close
    what is the difference between persent perfect tense and past tense

    0  Views: 632 Answers: 1 Posted: 13 years ago

    1 Answer

    We use the Present Perfect to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important. You CANNOT use the Present Perfect with specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc. We CAN use the Present Perfect with unspecific expressions such as: ever, never, once, many times, several times, before, so far, already, yet, etc.


    Examples:


    I have seen that movie twenty times.


    I think I have met him once before.


    There have been many earthquakes in California.


    People have traveled to the Moon.


    People have not traveled to Mars.


    Have you read the book yet?


    Nobody has ever climbed that mountain.


    A: Has there ever been a war in the United States?


    B: Yes, there has been a war in the United States.


    How Do You Actually Use the Present Perfect?


    The concept of "unspecified time" can be very confusing to English learners. It is best to associate Present Perfect with the following topics:


    TOPIC 1 Experience


    You can use the Present Perfect to describe your experience. It is like saying, "I have the experience of..." You can also use this tense to say that you have never had a certain experience. The Present Perfect is NOT used to describe a specific event.


    Examples:




    • I have been to France.
      This sentence means that you have had the experience of being in France. Maybe you have been there once, or several times.

    • I have been to France three times.
      You can add the number of times at the end of the sentence.

    • I have never been to France.
      This sentence means that you have not had the experience of going to France.

    • I think I have seen that movie before.

    • He has never traveled by train.

    • Joan has studied two foreign languages.

    • A: Have you ever met him?
      B: No, I have not met him.



    TOPIC 2 Change Over Time


    We often use the Present Perfect to talk about change that has happened over a period of time.


    Examples:




    • You have grown since the last time I saw you.

    • The government has become more interested in arts education.

    • Japanese has become one of the most popular courses at the university since the Asian studies program was established.

    • My English has really improved since I moved to Australia.



    The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past.



    Examples:



    • I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.

    • I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.

    • Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.

    • Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?

    • She only understood the movie because she had read the book.

    • Kristine had never been to an opera before last night.

    • We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not booked in advance.

    • A: Had you ever visited the U.S. before your trip in 2006?
      B: Yes, I had been to the U.S. once before.




    Top contributors in Uncategorized category

     
    ROMOS
    Answers: 18061 / Questions: 154
    Karma: 1101K
     
    Colleen
    Answers: 47269 / Questions: 115
    Karma: 953K
     
    country bumpkin
    Answers: 11322 / Questions: 160
    Karma: 838K
     
    Benthere
    Answers: 2392 / Questions: 30
    Karma: 760K
    > Top contributors chart

    Unanswered Questions

    Thuexeoto Hanoi
    Answers: 0 Views: 5 Rating: 0
    THABETTT COM
    Answers: 0 Views: 8 Rating: 0
    dafabetbeer1
    Answers: 0 Views: 8 Rating: 0
    Good88
    Answers: 0 Views: 16 Rating: 0
    tk88laapp1
    Answers: 0 Views: 13 Rating: 0
    Nhà cái tặng tiền
    Answers: 0 Views: 13 Rating: 0
    aaa
    Answers: 0 Views: 16 Rating: 0
    e2betzzcom
    Answers: 0 Views: 16 Rating: 0
    > More questions...
    464459
    questions
    721978
    answers
    781979
    users