Present Perfect Tense

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

A.      Form of the present perfect tense

The present perfect tense is formed with the present tense of have + the past participle.

The negative is formed by adding not to the auxiliary.

The interrogative is formed by inverting the auxiliary and subject.

Verbal sentence

(+)   S + Have/Has + Past participle

(-)    S + + Have/Has + not + Past participle                                                  

(?)    Have/Has + S+ Past participle?                                                                

(-?)  Have/Has +S +not+ Past participle?                                                      

Nominal Sentence

(+)   S + Have/Has + been+3C (ANA)

(-)    S + + Have/Has + not +been+ 3C (ANA)

(?)    Have/Has + S+ been+ 3C (ANA)?

(-?)  Have/Has +S+ not+ been+ 3C (ANA)?

                 Adjective, Noun, Adverb

                Have is used when the subject is I, you, they, we.

                Has is used when the subject is she, he, it.

Example:

 I’ve worked                                  She has worked                                 They‘ve been here

 I’ve not worked                          She has not worked                         They’ve not been here

 Have I worked?                           Has she worked?                               Have they been here?

B. WH Question of Present Perfect Tense

What

When

Where                      + have/has +S+ past participle?

Why

How

Who                      +have/has+ past participle?

B. Passive voice of present perfect tense

Passive voice of present perfect tense is formed with present tense of have+ been +past participle

S+ Have/has+ been+ past participle.

The letter has been posted.

C. Time signal used in Present Perfect Tense

Just                                                     Ever since

Already                                              Recently

Not……yet                                        Lately

So far                                                  since

Up to now                                        For

Up to present

Note

Since is followed by the point of time/the beginning of time and simple past.

I’ve been here since 1985.

She has been here since she bought a new house.

For is followed by period of time.

They‘ve been here for 2 months.

D. Function of Present Perfect Tense

Present perfect tense is used

v  To indicate complete activity in the immediate past; as

He has just gone out

v  To express past actions whose time not given and not definite ; as,

I’ve never known him to be angry

Mr. Harri has been to Japan.

v  To describe past events when we think  more of their effect in the present than of the action itself; as,

I’ve finished my work (I’m free now).

v  To denote an action  be ginning at some time in the past and continuing up to the present moment; as,

I’ve known him for a long time.

E. Conclusion

TENSE	EQUIVALENT	DIFFERENCE
PRESENT PERFECT TENSE	Complete activity in the past	Indefinite time signal Emphasize to the result (connection with present moment).
SIMPLE  PAST	Complete activity in the past	Definite time signal There is not connection with present moment.

Reference

A.J. Thomson, A.V Martinet, A Practical English Grammar.

Marcella Frank, Modern English A Practical Reference Guide.

Wren and Martin, High School English Grammar and Composition.