Present perfect

English Grammar Rules

The Present Perfect Tense is formed using the following structure:

Affirmative: Subject + Have / Has + Past Participle

Negative: Subject + Haven't / Hasn't + Past Participle

Question: Have / Has + Subject + Past Participle

Affirmative Sentences

Subject	Have	Past Participle	Rest of the Sentence
I	have	studied	for the exam.
You	have	bought	a new computer.
He	has	eaten	my chocolate.
She	has	written	an e-mail.
It	has	been	cold this month.
We	have	won	the championship.
You	have	tried	to learn a lot.
They	have	forgotten	my birthday.

Contractions

The contracted form of the perfect tense is quite common:

Have	Contraction	Examples
I have	I've	I've spent all my money.
You have	You've	You've worn that dress before.
He has	He's	He's slept all morning.
She has	She's	She's lost her purse.
It has	It's	It's fallen off the wall.
We have	We've	We've chosen you for the job.
You have	You've	You've begun to annoy me.
They have	They've	They've drunk too much.

We use contractions a lot when we are speaking.

Negative Sentences

The contraction of the perfect tense in negative form is:
Have not = Haven't
Has not = Hasn't

Subject	Have	Past Participle	Rest of the Sentence
I	haven't	studied	for the exam.
You	haven't	bought	a new computer.
He	hasn't	eaten	my chocolate.
She	hasn't	written	an e-mail.
It	hasn't	been	cold this month.
We	haven't	won	the championship.
You	haven't	tried	to learn a lot.
They	haven't	forgotten	my birthday.

Questions

Have	Subject	Past Participle	Rest of the Sentence
Have	I	been	chosen for the team?
Have	you	bought	a new car?
Has	he	eaten	my sandwich?
Has	she	written	the letter?
Has	it	started	on time?
Have	we	won	a trophy?
Have	you	kept	my secret?
Have	they	driven	there?

When do we use the Present Perfect Tense?

1. Unspecified point in the past

• I have been to Spain three times.
  (At some unspecified time in the past, I went to Spain).

Compare with the simple past:

• I went to Spain three times in 2005.
  (specified time in the past - the year 2005)

2. An action that occurred in the past, but has a result in the present (now)

• We can't find our luggage. Have you seen it?
  (The luggage was lost in the past, do you know where it is now?)

3. Talking about general experiences (ever, never)

It usually refers to an event happening at some moment in your life.

• Has she ever tried Chilean wine before? (in her life)
• I've never eaten monkey brains before. (in my life)

4. Events that recently occurred (just)

• Do you want to go to a restaurant with me?
  No, thanks. I've just eaten lunch. (I recently ate lunch.)

5. Events that have occurred up to now (yet)

• Are Carlos and Rodrigo here? No, they haven't arrived yet. (they're still not here now)

6. Events that occurred before you expected (already)

• I've already graduated from University. (I expected to graduate at a later date.)

7. Events that began in the past and haven't changed (for, since)

• Mike has worked at Woodward for 3 years.
  (Mike started working at Woodward 3 years ago and he still works there now.)
• Julie has worked at Woodward since September last year.
  (Julie began working at Woodward in September of last year, and that hasn't changed - she still works here now.)

Click here to see a video about present perfect 

Exercise 1: present perfect 

Exercise 2:  present perfect 

Already and yet

How to use ALREADY and YET  in the presente perfect

Present Perfect Tense - Already and Yet

Already means that something happened earlier than we expected. 

With Present Perfect already usually goes after have or has and before the main verb.

Yet means that something that we expected has happened or hasn't happened.

 We usually put it at the end of a sentence.

Examples

   - We've already had our breakfast.
   - When are you going to do your homework?
   - But I've already done it!
   - Do you want a cup of coffee?
   - No, thanks. I've already had one."
   - Has the post arrived yet?
   - Have you done your homework?
   - Not yet.
   - Haven't you got ready yet? Look at the time!

Exercise 1: already and yet 

Exercise 2: already and yet

Present perfect versus simple past

What's the difference? Present Perfect and Past Simple

Present Perfect Simple	Past Simple
Unfinished actions that started in the past and continue to the present: I've known Julie for ten years (and I still know her).	Finished actions: I knew Julie for ten years (but then she moved away and we lost touch).
A finished action in someone's life (when the person is still alive: life experience): My brother has been to Mexico three times.	A finished action in someone's life (when the person is dead): My great-grandmother went to Mexico three times.
A finished action with a result in the present: I've lost my keys! (The result is that I can't get into my house now).	A finished action with no result in the present: I lost my keys yesterday. It was terrible! (Now there is no result. I got new keys yesterday).
With an unfinished time word (this week, this month, today): I've seen John this week.	With a finished time word (last week, last month, yesterday): I saw John last week.

Remember:

1. We use the past simple for past events or actions which have no connection to the present.
2. We use the present perfect for actions which started in the past and are still happening now OR for finished actions which have a connection to the present.
3. We CAN'T use the present perfect with a finished time word:
• NOT: I've been to the museum yesterday.

Click here to see a video about present perfect versus past simple

Exercise 1: present perfect or simple past 

Exercise 2: present perfect or simple past 

Exercise 3: simple past o present perfect 

For and since

PRESENT PERFECT WITH FOR AND SINCE

Using the present perfect, we can define a period of time before now by considering its duration, with for + a period of time, or by considering itsstarting point, with since + a point in time. FOR and SINCE can also both be used with the past perfect. SINCE can only be used with perfect tenses. FOR can also be used with the simple past.

FOR + A PERIOD OF TIME

for six years, for a week, for a month, for hours, for two hours
I have worked here for five years.

SINCE + A POINT IN TIME

since this morning, since last week, since yesterday
since I was a child, since Wednesday, since 2 o'clock
I have worked here since 1990.

PRESENT PERFECT WITH FOR

She has lived here for twenty years.
We have taught at this school for a long time.
Alice has been married forthree months.
They have been at the hotel for a week.

PRESENT PERFECT WITH SINCE

She has lived here since 1980.
We have taught at this school since 1965.
Alice has been married since March 2nd.
They have been at the hotel since last Tuesday.

for a period from start to end	since a point from then to now
>===<	x===>|
for 20 minutes for three days for 6 months for 4 years for 2 centuries for a long time for ever	since 9am since Monday since January since 1997 since 1500 since I left school since the beginning of time
all tenses	perfect tenses

Click here to see a video about for and since 

Exercise 1: for and since

Exercise 2: for and since 

See this exciting video about  appearance 

                               

People appearance

Describing People in English

When we describe people we use some expressions with the verb "to be" and others with the verb "to have."

to be
Age	Body	Personality
He (She) is . . .	He (She) is . . .	He (She) is . . .
young	tall	intelligent (smart)
a teenager	short	dumb
middle aged	fat	funny
old	overweight	serious
elderly	thin	nice
20 years old	strong	lazy
in his thirties	weak	hard-working

to have
Hair	Face
He (She) has . . .	He has . . .
black hair	a beard
brown hair	a mustache
red hair	He (She) wears glasses.
blonde hair
gray hair
long hair
short hair
straight hair
wavy hair
curly hair
*He is bald. *With "bald" we use the verb "to be."

Exercise 1: Appearance

Exercise 2:  Describing People: Physical Appearance

Modifiers with participles

What Are Modifiers? (with Examples)

A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause which functions as an adjective or an adverb to describe a word or make its meaning more specific.

Examples of Modifiers

Modifiers can play the roles of adjectives or adverbs.

Modifiers As Adjectives

When a modifier is an adjective, it modifies a noun or a pronoun. (In these examples, the modifiers are shaded, and the words being modified are bold).

• Lee caught a small mackerel.
(Here, the adjective small modifies the noun mackerel.)
• Lee caught a small mackerel.
(Don't forget that articles (i.e., the, an, and a) are adjectives too. Here, a modifies the noun mackerel as does small.)
• Lee caught another one.
(Here, the adjective another modifies the pronoun one.)

Modifiers As Adverbs

When a modifier is an adverb, it modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. For example:

• Lee accidentally caught a small whelk.
(Here, the adverb accidentally modifies the verb caught.)
• Lee caught an incredibly small mackerel.
(Here, the adverb incredibly modifies the adjective small.)
• Lee supposedly accidentally caught a small whelk.
(Here, the adverb supposedly modifies the adverb accidentally.)

A Modifier Can Be a Phrase or a Clause

Don't forget that phrases and clauses can play the roles of adjectives and adverbs too. For example:

• Lee caught a mackerel smaller than a Mars bar.
(This is an adjective phrase modifying the noun mackerel.)
• Lee caught a mackerel of tiny proportions.
(This is a prepositional phrase functioning as an adjective. It modifies the nounmackerel.)
• Lee caught a mackerel which was smaller than a Mars bar.
(This is an adjective clause modifying mackerel.)
• When alone, Lee tried to catch mackerel.
(This is an adverbial phrase (of time) modifying the verb tried.)
• When we left him alone, Lee set up his rod to catch mackerel.
(This is an adverbial clause (of time) modifying the verb set up.)

Click here to see a video about modifiers

Exercise 1: Participles

Exercise 2: Describing People Reading Comprehension

Places

See this interesting video about places 

There Is, There Are, Some, Any

English Grammar: There Is, There Are, Some, Any

In English grammar we use "there is" or "there are" to talk about things we can see and things that exist.

We use “there is” for singular and uncountable nouns, and we use “there are” for plural countable nouns.

“There are five people in the office.” (plural countable noun)

“There's a television in the living room.” (singular countable noun)

or “There's some milk in the fridge.” (uncountable noun)

Using "some"

With plural countable nouns we can either give the quantity (“five people”) or use “some” if we don't know the exact quantity.

“There are five people in the office.” (We can see five people exactly)

“There are some people in the office.” (We don't know exactly how many people)

With uncountable nouns we also use “some”.

“There's some milk in the fridge,” (I don't know the exact quantity.)

“There's some money in my wallet.” (I don't know exactly how much money.)

Remember: with singular countable nouns we use a/an, the, or another determiner or pronoun – not “some”.

“There's a woman in the shop.”

“There's the woman who works in the hospital.”

“There's my sister in the photo.”

Negative form and using "any"

There are two ways to form the negative.

1. Add not or n't to the end of the verb. See our page on the verb to be for more information on forming negatives and questions.

"There isn't a freezer in the kitchen." (singular, countable noun)

"There isn't any money in my wallet." (uncountable noun)

"There aren't any students" in the classroom. (plural noun)

For uncountable nouns, use “any” after the negative “isn't”, and for plural countable nouns use “any” after “aren't”.

Remember: Do not use "any" with singular countable nouns.
"There isn't a single biscuit left in the packet." (Not "There isn't any single biscuit left in the packet.")

2. Use "no" after "there is" or "there are".

"There is no freezer in the kitchen." (singular countable noun)

"There are no students in the classroom." (plural noun)

"There's no coffee left." (uncountable noun)

However, it's more common to use "isn't + a" for singular countable nouns, "isnt + any" for countable nouns and "aren't + any" for plural nouns.

If you need more help with English grammar, see our page on some and any for more information.

Question form

To make a question, change the word order from subject-verb to verb-subject:

There is a + singular noun = Is there a + singular noun?

There is some + uncountable noun = Is there any + uncountable noun?

There are some + plural noun = Are there any + uncountable noun?

"Is there a toilet on this train?"

"Is there any time to go shopping?"

"Are there any trains to London this morning?"

Short answer form

Yes, there is. / No there isn't.

Yes there are. / No there aren't.

Click here to see a video about  how to use some  and any

Click here to see a video about how to use there is  or there are

Exercise 1: There is, There are, Some and Any 

Exercise 2: There is, There are, Some and Any 

Quantifiers; how many and how much

How much? - How many?

English Grammar

When we want to know the quantity or amount of something, we ask questions starting with How much and How many.

HOW MUCH ...? - (Quantity)

How much is used with uncountable nouns.

HOW MUCH + UNCOUNTABLE NOUN

• How much time do we have to finish the test?
• How much money did you spend?
• How much sugar would you like in your coffee?
• How much paper will I need?
• How much milk is in the fridge?
• How much traffic was there on the way to work?

If the verb To Be is used with an uncountable noun, it is in singular form (= IS or WAS etc.)

HOW MUCH ...? - (Price)

How much can also be used when we want to know the PRICE of something.

In this case, we can use How much with countable nouns (both singular and plural nouns).

• How much is that painting?
• How much are those shoes?
• How much did your jacket cost?
• How much is the dress on display in the window?
• How much will it cost me?
• How much does it cost ?

HOW MANY ...? - (Quantity)

How many is used when we want to know the QUANTITY of something.

It is only used with plural countable nouns.

HOW MANY + PLURAL NOUN

• How many days are there in January?
• How many people work in your company?
• How many cousins do you have?
• How many books did you buy?
• How many countries are there in the world?
• How many students are in the class right now?
• How many chairs are there in this room?
• How many pieces of chocolate would you like?

Omitting the noun

Often the noun is omitted in the question when it is obvious what we are talking about.

A: I would like to buy some cheese. B: How much (cheese) would you like?

The noun cheese is not necessary after how much since we already know we are talking about cheese. In fact, it is normally omitted to avoid sounding repetitive.

More examples:

• A: I need some coins. - B: How many do you need?
• A: I need some sugar. - B: How much do you need?

Click here to see a video about how many and how much

Click here to see a video about quantifiers

Exercise 1: how much and how many

Exercise 2: Quantifiers

Leisure time activities

See this interesting video about Leisure-Time Activities

Simple past

The Simple Past Tense, often just called the Past Tense, is easy to use in English.

If you already know how to use the Present Tense, then the Past Tense will be easy.

In general, the Past Tense is used to talk about something that started and finished at a definite time in the past.

How to form the Past Tense in English

The main rule is that for every verb in English, there is only one form of it in the past tense.
(The exception is the Past tense of To Be, which has two forms: was and were)

This is totally different from other languages such as Spanish, French, Italian etc. where you change the verb ending for every subject.

For example: The past tense of the verb want is wanted.
Wanted is used as the past tense for all subjects/pronouns.

• I wanted
• You wanted
• He wanted
• She wanted
• It wanted
• We wanted
• They wanted

So you just have to learn one word to be able to use it in the past tense. In this case we just needed to learn the one word wanted which can be used for all subjects (or people).

Past Tense Regular Verbs

To change a regular verb into its past tense form, we normally add –ED to the end of the verb.

• play – played
• cook – cooked
• rain – rained
• wait – waited

There are some exceptions with a slight change in spelling which you can see here:
Spelling of words ending in ED.

Examples of sentences using regular verbs in the past tense

• Last night I played my guitar loudly and the neighbors complained.
• She kissed me on the cheek.
• It rained yesterday.
• Angela watched TV all night.
• John wanted to go to the museum.

Note: There are three different ways of pronouncing the –ed at the end of a verb in the past tense.
We recommend reading our guide about the pronunciation of –ED at the end of words.

Negative sentences in the Past Tense

We use didn't (did not) to make a negative sentence in the past tense.
This is for regular AND irregular verbs in English.
(Exception is To Be and Modal Verbs such as Can)

Compare the following:

Present: They don't live in Canada.
Past: They didn't live in Canada.

The main verb (live in the example above) is in its base form (of the infinitive). The auxiliary DIDN'T shows that the sentence is negative AND in the past tense.

NOTICE: The only difference between a negative sentence in the present tense and a negative sentence in the past tense is the change in the auxiliary verb.

Both don't and doesn't in the present tense become didn't in the past tense.

Compare the negative sentences in the examples below:

Present: You don't need a mechanic.
Past: You didn't need a mechanic.

Present: You don't walk to work.
Past: You didn't walk to work.

Present: He doesn't speak Japanese.
Past: He didn't speak Japanese.

Examples of negative sentences in the Past Tense

• I didn't want to go to the dentist.
• She didn't have time.
• You didn't close the door.
• He didn't come to my party.
• They didn't study so they didn't pass the test.
• We didn't sleep well last night.

Questions in the Past Tense

We use did to make a question in the past tense.
This is for regular AND irregular verbs in English.
(Exception is To Be and Modal Verbs such as Can)

Compare the following:

Present: Do they live in France?
Past: Did they live in France?

The main verb (live in the example above) is in its base form (of the infinitive). The auxiliary DID shows that the question is in the past tense.

NOTICE: The only difference between a question in the present tense and a question in the past tense is the change in the auxiliary verb.
Both Do and Does in present tense questions become Didn't in past tense questions.

Compare the questions in the examples below:

Present: Do you need a doctor?
Past: Did you need a doctor?

Present: Do you ride your bike to work?
Past: Did you ride your bike to work?

Present: Does he live in Italy?
Past: Did he live in Italy?

We can also use a question word (Who, What, Why etc.) before DID to ask for more information.

• Did you study? – Yes, I did.
• When did you study? – I studied last night.
• Where did you study? – I studied at the library.

Read more about short answers in the past tense.

Examples of Questions in the Past Tense

• Did you go to work yesterday?
• Did they arrive on time?
• Did she like the surprise?
• Where did she go?
• What did you do yesterday?
• What did you say? - I didn't say anything.
• Why did we have to come?

Irregular Verbs in the Past Tense

Irregular verbs are ONLY irregular in affirmative/positive sentences.
(An exception to this is with the verb TO BE in the Past Tense).

For example: The past tense of GO is WENT.
It does not end in –ED so it is considered irregular.

The word went is used for all subjects – I, you, we, they, he, she, it.

• I went to the beach
• He went to the park.
• She went to the zoo.
• They went to the library.

BUT, as we mentioned before, it is only in its irregular form (went) in sentences that are affirmative/positive.

Compare the following using GO in the past tense.

• They went to the beach
• They didn't go to the beach --- Didn't shows that we are talking in the past tense.
• Did they go to the beach? --- Did shows that we are talking in the past tense.

Another example with an irregular verb.
The past of EAT is ATE.

• You ate my cake.
• You didn't eat my cake.
• Did you eat my cake?

Exercises: simple past tense

Click here to see a video about simple past regular verbs

Click here to see a video about simple past irregular verbs