Сегодня в нашей статье мы рассмотрим то, как use the present perfect verb tense, rules for the formation of this grammatical form, examples of usage and much more. I must say that this is one of the most difficult times used in the English language. Present perfect denotes the action of someone who took place (started) in the past, but at the same time relates to the present moment in time. That is, you can see the result of this action in the present.
Present perfect: formation rules
Present perfect is formed as follows:
I / we / you / she / he / it + have or has + past participle
(Past participle means verb form inpast tense). For the so-called “regular” verbs (they are, as we remember, most), the past tense can be obtained by adding the ending “-ed” at the very end of the word. For “irregular” verbs this method is unsuitable, their past form must be learned by heart. Note that the help and have verbs are usually shortened to ‘ve and‘ s, look:
- He’s done his homework - He did his homework.
In the case of denial should have not or has not be used, we will briefly haven’t / hasn’t.
Present Perfect: apply correctly
It is often difficult for novice students to understandwhen should Present Perfect be used, as it is often confused, for example, with Past Simple. Carefully read this section, here we will look at Present Perfect time, the rules for its use:
- Present Perfect is used when it comes to actions that were initiated in the past, but, nevertheless, they continue to this day. Often in such sentences the words “for” and “since” are found:
- This old, beautiful building stood (and, in fact, continues to stand) on this square for 350 years now.
- I’m starving. I haven’t eaten since lunch - I’m incredibly hungry. I haven't eaten anything since lunch time.
- Maria has been to London once again - Maria has already been to London once, but she would like to go there again.
- The present past tense is used with these phrases: this year / day / week / month, recently, ever, yet. It can be seen that the time period is not defined, but it is closely related to the present. For example:
- Have they heard from John recently? “Have they heard anything about Mark lately?”
- I’ve been in a lot of places last few weeks - Over the past few weeks I have been to many places.
- I’ve had five cups of green tea today - I drank 5 cups of green tea today
- As for the Present Perfect time: the rules for its use also apply to situations where we can already see the result of an action. For example:
- The earthquake has destroyed the industry inthe whole region - An earthquake destroyed the industry of a whole region (as a result, and now the region still has problems with industrial production).
What to look for, or Tips for studying this topic
Present Perfect is the short and mostthe current time name is Present perfect simple, the usage rules of which we have just considered. We hope that our article has helped you to understand this difficult grammatical subject. And remember - everything is learned in practice, that is, the more you do the exercises to consolidate the use of this perfect time, the fewer mistakes you will make later. Note also that Present Perfect is quite easy to use as compared with, for example, Present Perfect Continuous, the rules of which imply both the formation of a complex structure (have or has been + Verb-ing) and use in cases where the action It began in the past, but at the same time it has not yet ended and, moreover, it still continues. Anyway, only practice will help you to master English at a sufficient level to speak and write clearly and competently.
