The
Present Perfect and Other Tenses
Notice how the present perfect
works in several kinds of situations. This tense is very useful!
For
practice, use each of these examples as a model and write sentences
related to your life.
Present TensePast TensePresent Perfect TensePast Perfect TenseFuture TenseConditional TenseWatch VideoExample 1: Present Perfect Introduces a Past Story
She has won three awards. She
won her first award as a salesperson in 2001. At that time, she was
just a sales representative who happened to network with an
up-and-coming business. She gained her second award in 2008 for ten
years of great sales work. In 2014, she won her third award when she
landed a top client in the international sales division.
Example 2: A Story with Present Perfect, Past, and Present
I have worked at Amazon for 5 years.
After I achieved my graduate
degree, I was offered an interview, and I got the job.
I had to work
hard to prove myself during the first three years. But overall, it's
been a great work environment, especially since I get to take my dog to
the office.
Example 3: Present Perfect and Present
We've walked to the cafe. Now we need some sandwiches before the long walk back.
Example 4: Present Perfect, Present, and Belief about Future
My daughter's watched a movie, and now she's tired. I think
she'll go
to sleep soon.*
Example 5: Present Perfect Introduces Conditional Thoughts
You have written a good essay, but you could improve it. If you could clarify the first sentence in each paragraph, your logical points would become clearer.Example 6: Present Perfect, Conditional Thoughts, and Future
He has managed the department for years. He has always been good at negotiating a top salary,
and yet that skill might not be good for him right now.
We'll see.
Anyway, even if he does leave, he is very well-qualified.
A recruiter will find him a new job in no time.
Example 7: A Long Story with Present, Past, Present Perfect and Future
Our new manager's an impressive guy.
He will turn 65 next week,
and he
has run 3 marathons in the last five years. He has also won several
awards for his contributions to the IT industry.
At his last company,
he was always pushing to meet deadlines in advance. He was well-known
as a guy who delivers a hundred and ten percent.
Working on his team
won't be easy. Example 8: A Long Story: Present Perfect, Present, Past, Past Perfect, Future
I haven't been getting much exercise, but I did play soccer recently.
My friend invited me to a friendly game last Saturday.
Some of the
other players were more experienced, but some were like me and hadn't
played in a long time. It was kind of funny, but it was great exercise.
I was sore for two days! I'm going to join them again next Saturday.* In common speech, we will make
has into a contraction. It is the same as the contraction for
is, but can be understood from the verb use.
