Week 8

A. Verb Tenses Review

How do we use the Present Perfect Tense?

This tense is called the present perfect tense. There is always a connection with the past and with the present and its use is based on whether it deals with a finished or unfinished action and whether the time in the past is specified or not.

1. Unfinished Actions

We use this tense when we want to talk about unfinished actions that started in the past and continue to the present. Usually we use it to say 'how long' an action or state has continued with 'since' and 'for'. Often, we use stative verbs in this situation: I've known Karen since 1994. She's lived in London for three years. 2. Finished Actions a: Life experience (we don't say when the experience happened, just sometime in the past) I have been to Tokyo. She has lived in Germany. They have visited Paris three times. We have never seen that film. Have you ever read 'War and Peace'? b: A finished action with a result in the present (focus on result) I've lost my keys (so I can't get into my house). She's hurt her leg (so she can't play tennis today). They've missed the bus (so they will be late). I've cooked dinner (so you should come and eat). c: With an unfinished time word (this month, this week, today, in the last year) I have not gone to that restaurant yet. She's drunk three cups of coffee today. This week, they've gone skiing three times already. Note: We can't use the present perfect with a finished time word: I've seen him yesterday. Past Simple or Present Perfect  1)Change the verb into the correct form of the past simple or present perfect 1) Last night I  (lose) my keys – I had to call my flatmate to let me in.. 2) I  (lose) my keys - can you help me look for them?. 3) I  (visit) Paris three times.. 4) Last year I  (visit) Paris.. 5) I  (know) my great grandmother for a few years - she died when I was eight... 6) I  (know) Julie for three years - we still meet once a month... 7) I  (play) Hockey since I was a child - I'm pretty good!.. 8) She  (play) hockey at school but she didn't like it.. 9) Sorry, I  (miss) the bus - I'm going to be late.. 10) I  (miss) the bus and then I  (miss) the aeroplane as well!... 11) Last month I  (go) to Scotland.. 12) I'm sorry, John isn't here now. He  (go) to the shops.. 13) We  (finish) this room last week.. 14) I  (finish) my exams finally - I'm so happy!.. 15) Yesterday, I  (go) to the library, the post office and the supermarket... 16) I  (go) to the supermarket three times this week.. 17) She  (live) in London since 1994.. 18) She  (live) in London when she was a child.. 19) I  (drink) three cups of coffee today.. 20) I  (drink) three cups of coffee yesterday.. 2) Choose the past simple or the present perfect tense: 1) I  (never/go) to Vienna.. 2) My great great grandfather  (have) five sisters.. 3) He  (live) in Manila for a year when he was a student.. 4) Oh no! I  (lose) my wallet!.. 5)  (you/see) Julie today??. 6) At the weekend, they  (play) football, then they  (go) to a restaurant... 7) I  (read) six books this week.. 8) Amy  (live) in Portugal when she was young.. 9) She  (visit) her grandmother last month.. 10) The Vandals  (invade) Rome in the year 455.. 11) She  (live) in seven different countries, so she knows a lot about different cultures.. 12) I  (go) to the cinema last night.. 13) Ow! I  (cut) my finger!.. 14)  (you/see) 'The King's Speech'?. 15) John  (never/understand) the present perfect.. 16) She  (break) her leg the day before her exam.. 17) We  (see) Oliver yesterday.. 18) He  (be) here all morning.. 19) King Henry the Eighth of England  (have) six wives..

The Use of the Past Perfect  When we talk about something that happened in the past we sometimes want to refer back to something that happened before that time. We can use the past perfect tense ( had + past participle ) to do this. Look at these two sentences. John left the house at 7:30 yesterday morning. Mary rang John’s doorbell at 8:15 yesterday. Both actions happened in the past so we use the past simple tense. But look at how we can combine the sentences. Mary rang John’s doorbell at 8:15 yesterday but John had already left the house. We use the past perfect (had left) because the action happened before another action in the past (Mary rang the doorbell.) Look at some more examples of the past perfect. When Mrs Brown opened the washing machine she realised she had washed the cat. I got a letter from Jim last week. We’d been at school together but we’d lost touch with each other. The past perfect is used because they were at school before he received the letter. It refers to an earlier past. Look at these 2 sentences. James had cooked breakfast when we got up. James cooked breakfast when we got up. In the first sentence, the past perfect tells us that James cooked breakfast before we got up. In the second sentence, first we got up and then James cooked breakfast. Past perfect continuous The past perfect can also be used in the continuous. I realised I had been working too hard so I decided to have a holiday. By the time Jane arrived we had been waiting for 3 hours. NOTE The most common mistake with the past perfect is to overuse it or to use it simply because we are talking about a time in the distant past. The Romans had spoken Latin Remember that we only use the past perfect when we want to refer to a past that is earlier than another time in the narrative. Change the verb in brackets to Past Simple or Past Perfect  1.   I paid for the window because my son (break) . 2.   I (write)  a long letter to my mother yesterday. 3.   I was hungry because I (not eat)  since breakfast. 4.   When I saw her I knew we (never meet)  before. 5.   I told him I didn't know who (steal)  his pen. 6.   When she (hear)  the noise she turned to see what it was. 7.   I felt really stupid because I (make)  a lot of mistakes. 8.   He told me he (never see)  anything like that. 9.   The movie (start already)  when we arrived to the cinema. 10.   He (spend)  three years in Tahiti when he was a child. 11.   I was feeling very thirsty because I (drink)  too much alcohol the night before. 12.   Before he came to Warsaw he (live)  in Prague. 13.   He started to read the newspaper he (buy)  an hour earlier. 14.   The doctor examined her leg and (find)  that she had broken it. 15.   I couldn't get in because I (lose)  my keys. 16.   I was frightened because the police (come)  for my sister. 17.   When I looked at the lorry I could see that somebody (drive) into the back of it. 18.   I told him twice that I (not know)  him. 19.   He told me he (never be)  to Australia before. 20.   After she (finish)  breakfast she left the house.