Present perfect

Forms, uses, and contexts

Present Perfect tense
• Form: Subject + Auxiliary verb (have/has) + past participle + object
• Sam has passed her exam

• Ex: Sam has passed her exam.

• Has anyone seen my red jacket?
• They haven’t spoken to each other for ages.
Use of Present Perfect
• We use the present perfect to

Express a recently completed action.

Ex: You have just planted a tree.
 Express an action that started in the past and continues in
the present.
Ex: I have been a teacher for 12 years.
He has been a doctor since 1999.
Cont.
Express an action not yet completed.
Ex: He hasn’t finished yet. (negative)

• We also use yet in questions.

Ex: Has the bus arrived yet?

• Yet comes after the past participle, and means “before/until

now”
Cont.

• Use of Just, for, since and yet

• Just – for recently completed actions.

• For – to say how long something has lasted.
• Since – express a starting time in the past.
• Yet – (in negative sentences) shows that something has not
happened up to the present time.

.
Exercise:
• Here a woman writes about her life. Complete the text by using the
words in brackets and putting the verb in the present perfect. Use short
forms where possible.
• I’ve seen good and bad times but on the whole I've a good life. I'm
married for over 25 years and I've four children and nearly all of them
find good jobs. My youngest son still not graduate. But my family is
not my only interest.
Cont.
• My husband often work abroad and I manage to visit most of the
places where his company send him. In fact, I visit more than twenty
countries and I spend several weeks in most of them. In my spare
time, I write guides to three of them and one of them have already sell
10,000 copies. The money has just pay for a new computer. I’m
pleased about that because my publisher has just ask me to write a
book about Portugal.
Cont.
• Some students are arranging an end-of term party. Carrie is checking
whether everything is ready. Use the words given, use the present
perfect, and put just, yet, still, and already in the correct places where
necessary. Use short forms.
• Carrie: Are we all here? Has everybody arrived yet? (everybody/
arrive/ yet)
• Jim: just phone Ruth. She has a problem with her motorbike so she
still not leave her house, but we can start without her because I know
what she do.
Cont.
• Carrie: All right. Jim, what food have you buy)?
• Jim: I've not buy anything yet), but I just order cheese, ham, bread and
salad vegetables and I already ask if they can have it ready early on
Saturday morning.
• Carrie: Fine. And drinks?
• Jim: Pauline’s cousin works in a wine shop. She has already get us a
good discount on most things and she promises to deliver everything
in good time.
Cont.
• Carrie: Great! Bobby, ______________________10(you/find)
somewhere that will lend us chairs and tables?
• Bobby: Well, _______________________ 11(I/ ask) if we can borrow
them from the people at the community centre, but they
______________________ 12(not/ phone/ still).
• Carrie: _______________________ 13(I/ persuade) my brother’s band to
come and play for us. And ________________________ 14 ( I/ check/
just) the weather on the internet. It’s going to be fine on Saturday.
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