Perfect Tenses: What You Must Know, Part 1



ESOL 162 Name:

Ramirez

Due Date:

Perfect Tenses: What You Must Know

First, you must know what all six perfect tenses have in common. All perfect tense verbs have these features:

• They have one or more helping verbs, or auxiliary verbs. All perfect tenses use the helping verb “have.”

• The verb following the first helping verb is in the past participle form.

• All perfect tenses are used to express a connection between two times.

Notice that the first two points here are about the form of the words, and the last point is about the meaning.

Here are the main ideas you must understand to do well on Quiz 3.

1. How to make questions in perfect tense

2. How to use time words such as “never, always, sometimes, usually, yet, already” with the perfect tense

3. The difference between the pres. perfect and the pres. perfect continuous

4. When to choose a perfect tense and when to choose a simple tense

If you know these points, if you are careful about choosing the right form of “have,” and you know many irregular verb forms, you will do very well on this quiz.

Try these short exercises.

Ex. 1: Forming Questions

For this exercise, you have an answer, but no question. Write an appropriate question. (Hint: Your question will probably use the same verb as the answer, but not always.)

1. Question:

Answer: Oh, I’ve had this bike for three years.

2. Question:

Answer: They’ve owned that car for about a year, I think.

3. Question:

Answer: No, I’ve never tasted frog meat!

4. Question:

Answer: Yes, I have been studying for a long time … about three hours so far.

5. Question:

Answer: Sorry, I haven’t seen him today.

6. Question:

Answer: Yes! We just finished taking the test.

7. Question:

Answer: No, it hasn’t been raining all day, just the last hour or so.

8. Question:

Answer: No, actually, I have never been to an opera before!

9. Question:

Answer: In fact, no, I only learned to speak English in the past few years.

Exercise 2: Use the words from this box to complete the sentences below. You may need to add other words as well. Try to use each word twice! Some of the sentences could be correct with more than one word.

L

1. Your hair is wet … Have you ____________ taken a shower?

2. __________ nearly a week, I’ve been dating this amazing girl.

3. It’s so early! Have you take a shower ____________?

4. My family has ____________________ lived in the countryside.

5. I’ve been using Google _______________ .

6. ________________________ , the dog has been barking.

7. You just moved, right? Have you met your neighbors _______________ ?

8. I’ve ______________ bought a new car, but I want to within the next year.

9. __________ last Tuesday, I have felt a little sick.

10. How long have you lived here ______________?

11. I’ve ______________ wanted to be a ballerina.

12. It’s a week early, but I have ________________ written my report.

13. We have ______________ seen such a strange guy before.

14. Haven’t you gotten up _______________? You’ll miss class!

15. Oh, I feel terrible. I’ve __________________ come back from the dentist.

16. We haven’t ____________________ finished the homework ________________ .

Think About It: When we use the present perfect tense, are we referring to an exact time in the past, or an indefinite time?

What time words are used to discuss indefinite time?

Ex. 3. Comparing present perfect progressive and present perfect: Circle the correct verb. For some of the sentences, both choices are correct, but the meanings will be a little different.

1. He has been / has been being at that company for a long time.

2. She has needed / had been needing to go to the dentist since her tooth broke.

3. The gift you gave me has mattered / has been mattering a lot to me.

4. I have taken / have been taking guitar lessons for a few months.

5. They have seemed / have been seeming tired lately.

6. I have been owning / have owned exactly two television sets in my life.

7. The doctor has been thinking / had thought about his patient today.

8. The students have wanted / have been wanting to take a vacation already!

9. The tourists have studied / have been studying the history of this country.

10. Julia has been believing / has believed in life on other planets for many years.

11. I have never been having / have never had many bad dreams.

12. The mathematician has been working / has worked on this problem for 20 years, but cannot solve it.

13. The mathematician has been working / has worked on this problem for the last two hours.

Think About It: When we use the present perfect tense, are we referring to an exact time in the past, or an indefinite time?

What time words are used to discuss indefinite time?

Can we use the present perfect tense if we don’t use any time words at all?

Why would we do that?

Ex. 4. Please put your answers to Ex. 44 (page 48 in Grammar in Context) here.

|1. |7. |

|2. | |

|3. |8. |

|4. |9. |

|5. |10. |

|6. |11. |

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since (time expression) always

never just yet already

usually for (time expression)

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