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Perfect form

From Wikigogy

Perfect_tense
grammar
high_school college adult
ll_6 ll_7 ll_8

A grammar summary of perfect forms designed to be used as a reference for teachers of upper-intermediate or advanced classes.

[edit] To show duration of an activity

Example:

I have lived in Turkey since the beginning of 2000.

I had been working in Spain for a few months before I chose to come here.

We have been having Italian lessons for a few months now.

By this time next month, I will have been a teacher for 7 years.

Generally, duration is expressed with "for" or "since". "For" is used with length of time, "for a week", "for 10 years", "for a while". "Since" is used with a starting point, "since January", "since I was born". Other expressions can be used, "all my life", "over the last [few months]".

Simple perfect form is preferred for a permanent activity or one with a long duration, e.g.:

She's had blond hair since she was at university but she’s really a brunette.

The statue had looked over the square for centuries until the mob tore it down.

Continuous perfect form is generally used for a temporary activity or one with a limited duration, e.g.:

She's been having a lot of problems ever since her husband left her.

He's been looking at that statue for about 10 minutes.

[edit] To show an event took place at an earlier moment and affects a later time

Example:

OW! I've cut my finger!

Due to the fact that the electricity had been cut overnight, he woke up late.

If you come by at 7 o'clock, I will just have arrived home from the office.

- Why is she so tired? - She’s been working overtime recently.

We can use "just", "recently" and "lately", e.g.:

My sister has just had a baby.

Have you seen Mike recently/lately?

"Already" is used to show an action is completed sooner than expected. It may be used to express surprise or simply to emphasise the completion of the activity, e.g.:

By the age of 18, Pele had already made his mark on world football.

- What do you want for dinner? - Nothing, thanks. I've already eaten.

"Still" can be used in negative structures and "yet" can be used for present perfect in interrogatives and negatives, e.g.:

Even though he had worked at the bank for 10 years, he still hadn't gained a promotion.

- Have you still not completed those tasks? - No, I haven’t got round to them yet.

Have you seen that film yet? / - Have you seen that film? -No, not yet.

Simple perfect is used for a single or completed action with a later result, e.g.:

-Would you like a cup of tea? -No, thanks. I've just drunk one.

He was mad at me because I hadn't asked for permission to use his computer.

Perfect continuous is used for a repeated or ongoing action with a later effect, e.g.:

I've been drinking lots of coffee lately so I don’t feel so tired.

I've been asking around the office but I still can’t find out what’s going on.

A simple form is used when we use a quantity or frequency while a continuous form is used when we describe the action without mentioning exactly how often, how much or how many, e.g.:

I've drunk 3 cups of coffee today. (simple)

I've been drinking a lot of coffee recently. (continuous)

They've called 10 times this morning. (simple)

They've been calling a lot today. (continuous)

When the doctors examined the x-ray, they saw that she had broken her leg in 5 places. (simple)

Most people didn't like the strict new boss as they had comfortably been breaking all the rules before he arrived. (continuous)

[edit] Simple perfect form used for experience

Example:

I've been to Rome but I've never visited anywhere else in Italy.

Had you ever travelled abroad before going to France?

We do not give details about the event or say when it happened using the perfect form. In these cases past simple will be used, e.g.:

I've been to Rome. I went there in 1999 and stayed there for a week. I stayed in a small but pleasant hotel near the city centre, which also had an excellent restaurant. Of course, I visited all the historical sites and I met lots of friendly people too.

NOTE: News stories are often introduced with present perfect and specific information about the story is given in past simple.

Past simple is genrally preferred when the time at which an event occured is clear. Present perfect is preferred to emphasise the action that took place rather than when, e.g.:

I've just won the lottery! I've won $1 million!

My life didn't really change after my lottery win. I won $1 million but I didn't let it go to my head.