UNIT 21 Present perfect (l have done) or past simple Unit

(r did)? (2)
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a) D9 no-t_g¡g!ggr-9s-er¡¡-p9Jfg9¡-(I have done) when you are talking about a finished time in
tñe priiilór. e*irnple, yéiiérááy, two years ago: iñ '1979, when I vr as a childl. Usc ¡ p¿s¡
téñie-'
-Tom lost his key yesterday. (aor'has lost')
-Did you see the film on television last night? (zot'have you seen')
-Mr Greaves retired from his job two years ago. (zor'has retired')
-I ate a lot of sweets when I was a child. (ror'have eaten')
Use.4 past tense to ask when something happened:
\X/ha¡ time did they arrive? lnot'have they arrived')
- §/hen were you born? (zof'have you been born')
Compare:
- Tom has lost his key. (present perfect)
Hgr.e*IrS 3{g gel;hinking of ¡}re past action; we are thinking of the present result of the
action: he is without his key now.
- Tom lost his key yesterdat. (pdst simple)
He¡e we are thinking of the action in the past. Ve don't know wl.rether Tom is still without
his key.
b) Now compare these sentences:
Present perfect (lhave done) Past simple (l did) 21.2

l've smoked 20 cigarettes today. I smoked 20 cigarettes yesterday.

I Today is a périod of time which continues I Yesterday is a linished rime in rhe
i up to the present. It is not a finished \t past. So we use the past simple. 1

I time. So we use rhe oresenr oerfect. ;

present ptesent J

past past

Tom hasn't been ill this year.
Have you seen Ann this morning?
(It is still morning.)
Have you seen Ann recently?
We've been waiting for an hour. (\üle are
still waiting.)
Ian has lived in London for six years.
(He still lives there.)
I have never played golf (in mv life).
i The present perfect always has a
connecrion with the present.
{-See
Units 13-20.
Tom wasn't ill last year.
Did you see Ann this morning?
(lt is now afternoon.) 2i 3
Did you see Ann last week?
\üe waited (or were waiting) for an
hour. (lle are no longer waiting.)
lan lived in Scotland for ten years.
(He no longer lives there.)
I didn't play golf when I was on
holiday last summer.
f The past rimple tells us only a hout
{ the part.
§ee Units 11,12 and 20.

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