Usages

Sheila has joined the Sierra Club.Sheila joined the Sierra Club.

The use of the present perfect has more to do with our present perspective on the event rather than on the actual time at which it took place.

The simple past tense occurs with specific past-time adverbials. The use of specific past-time adverbials (e.g., yesterday, last year, 1990) makes the past tense obligatory. The use of more general temporal adverbials is commonly associated with the perfect (e.g. already, since, yet).

ACTIVITY Organise the phrases in the next

slide into three columns:1. Used ONLY with this sentence in

simple past: “ I first met Allie....”2. Used ONLY with this sentence

present perfect . “ They´ve worked together...”

3. Used with BOTH.

Since 1999 In year 2000During my holidays

For a long time

Twice this year

Three months ago

Since the beginning of

the yearLast year For 10 years

1. “ I first met Allie....” .... In year 2000 .... during my holidays .... three months ago .... last year

1. “ They´ve worked together...” ..... since 1999 ..... for a long time ..... since the beginning of the year ..... for 10 years

Even if a past-time adverbial isn’t explicit, the remoteness may be defined elsewhere in the context or simply implied:

John Lennon was a creative genius.

The past tense is used for a completed or finished period versus an incomplete one:

My father lived here all his life. (finished).

My father has lived here all his life. (incomplete, he is still living here)

The function of the present perfect is to emphasize the

result of the fact.

I’ve been to Japan twice already, but I still don’t speak much Japanese.

The past simple is used by speakers to talk about past events which are, or which they regard as finalized.

The present perfect is used by speakers to talk about events which are still current, or which they want to highlight as being incomplete or still relevant.

END OF THE PRESENTATION

Now please go to page 133 and do activities 2 A a and 2 A b