present perfect simple FORM ) | affirmative | negative 1rYou have (ve) 1 you ave net (haven't) werThey ‘finished. wes They tintshed. He(she has (3) He/She has mat (hasn) " 0 short answers Has yeu Yer | have. /No, | haven't we/they finished? Yes, we/ they have, / Ho, wo / they kaven't Hae he fohe Jie You, he Jaho J thaz./ Mo, he/she fit hasn't Hes Jane done* the homework? + The past verosit is ticiple of regular veibs is Une sate 4s Ue pas: simple, But with many common irregular ferent. See page 206 fu: a lis uf regular verbs, infinitive _pastsimple past participle a0 went gone: come came. come Gs) We use the present perfect @ to talk about life experiences. John has travelled all over the word I've never stayed overnight in a hospital. Have you ever seen an eclipse? to talk about change over a period of time, contrasting the past with the present. They have made the exams more difficult. The climate has got warmer. to talk about achievements. Man has walked on the moon. Scientists have identified all the genes in human DNA. to talk about multiple actions repeated at different times. We've won six matches this season, "ve seen this film three times, present perfect or past simple? All the examples above refer to things that happenec at some unspecified time in the past, The exact time the action happened is not important - the important thing is that itis before now. To ‘fix’ things in the past (eq steges in our life, events in history, events in a narrative) we use an expression of time in the past and the past simale tense Newton studled at Cambvioge fom 1661 10 1665. fntan and France declared war when Germany iwaded Poland, Sometimes the time expression you choose determines which tense you must use. Wo use the past simple with ‘finished’ timo expressions. Iwent to the doctor yesterday. Vie didn’t have 2 maths css last week. He spuke (u ne (en minutes ago, With ‘unfinished’ time expressions we use the present perfect. I’ve had four exems this week. There haven't been any problems until now. She's lived in five different countries in hee life 2 Use ne prompts zo write a sencence Tae, Feacher has arrived. The students / inne exams / mush 4 Danny / break / Jeg 1/sent j you j email F She / seo / this fim / before 9 Daye and Joc / win /a scholarship hn Unere /be J accident 3_ write the negative form of the sentences in Exercise 2 ‘A journalist is interviewing a politiclahion a radio programme. Underline the correct form INTERVIEWER: Mrs Blake, you want people to Wot for you again. Our listeners want tp know why POLITICIAN: 1 think our aehieveiiienls aie very eat. I: Well, not always. For example, uncer you: government unemployment a fas risen {mse by ten percent, P: Yes, but you have to look atthe international contest, The price of oll bas increased / Hncreased to over forty euros last year and there « fulsLevn / ws a woild recession this year I: But now the price of oll d as fale / fell age P: Yes, tte future looks very ood, Since we came to power we efhave cut / ct @NES three times, ‘The last government f has ineresed | inerased them. ‘The opposition says that services g have sujfered / suffered. What about the health system? Several hospitals h Juve closed / closed recently. * Yes, but people can see now that we fave introduced /intrxduced big improvements, These hospitals j have been J were old. We k have invested | invested in new and better hospital. |: But peopte are waiting longer for their operations. + No, that's not correct. Patients waited longer before we came to power, The latect statistics: show that well have reduced / reduced the number of people waiting for operations. 1 What about yous eecoed on education? * Standards were ternble under the last government. When we m have inteduced / introduced the new education law, the results impraved very quickly: ‘Thank you Mrs Blake, Now, the newspresent perfect simple or continuous? When we refer to the duration of an action or situation, there is often very litle difference in meaning between the present perfect simple and present perfect continuous. How long have you worked / been working here? ve worked / been working here for five years The tense we use often depends on where we want to focus ~on the activity itself or the result of the action “Why are your hands dirty’? ‘Ive been fixing my bike’. focus on the activity) “You look pleased.” “Yes, I've fixed my bike.” (focus on the finished result) Ifthe result of an action is a quantity (how much or how many) we do not use the continuous form, ’ve done three exercises 50 far. NOT #'ve-been-doing three-exercises 50 far They've been saving for a year and they've saved over a thousand pounds. We do not usually use the continuous form with verbs which refer to states (eg to be, to want, to have, ete ve had 2 cold for the last week. NOT f've-been-havingra-cold for the fast week anegior (naven®)|"Been! You've been depressed since Christmas. NOT You've been being depressed — has not (hasn't) Use the prompts ta write present perfect continuous sentences. 2. James / write e-mails / since this moming dames has. been airiting e-mails since. +his morning. She / teach /for ten years We / not tell / lies to yout My parents / shop / fo: lusnitute Juan / not do / his homework 11 / not rain / for long Mariella / buy new clothes 1 / read this book / tor weeks! ‘They / tall) for hours You { not clean / your room! hey have. No, I/ we /they haven’ Tiree hevthern han’ ‘te use present pertect continuous total about actions in progress trom the past up tothe present 3 Underline the corect form {often with for or since). ‘ \ Weve been stacy Russian oc thee yrs 1a leamed ‘ve learned | ve been lating to play the guitar since Chuistmas because my parents b bout ee aera J have baught {have been buying me ane as a present. Le always wanted j ve always wanted | ‘ve always The action may be recenty finished or continuing boon wanting to be in a band but I can’t sing. My teacher They've been wating for an hour You're te. (The waiting is rished) dlwas / has hoon / has been being very patient. 1@ started / They've been waiting for an hour and he stl isn't here. ‘The waiting contirues,) aaa ‘ve started { "ve been starting with a tew simple chords and |We sometimes use the present prefect continuous to emphasise an action repeated meny times, orthe now length of time of an action. ve been phoning you all day. Where were you? THe ES GT roetian for taers week ahd he hat acting betes | ve practised / ‘ve been practising since lunch and 1 think P'Il have to stop span. My parents h listened / have: n play one song. My fingers f hurt / ve hurt / ‘ve boeu hurting when I practise toe long. Today I g practise listened / nave been listening Wo ute and LUntink they want me to stop as well!