Sunday, April 28, 2013

The Present Perfect Tense

I have studied English.

Uses for the Present Perfect Tense:
                                   1. an action beginning in the past that continues to the present
                                   2. a repeated action
                                   3. an action that occurred at an indefinite time
                                   4. a personal experience


Questions using the Present Perfect:

Have you...?
How long...?

Common time expressions/adverbs used with the Present Perfect:
     since                                                               up to now
     for                                                                  lately
     in                                                                    recently
     ever                                                                yet
     never                                                              already
     so far                                                              just
     ever since                                                        up to now
     lately

*always
*this year, this semester, this week, etc.
*today

*be careful of these expressions because they can also be used with other tenses 

Contrasting Tenses:

I study English.  (simple present tense: habitual action)
I studied English. (simple past tense: action completed in the past)
I have studied English. (present perfect tense: see uses #1-4)
I have been studying English. (present perfect continuous tense: beginning in the past and continuing to future)

If you'd like more practice, follow this link to some online exercises:



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