present perfect past perfect tenses

7/30/2019 Present Perfect Past Perfect Tenses

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TensesThe past tense is used when you talk and write

about an event that happened yesterday. Whatabout an event that you’re talking about nowbut has not happened yet? Or an event that hasbegun in the past and hasn’t finished yet?Confusing? Just go through these slides and

you’ll be time travelling between past, present

and future in no time!



The present perfect tense

For events begun in the past and continuing upto the present. (Still happening)

E.g.– Ms Chan has lived in Singapore all her life.

– This building has been standing since 1950.




For actions occurring at unspecified times(with or without adverbials like ‘just’,‘already’, ‘ever’)

E.g.

– I have already washed the dishes.

– Have you been to London before?




To express habitual or continued action

E.g.

– She has had long hair all her life.

– Tom has never been to Canada.



The present perfectcontinuous tense

To express an action that began in the past,continued into the present, and may continueinto the future or has only just finished.

E.g.– Karen has been reading for two hours, and shehasn’t finished yet!

– I have been exercising every day in the past

week.– She has been looking for a kitten to

adopt since the beginning of this year.



The past perfect tenseTo describe a sequence of events in the past

(a past event completed before another eventthat happened in the past).

E.g.

– He went home because he had forgotten to bringhis umbrella.

– When I arrived home, he had already called .



The past perfect tense

In reported speech

E.g.

– He said that he had already had chickenrice for lunch yesterday.

– Matthew said that he had gone to watchthe movie.



The past perfectcontinuous tense

To mark an action going on in the pastwhen a second one took place

E.g.– I had been watching the show for an hour

when the television broke down.

– Sally had been having an ordinary day tillshe witnessed an accident on her wayhome.



Remember these?Simple past tense is used after ‘wish’ as well as

to indicate a past habit

E.g.

– I wish I was a plumber

– I had a lisp

– I was lazy



Remember these?The present continuous tense is used for

activities planned for the future.

E.g.

– We are going to thezoo tomorrow.



Remember these?The past continuous tense is used for activities

that took place over a period of time.E.g.– They were singing for

an hour.

– She was cooking dinner.

present perfect past perfect tenses

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