Present Perfect Tense

The Present Perfect Tense is formed by combining an auxiliary verb (have/has) with a past participle.

Auxiliary Verb (have/has) + Past Participle = Present Perfect Tense

Examples:

have + done = have done

has + written = has written


We use the present perfect tense for:

(i) an action that has already happened, but the exact time that it happened is not known. Therefore, we cannot use the present perfect tense with time expressions such as ‘just now’, ‘an hour ago’, ‘yesterday’, ‘last week’, ‘when I was young’, etc. (Such time expressions are used with the simple past tense instead.)

Examples:

Rebecca has seen that movie.

The naughty child has blown out the candle.

The police have caught the murderer.

Jack and Jill have gone up the hill.

The concert has already begun.




(ii) an action that started in the past and continued into the present, or is still happening now. ‘For’ and ‘since’ are often used with the tense.

Examples:

Marie has lived in Japan since 1998.

You have read the magazine for two hours.

Ronnie has watched TV since this morning.

The children have swum in the pool since 9 o’clock.

My daughter has had a cold for three days.


Exercises

Fill in the blanks with the present perfect tense of the verbs in brackets.

1. Dr. Danny ____________ (practice) medicine for more than a decade.

2. You can have your dinner now. I ____________ (just finish) cooking.

3. Sylvia ____________ (do) her homework for forty-five minutes.

4. Whitney ____________ (break) the expensive vase. Her mother is angry with her.

5. Mr. Lee and his family ____________ (reside) in China for five years.

6. James ____________ (write) a letter to apply for the job.

7. Mrs. Stanley ____________ (talk) over the phone for an hour.

8. ____________ I ____________ (meet) you before? I can’t remember.

9. The painters ____________ (paint) the building for a week.

10. Someone ____________ (steal) my fountain pen.

11. The accident victims ____________ (stay) in the hospital since last Sunday.

12. The gardener ____________ (sow) some seeds in the pot.


Answers

1. has practiced

2. have just finished

3. has done

4. has broken

5. have resided

6. has written

7. has talked

8. Have, met

9. have painted

10. has stolen

11. have stayed

12. has sown