Present Perfect Time: rules of use with examples and design

Today in this article we will look at how to use the verb time in the present perfect, the rules of the formation of this grammatical form, examples of use and much more. I must say that this is one of the most difficult times used in the English language. Present perfect means someone's action that took place (started) in the past, but at the same time has to do with the present moment of time. That is, you can observe the result of this action in the present.

Present perfect: formation rules

Present perfect is formed as follows:

I / we / you / she / he / it + have or has + past participle

(Past participle means the form of the verb in the past tense). For the so-called "correct" verbs (they, as we remember, the majority), the past time can be obtained by adding the ending "-ed" at the very end of the word. For "irregular" verbs, this method is unsuitable, their past form must be learned by heart. Note that the verbs-helper have and has usually shrink to 've and' s, look:

• I've written that article. - I wrote that article.
• He's done his homework - He did his homework.

In case of denial, you should use has not or has not, briefly get has not / has not.

Present Perfect: apply correctly

Beginning students often find it difficult to understand when to use the Present Perfect time, as it is often confused with, for example, Past Simple. Carefully read this section, here we will take a very detailed look at the Present Perfect time, the rules of its application:

• Present Perfect is used when it comes to actions that began in the past, but, nevertheless, they continue to this day. Often in such sentences the words "for" and "since" occur:

- This old beautiful building has stood (and, in fact, continues to stand) in this square for 350 years already.

- I'm starving. "I'm incredibly hungry." I have not eaten anything since lunch.

• Present Perfect is used even when we speak about any actions that occurred in the past, but also can happen in the future. The period of time in which the action took place has not yet ended, that is, it can very well be repeated one or several times. As an example, consider:

Maria once was in London, but she would like to go there again.

• The present past tense is used with these phrases: this year / day / week / month, recently, ever, yet. It can be seen that the period of time is not defined, but it is closely related to the present. For example:

- Have they heard from John recently? "Did they hear anything about Mark lately?"

- I've been in a lot of places for the last few weeks - I've been to many places in the last few weeks.

- I've had five cups of green tea today - I drank 5 cups of green tea for today

• As for the time of Present Perfect: the rules of its use apply to those situations where we can already see the result of an action. For example:

- The earthquake has destroyed the industry in the whole region - The earthquake has destroyed the industry of the whole region (as a consequence, and now the region still has problems with industrial production).

• Very often, the Present perfect time is used for events and actions committed relatively recently. For example, you cooked dinner and cut your finger. In English, at exclamation Oh, I've cut my finger! (Oh, I cut my finger!) Only the present tense time will be used.

What should I look for, or Tips for studying this topic

Present Perfect is the short and most common time name Present perfect simple, the rules of use of which we have just considered. We hope that our article helped you to understand this difficult grammatical subject. And remember - everything is learned in practice, that is, the more you do exercises to fix the use of this perfect time, the less errors you will make later. Note also that Present Perfect is quite simple to use time in comparison, for example, with Present Perfect Continuous, the rules of which mean both the formation of a complex structure (have or has been + Verb-ing), and the use in cases where the action Began in the past, but at the same time it has not yet ended and, moreover, continues to this day. Anyway, only practice will help you to master English at a sufficient level to speak and write clearly and competently.