verb(past participle)
I-Identify the use of the following:
1- He has just mowed the lawn. ……………………………………………..
2- I have been to France three times. ………………………………………
3- She has put on weight recently. …………………………………………..
4- They have accomplished a three-year diploma. ………………………..
5- She has already finished her homework. ………………………………..
6- Tolstoy has written many books. …………………………………………
II- Put the following in the Present Perfect:
1- (I / go / to the cinema today)…………………………………………….....
2- (She / have a pet for years)………………………………………………
3- (They / eat / all the chocolate!)…………………………………………….
4- (they / live/ in Egypt for six months)……………………………………….
5- (we / go/ to South Africa)…………………………………………………
6- (she / watch / ‘Harry Potter’ four times)…………………………………
III-Write the negative form:
1- (you / not / study chemistry)………………………………………………..
2- (They / not / go to bed)……………………………………………………
3- (I / not / hear the latest song of Britney Spears yet)………………...
…………………………………………………………………………………
4- (We / not / forget Shakespeare’s plays)…………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………
5- (we / not / go to Paris yet)…………………………………………………..
6- (He / not / see his family for over ten years)……………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………
IV-Write the interrogative form:
1-(you / come here before?)…………………………………………………
2- (who / we / forget to invite to the wedding?)……………………………
3- (I / explain / everything to the inspector?)……………………………….
4- (Who / you / meet recently?)……………………………………………….
5- (you / do your homework?)……………………………………………….
6- (When / she / make this delicious cake?)…………………………………
V-Correct the mistakes:
1- Has she passe the exam? ...................................................................
2-Has you ate dinner yet? ……………………………………………………
3- Has he readed the newspaper today? …………………………………..
4- You didn’t studied English for many years. ……………………………..
5- Where has you be? ……………………………………………………..
6- They hasn’t saw ‘Harry Potter’. …………………………………………
7- I hasn’t meet her yet. …………………………………………………….
8- They have visit the Pyramids yet. ………………………………………
9-When have you did your homework? ……………………………………
10- How have she meet her husband? ……………………………………..
11- Why have he miss the train? ……………………………………………
12- It has rain a lot this week. ………………………………………………..
13- Have you use lenses before? …………………………………………
14- She haven’t play tennis before. …………………………………………
15-He have puted on a beautiful suit. ………………………………………
Have/has gone to/ Have/has been to/ Have/has been in
Have/has gone to: (the person/s is/are on the way to somewhere or
is/are there. The person/s hasn’t/haven’t come back yet.)
e.g. He has gone to Italy. (He’s there, he hasn’t come back yet.)
Have/has been to: (the person/s has/have visited or been
somewhere. They aren’t there now. They have come back.)
e.g. I have been to the White House.(I have visited the W.H, but I
have come back, I am not there now)
Have/has been in: (to live or be somewhere now.)
e.g. She has been in Australia for 10 years.(She lives in Australia
now.)
VI- Fill in Have/has gone to, Have/has been to/in:
1-My colleague………………..Spain for a seminar, so I am holding a
temporary appointment.
2-I……………………………..…..to the Louvre twice. It’s wonderful.
3-Where is Maria? She………………the supermarket, she’s late, isn’t
she.
4- A: Where are Mark and Maya?
B: They……………………… South Africa for a week. They are going
to interview Nelson Mandela.
A: ………………..anyone……………….Washington to meet Obama?
B: Actually not, Jeremy…………………………..….his grandparents’.
.
VII- Fill in: yet or already.
1- A: You haven’t done your homework………..….?!
B: Stop shouting at me! You have………………....asked me that
four times, so far.
2-The editor hasn’t called me back………..…. .
3- They have ……………finished the test. They have completed it in
less than an hour.
4- She accepted to do business with him although she hasn’t known him
very well………
VIII- Fill in: for or since.
Farah has known her husband Mike……….five years before they got
married. They have moved to live in London……………their marriage.
Farah hasn’t worked………….they moved there. But she used to spend
her time in writing ………hours. Later she collected all her stories she
wrote…………..over three years and published them in a book entitled
“My New Life”.
VIV- Fill in: for, since, yet, how long, tonight.
1-I haven’t seen him………….ages.
2-She hasn’t seen him……………..2003.
3-They are flying to Paris…………….. .
4-He hasn’t travelled………………. .
DIFFERENCE IN USE BETWEEN PRESENT PERFECT
AND PAST SIMPLE
Present perfect:
-Complete past actions connected to the present with stated or unstated
time reference.
1-She has bought a new car.(unstated time-we don’t know when she bought it
–but she is still having it)
2-I have taken painkillers for the sore throat this morning.(stated time-it’s
still morning-action connected to the present)
3-My mum has cleaned and tidied the house.(she’s still alive- action
connected to the present)
Past simple:
-Complete past actions not connected to the present with a stated or
implied time reference.
1-They had an accident two years ago.(stated time-when? two years ago)
2-I warned her not to be so outgoing with James.(implied time-when? when I
met her)
3- Susan dreamed/dreamt of the Zombies.(action not connected to the
present-
Zombies don’t exist)
X Fill in present perfect or past simple:
1- ……………… (You/meet) her at the party last night. No, I…………………
…………………... (not/see) her yet it.
2- I ……… (spend) 19 years of my life in the seas. But I…………… (leave)
everything and (move)…………………….here in 2009.
3- How long……………………………..…. (you/teach)Russian?
ANSWERS
I-Identify the use of the following:
1- a recently completed action.
2- emphasis on number
3- changes which have happened
4- personal experiences.
5- complete past actions connected to the present with stated time
reference.
6- complete past actions connected to the present with unstated time
reference
II- II- Put the following in the Present Perfect:
1- I have gone to the cinema today.
2- She has had a pet for years.
3- They have eaten all the chocolate!
4- They have lived in Egypt for six months
5- We have gone to South Africa
6- She has watched ‘Harry Potter’ four times
III-Write the negative form:
1- You haven’t studied chemistry.
2- They haven’t gone to bed.
3- I haven’t heard the latest song of Britney Spears yet.
4- We haven’t forgotten Shakespeare’s plays.
5- We haven’t gone to Paris yet
6- He hasn’t seen his family for over ten years.
IV- Write the interrogative form:
1-Have you come here before?
2- Who have we forgotten to invite to the wedding?
3- Have you clarified everything to the inspector?
4- Who / you / meet recently
5- Have you done your homework?
6- When has she made this delicious cake?
V- Correct the mistakes:
1-has she passed
2-have you eaten
3-has he read
4-haven’t studied
5-have you been
6-haven’t seen
7-haven’t met
8-have visited
9-have you done
10-has she met
11-has he missed
12-has rained
13-have you used
14-hasn’t played
15-has put on
VI- Fill in Have/has gone to, Have/has been to/in:
1-has gone to.
2-have been to
3-has gone to
4-have been in
5- Has anyone gone to
6-has been in
7-has been in
VII- Fill in: yet or already.
1-yet
2-already
3- yet
4- already
5- yet
VIII- Fill in: for or since.
1-for
2-since
3-since
4-for
5-for
X Fill in present perfect or past simple:
1-Did you see her ……?
2-haven’t met her yet.
3- have spent
4- I left
5- moved
6- How long have you taught Russian?
