When do I use the Perfect Tenses?
By Viv Quarry (www.vivquarry.com)
UNFINISHED PAST
How long....?
Since
(for + time)
for ages
always
....all my life.
(...) so far...
Present perfect or simple past?
I've lived here for 2 years.
(I live here now).
I lived here for 2 years.
(I don't live here now).
LIFE EXPERIENCE
Have you ever (been to \ done sth)...?
never....done sth. before.
never....in my life.
It's the (superlative) that I've ever seen/done sth.
This is the first time....
Present perfect or simple past?
I've written two plays.
(Perhaps I'll write more).
Shakespeare wrote 30 plays.
(He cannot write any more).
PRESENT RESULT
I feel (+Adj.) now, because.... (reason).
You look different! What....(reason)?
As you can see.... (past event causing sth)
yet (questions and negatives)
already (affirmative statements)
in / over the past few days
today
this morning/afternoon/evening #
this week/month/summer/term/year/century #
# The present perfect is used when the time mentioned is current now. E.g. I've been to the bank this morning (It is still the morning and not the afternoon).
Present perfect or simple past?
Peter has injured his ankle.
(His ankle is still bad).
Peter injured his ankle.
(We assume the problem is a just thing of the past - it happened some time ago).
Note! She's gone to the USA.
(She is in the USA now)
She's been to the USA.
(She went to the USA recently but is here now).
When writing, you must ask yourself two questions:
1. Do we know exactly when the action or situation happened?
YES ® PAST TENSE.
NO ® PRES. PERF.
2. Is the action or situation still happening now?
YES ® PRES. PERF.
NO ® PAST TENSE.
CONJUNCTIONS
(After, As soon as, Before, By the time, Once, till, When, Unless, Until)
When....he arrives we'll go / he has arrived we'll go.
By the time that...he gets here it'll be too late. / he's finished we'll have gone home.
Once...it's finished we can present it. / Once she had found the answer she'd never forget it.
I won't give it to you until....you say "sorry" / have finished eating.
We'll wait till....he comes / he has done everything that he wanted to.
If the time mentioned is in the present or future - the present perfect shows that the first action MUST BE COMPLETED before the second action begins, otherwise the present simple is used.
E.g. When I have finished the report, we can go home. (The report must be finished first)
I'll lend this book to you as soon as I have finished it. (I want to finish reading it first)
After....she finished, they left / she had finished, they left.
As soon as...we arrived she said "hello". / I had done it, I sent it to her.
She wouldn't sign the contract before....she had seen it. / seeing it.
They wouldn't go unless....they had seen it was safe / she came with them.
If it refers to past time, the past perfect shows that the first action MUST BE COMPLETED before the second action begins, otherwise the past simple is used.
E.g. It was only after he had been there that he realised how beautiful it was.
(He went there first)
She couldn't arrange the meeting before she had got the message.
(The message must have arrived first)
If it is not important to show that the first action was completed before the second action began then the present simple or simple past is used..
When / While / Whenever / As soon as / by the time / As
Are conjunctions and must be followed by a clause (with a verb).
For example: When Peter arrived, we had lunch.
Until / after / before / since
Can either be used as conjunctions and be followed by a clause or as prepositions and be followed by a noun.
For example: I stayed at the party until it ended / the end.
After his mother died, he moved to Australia.
After the death of his mother, he moved to Australia.
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