PRESENT
PERFECT
1) It is used to denote an action completed in the past
but connected with the present in its result:
a)
due to the actual recentness
of the event and evidence of its result
e.g. I have broken my pencil. I
can‘t write.
My dream has
come true. I am a student of BSU. The tomatoes haven‟t ripened yet.
b)
due to a special importance
for the present of the effect (result) of an action which happened at an
indefinite time in the past
e.g. How many
times have you been in love? (throughout your life)
The Prime Minister has announced that taxes are to
increase from the beginning of the year. (remote from the moment of speech)
The Present Perfect
is frequently used with the adverbials recently,
lately, just to indicate the
recentness of the event; already (in
affirmative sentences; in questions – to give an additional meaning of surprise
that smth has happened sooner than expected), yet (in negative sentences and questions), still (=yet but slightly
stronger and emphatic) to express the result of a completed action.
The Present Perfect is often used with today, this morning, this week, this year, etc.
when these periods aren‘t completed at the moment of speaking. e.g. He‘s written a lot of books this year.
The typical use of the Pr. Perf. denoting a
complete past action is in the attributive clause of a complex sentence with superlative constructions, ordinal numerals or ―the only‖ in the principal clause.
e.g. It is one of the most boring news I‘ve ever
read. That‘s perhaps the tenth cup of tea he has drunk. This is the only time he has been away from home.
2) It is used in adverbial clauses of time after the
conjunctions when, till, until, before,
after, as soon as to denote an action completed before a definite moment in
the future.
e.g. I am not going till you have answered me. Don‘t play the chess until you have done all
your homework.
Note1. Verbs of sense perception
and motion (to hear, to see, to come, to arrive, to return, etc.) in adverbial
clauses of time are generally used in the Present Indefinite and not in the
Present Perfect.
e.g. I‘m sure he will recognize
the poem when he hears the first
line.
When the
completion of the action is emphasized, the Present Perfect is used.
e.g. He will know the
poem by heart when he has heard it
twice.
3) Present Perfect Inclusive is used:
· with
verbs not admitting of the Continuous form
· in
negative sentences (in this case the Present Perfect Continuous is not possible)
· with verbs of a dynamic character to live, to work, to study, to teach, to travel, etc. (in this case
the Present Perfect Continuous is possible)
It is used to
denote an incomplete action which began in the past, has been going on up to
the present moment and is still going on with emphasis on the result of the
activity:
With since
(ever since) to indicate the starting point of the activity, with for, over, in to indicate a certain
period of time, with ever, never, always,
often, all my life, so far to indicate an indefinite period of time.
e.g. I haven‟t
heard anything from him since he
moved to London.
Brian had a bad fall last year and
has been off work ever since. They have known each other for a
long time. I‘ve never tasted papaya. I have often wondered where she
gets her money from.
Remember:
The Present
Perfect is used in some common phrases:
· They‘ve
made it! (=they‘ve succeeded)
· I‘ve
had enough. (=I‘m fed up. I don‘t want to do any more)
· Now
you‘ve done it!(=You‘ve done something seriously wrong)
· You‘ve
had it! (=You‘re in trouble)
In the following expressions the Present Perfect is not
used:
· Что
вы сказали? – What did you say?
· Я
не слышал вашего вопроса. – I didn‘t hear your question.
· Где
вы купили книгу? – Where did you buy the book?
· Теперь
я понял. – Now I understand.
· Я
забыл, где он живет. – I forget where he lives. (a certain fact)
The Past Indefinite and the Present Perfect
An action expressed
by the Past Indefinite belongs exclusively to the sphere of the past, while the
Present Perfect shows that a past occurrence is connected with the present
time.
e.g. She is not well and has changed very much of late. She changed very much a great many years ago.
It‘s a shame. I‘ve lost my umbrella again! (emphasis on
the result) Kate lost her umbrella
yesterday. (emphasis on the time of the action)
The Present Perfect is never
used with such adverbial modifiers of the past time as yesterday, the other day, last week, etc. With such adverbial
modifiers as today, this week, etc.
both the Present Perfect and the Past Indefinite are used.
e.g.
I have told you three times this
week that she is coming home for a year. I want your sister, the woman who gave
me money today.
With
the adverb just the Present Perfect
is used. With the expression just now the
Past Indefinite is used.
e.g. I have just
hired a new pianist. I saw you come in just now.
It should also be
remembered that when more details are added to the information given in the
Present Perfect, the Past Indefinite is generally used.
e.g. I‘ve had a terrible day in the office. My
secretary fell ill, we lost three contracts and to crown it
all our computers broke.
I have
bought a pair of shoes. – Where did you
buy them?
Ex. 1
Explain
the use of Present Perfect in the following sentences.
1.
Oliver came
shyly up to him.
―Sir, I‘ve written a poem.‖ ―Good,‖ said the headmaster.
―May I see it?‖
2.
―Come on, ladies,‖ he shouted,
―there‘s
nothing to be afraid of. The mice have left the
room.‖
3.
He thinks it‘s pure nerves
and he‘s given me pills.
4.
Sam, what‘s come over you?
You make me sad talking like this.
5.
―Where is Gladys?‖ ―I‘ve just had
a message. Her aunt‘s
had a stroke and she‘s had
to go down to
Somerset.‖
6.
Then about a year ago he
disappeared and I‘ve never heard from him since.
7.
I don‘t think he‘s changed
in the thirty years I‘ve known him.
8.
―Miss Drake,‖ he
said later.
―How long have you known Roger?‖ ―Nearly a year. He‘s told me a lot about you.‖ ―What
did he say?‖
9.
―Where is my brother?‖ ―He‘s
not been in all afternoon.‖
10.
I‘ve had a rather nasty pain in my knee at times
lately. It caught ne this morning in
a devilish fashion.
11.
I‘m tidying up for tomorrow.
When I‘ve finished this I‘ll go and put the child to bed.
12.
As soon as we have had some
tea, John, we shall go to inspect your garden.
13.
I said, ―Well, don‘t take him away until I‘ve had a chance
to speak to him.‖
Ex. 2
Answer
these questions using the words in brackets.
Example: When did you last
smoke? (for two years) I haven‘t smoked for two years.
1.
When did it last rain? (for
ages) It…
2.
When did they last visit
you? (since June) They…
3.
When did you last play
tennis? (for a long time)
4.
When did you last eat
caviar? (never)
5.
When did you last drive?
(for six months)
6.
When did you last go to
Spain? (never)
7.
When did she last write to
you? (since last summer)
Ex. 3
Complete
the sentences using so far.
Example:
I
saw Tom yesterday but I haven‟t seen him
so far today.
1.
We ate a lot yesterday but
we ….much so far today.
2.
It snowed a lot last winter
but it … so far this winter.
3.
I played tennis a lot last
year but … this year.
4.
She worked hard last term
but … this term.
5.
I watched television
yesterday evening … this evening.
6.
My favourite football team
won a lot of matches last season but they … many matches so far this season.
Ex. 4
Use
the Present Perfect or the Past Indefinite in the following sentences.
1.
I never (see) anyone more
beautiful than your wife.
2.
I (meet) your husband this
afternoon at Green Street.
3.
He said, ―You (meet) this passenger. He
calls himself Major Jones.‖ ―I (speak) to
him.‖
4.
―You (hear) the
news?‖ ―What
news?‖ ―About Ted
and Dave. They (be) out
on the roof last night and
Ted (sleep) and Dave (try) to hold him but he couldn‘t and (be) pulled off too.
They are both in hospital with concussion and their people (be) sent for.‖
5.
I understand you (have) an
unpleasant experience at the weekend. What (happen) exactly?
6.
You remember the coin you
(find) in the pool?
7.
You (say) just now that time
(be) everything. What you (mean) by that?
8.
―I remember you (have) three funny little
freckles on your
nose,‖ he said,
―but they (disappear).‖
9.
I think I‘d better go now. I
(act) wrongly and I in a way (deceive) you. I‘m sorry.
10.
―I‘ll drink tea from
this tin mug.‖ ―Wherever you (find) it?‖
11.
The parrot screamed a few words
in Hindi. ―Where
he (learn) that?‖
my aunt asked me.
12. He showed her inside the house. ―Oh, how lovely! I had no idea it would be so lovely.
Why you (not tell) us? And you
(do)
it all by yourself? ‖ ―Yes.‖ ―How you (manage) it?
It‘s so tidy. And the new tea-set! When you (buy) it?‖
13.
―Listen,‖ he said, ―My father (fight) for four years in the last war.‖
14.
―Don‘t go, Philip,‖ said his
mother. ―I scarcely (see) you today.‖
15.
I was at school with Alec.
Then we (not see) each other for years.
PAST
PERFECT
1)
It is used to denote a
past action completed before another past action or before a certain moment in
the past.
This tense-form is
not used simply to describe an action in the distant past. There must be
another action, less far away in the past, with which it contrasts as a prior
action. The priority of an action is normally indicated:
a)
by an adverbial phrase with
the preposition by:
e.g. By the end of the year they
had finally got their long-awaited pay rise.
b) by
an adverbial clause of time (with the conjunctions before, after, by the time …, when, no sooner … than, hardly … when,
scarcely … when, barely … when):
e.g. After he had finished breakfast he sat down to
write some letters. The children had
cleaned everything up by the time their parents returned. The game had hardly begun when it started to rain. The ride had lasted about ten minutes, when the truck suddenly stopped.
2) It is used to denote a complete past action which had
visible results in the past
e.g. He was delighted because he
had found a new job. We didn‘t feel
like playing Scrabble because we had just
finished a long game of Monopoly.
3)
Past Perfect
Inclusive
It is used to
denote an action which began before a definite moment in the past, continued up
to that moment and was still going on at that moment. The starting point of the
duration is indicated by the preposition since,
the whole period of duration – by for.
The Past Perfect
Inclusive is used:
· with
verbs not admitting of the Continuous form
· in negative sentences (in this case the Past Perfect
Continuous is also possible but not common)
· with
verbs of a dynamic character (in this case the Past Perfect Continuous is possible)
e.g. I knew the Horns had been married for nearly 50 years.
George made no answer and we found that he had
been asleep for some time.
Note:
The use of the Past
Perfect for a prior event is often prompted by the lexical and syntactical
structure of the sentence. The tense-form is found, in particular:
a) after
the construction this/it/that was the
first/second/only/best/worst case/time, etc. smth. had happened. e.g. It was
the second serious mistake he had made in
that job.
b) With
the verbs hope, intend, plan, expect, etc.
to describe past intentions which were unfulfilled. e.g. I had intended to
make a cake, but I ran out of time.
c)
In Indirect Speech in the
object clauses after verbs like say,
tell, ask, inform, wonder, etc. in the Past Simple. e.g. I wondered if Jim had
had a chance to discuss the issue with Mr Kelly.
The Past Indefinite and Past Perfect
1.
The Past Perfect is not used
to denote a succession of actions. In this case the Past Indefinite is used.
The Past Indefinite
is used with the conjunctions after,
before, when if the relation between the actions approaches succession,
i.e. when the idea of completion is of no importance.
e.g. He went on with his work
after he had a short rest. He had a
short rest before he went on with
his work. When I wrote the letter, I
posted it.
2.
Verbs of motion and sense
perception such as to come, to arrive, to
return, to see, to hear in adverbial clauses of time are generally used in
the Past Indefinite and not in the Past Perfect. The actions are practically simultaneous.
e.g. When he came down he found his mother reading.
When he heard the first line of the
poem he recognized it at once.
When the
completion of the action is emphasized the Past Perfect is used.
e.g. He knew the poem by heart
when he had heard it several times.
Ex. 1
Explain the use of
the Past Perfect in the following sentences.
1.
He asked me if I had had breakfast.
2.
He now opened the low gate
that he had so often swung on as a small boy.
3.
She was sure that he had
never lied to her before.
4. Jack
chose the hotel. He had never been there before but he had heard his mother speak of it once. She had said she had
liked it.
5. He
remembered how the ball had hit squarely on the nose and the bleeding hadn‘t
stopped for three hours.
6.
He decided to wait till he
had talked to the man himself.
7.
I knew he would ask me for
news of his son as soon as he Had seen the last guest off.
Ex. 2
Complete
the following situations to express a prior action or state.
1.
You came to your friend‘s
house but she wasn‘t there. (she/go/out) _
2.
You went back to your
hometown after many years. It wasn‘t
the same as before. (it/change/a lot)
3.
You went to the cinema last
night. You arrived at the cinema late. (the film/already/begin)
4.
I was very pleased to see my
friend again after a long time. (I/not/see/him/for five years)
5.
The mother offered her
daughter something to eat but she wasn‘t hungry.
(she/already/have/lunch)
6.
I missed the train by 30 seconds. (it/already/leave)
7.
The woman sitting next to me
on the plane was very nervous. It was her first flight. (she/never/fly/before)
8.
Simon played tennis
yesterday. He wasn‘t very good at it because it was his first game.
(he/never/play tennis/before)
9.
Robert was late for work
yesterday. That surprised everybody. (he/hardly/ever/be/late/work/before)
10. She
got into the driving seat nervously. (she/never/drive/car/before)
Ex. 3
Use
the Past Perfect or the Past Indefinite according to the relations between the
actions.
1.
‗Was Tom at the party when you arrived?‘ ―No, he (go) home.‖
2.
I felt very tired when I got
home, so I (go) straight to bed.
3.
The house was very quiet
when I got home. Everybody (go) to bed.
4.
We were driving along the
road when we (see) a car which (break) down, so we (stop) to see if we could help.
5.
Mary (lend) Dick some money
only after he (promise) to give it back the next day.
6.
When I (leave) my house I
(realize) that I (forget) my keys.
7.
I (write) to the shop to ask
why my books (not/arrive) yet.
8.
She (refuse) to admit that
the accident (be) her fault.
9.
Before I (go) to London I
never (be) abroad before.
10.
When he (realize) he (leave)
the lights on, he told the taxi-driver to turn
back.
Ex. 4
Use
the Past Perfect or the Present Perfect in the following sentences.
1.
It was the first time I
(see) that film.
2.
That is the best September
we ever (have) here.
3.
It is the eighth time you
(sing) this song today.
4.
That was the only time I
(feel) happy that year.
5.
It is the third serious
mistake you (make) in this job.
6.
It was the only time I ever
(see) her cry.
7.
It was the first time all
the family (be) together since Sue‘s wedding.
8.
Those were the first clothes
I (buy) myself.
9.
It was the first time that I
(hear) her sing.
10.
It was the fifth time he
(ask) me the same question.
11.
That is the third cake you
(eat) this morning.
12.
It is the first time I ever
(taste) muesli.
FUTURE
PERFECT
1)
It is used to denote an
action completed before a definite moment in the future or before another
future action.
e.g. My sister will have left school by July. She will have left school by the
time I graduate from the University.
2)
The Future
Perfect Inclusive
It is used to
denote an action lasting over a certain period of time up to the given future
moment.
= It is used to
denote an action which will begin before a definite moment in the future, will
continue up to that moment and will be going on at that moment.
The Future
Perfect Inclusive is used with:
· verbs
not admitting of the Continuous form
· in
negative sentences
· with
verbs of a dynamic character.
e.g. Kate will have been a student for half a
year by March. We will have had our old TV-set for ten
years by the time the new TV-set is delivered.
Ex. 1
Read the texts and ask and answer questions using
The Future Perfect tense.
Some sections of the new motorway are already in use, and soon half of this road will be open to traffic. By the end of next year the workers will have completed the project, and at last there will be peace for the inhabitants of the countryside. The new road will have freed them from the constant deafening roar of high-powered engines. The completion of the road will be a relief even to the workmen. Some of them will have been here for over seven years by the time they will have finished.
-
Have they finished work on
your new swimming pool, Charles?
-
They will have completed it by the end of the week.
-
How long is it?
-
It‘s only 25 feet long and
15 feet wide.
-
How deep is it?
-
It‘s 8 feet in depth. They will have installed the diving board by
Saturday. By the way, we‘re holding a swimming party on Sunday, if it‘s not too
cold. You will come, won‘t you?
-
I‘d love to come, but I‘m
not much of a swimmer. I hope I‘ll have
learnt to swim by next summer.
-
Well, I‘m hardly a good swimmer
myself. Anyway, it‘ll be fun. Make up your mind and come. I hope you will have let me know by Friday.
Ex. 2
Match the sentences with the
meaning of the Future Perfect tense in each of them.
|
1.
I hope that when I call
you, you will have returned from
work. 2.
I don‘t think I will be
able to join you. I will have been busy since morning. 3.
By the time the interview
is over, the reporters will have found
out a lot of interesting facts. 4.
The tourists will be tired
when they come to the camp. They will have walked for three hours. |
a.
An action completed by a
definite future moment b.
A future action completed before another future action c.
An action lasting over a
certain period of time up to the given future moment d.
A future action lasting
over a period of time up to another
future action |
Ex. 3
Choose
the Future Continuous or the Future Perfect tense.
1.
What will you be doing/will you have done at this time tomorrow?
2.
How soon will
the builders be finishing/will the builders have finished laying the
foundations?
3.
Do you think you will be making/will have made a decision
by next July?
4.
Next Sunday morning I will be travelling/will have travelled to
the Crimea.
5.
By the end of the year I will be driving/will have driven 2000
miles on business.
6.
We will be waiting/will have waited for you at the station when you arrive.
7.
They will be knowing/will have known each other for a year by September.
8.
If Ann comes late, we will be having/will have had dinner and
she will have to eat alone.
9.
By lunchtime they will be crossing/will have crossed the Channel.
10. How
long will you be having/will you have had
your old car before you buy a new one?
