PRESENT PERFECT

TENSE & PAST PERFECT

TENSE
PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

1. To expresses past action with no specific time

indicated.

2. The formula :

 Has/have + past participle of the verb

 Eg : has/have + (known/come/cheated/sent)
 RULE 1

1. An action which took place in the past. The time of the

action is unknown.

 Eg : The applicant has received a favourable

reply from the company.

 Eg : The unemployed graduates have applied

for a bank loan to start their freshwater fish project.

2. An action which started in the past , but it

effect has continued until the present and will

probably continue into the future.

 Eg : The consultant has trained many successful

businessmen.

 Eg : His strategies have worked from the start.

3. Repeated actions in the past.
 Eg : I have regularly participated in the
Malaysian Halal Exhibition for the past
five years.
 Eg : The tourists have visited KLCC three
times.
 RULE 2

1. The affirmative :

 Eg : The economist has used the consumer price

index as an indicator of the standard of living.

 Eg : Two foreign companies have agreed to invest

RM200 million in the mega project.

2. The negative :

 Eg : The economist has not used/hasn’t used the

consumer price index as an indicator of the

standard of living.

 Eg : Two foreign companies have not agreed/

haven’t agreed to invest RM200 million in the

mega project.
3. The interrogative :

 Eg : Has the economist used the consumer price

index as an indicator of the standard of living?

 Eg : Have the two foreign companies agreed to invest

RM200 million in the mega project?

 RULE 3
Time expressions :

1. Since, for, yet, recently/lately, already, just, until

now/up to now/so far, ever and etc.

 Eg : Bank Negara has not renovated its exterior since

the day it was built.

 Eg : Recently/Lately, the price of oil has soared to a

record high.
 Eg : Have you ever been to the headquarters?

 Eg : Up to now/Until now/So far, Danial has

done the report five times.

 Eg : The business student has not submitted

her thesis proposal yet.

 PAST PERFECT TENSE

1. Describes an action which took place before

another action in past.

2. The formula :

 Had + past participle of the verb

 Eg : had + (decreased / plunged / left)

 RULE 1
1. Two situations or actions that happened in the past.
The verb of the earlier action is in the past
perfect, while the verb of the later action is in the
simple past.

 Eg : The management trainee had prepared the report

before she left for a seminar.

 Eg : After the supervisor had read the report, Miss Lily

Ong walked.
2. A situation or action that happened before a
particular time in the past.

 Eg : Before the recent trip, he had never

travelled overseas.
 RULE 2

1. The affirmative :

 Eg : Andy had explained the project to the

Dean before he went ahead with it.

 Eg : The party had already started when

they arrived.
2. The negative :

 Eg : The team had not anticipated/ hadn’t

anticipated the problem when they started on the

project.

 Eg : They had not thought/hadn’t thought of a

solution to the problem when they met the

counselor.
3. The interrogative :

 Eg : Had they received the green light before

they continued with the project?

 Eg : Had he gone to the market when she

arrived at his house?

 RULE 3

Time expressions :

1. Before , after , as soon as , when , until and

by the time are time expressions used with

the past perfect tense.

 Eg : Adi had noticed the man before he

boarded the bus.

 E.g : After Asyraf had done his assignment, he

submitted it to his lecturer.

 E.g : I went home as soon as the rain had

stopped.

 E.g : By the time the police arrived, a large

crowd had gathered around the injured man.

 E.g : When the staff had spoken to the

Manager, he relayed the message to the

Chief of Staff.

 E.g : My father had refused to let me join the

trip until my lecturer convinced him it

was a study excursion.

 KEY IDEAS

 In most cases, the simple past tense is more

commonly used with before and after since

the time relationship is already clear.

 Some time expressions used in present perfect

tense can also be used with the past perfect
tense such as already , ever , never , still and
yet.
 ~END~
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