#Past perfect vs present perfect pdf

Now, each of these three tenses can be further divided into four “sub” tenses. It will happen tomorrow or even later ( Future): I will talk tho Mary at work tomorrow. It happened today or right now ( Present): I am talking to Mary on the phone. It happened yesterday or even earlier ( Past): I talked to Mary yesterday.

When we talk about any event or action (let’s say, eating a cookie), it can only happen in one of these three times:

In English, there are three main tenses: past, present and future. If the verb form changes, the tense changes (and vice versa). The verbs we use tell us which tense is being used. Every sentence we speak or write in English is in one of these tenses. They tell us whether a particular action has already happened, is happening or will happen. The simple past uses a single verb (the simple past form of the verb) while the present perfect uses two verbs (has/have + participle form of the verb). The present perfect is also used when we’re more interested in the results or consequences of the action/event, as the result is usually linked to the present. On the other hand, the present perfect is used when the event/action took place very recently or the time isn’t specified. We also use the simple past when we’re more interested in the “telling” of an action and not on the results of the action. We use the simple past to refer to an event/action that has already finished or happened, and the time is usually certain and specified. Here’s a quick overview of the key differences between the present perfect tense and the past simple tense:

#Past perfect vs present perfect pdf

This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that youĬlick here to get a copy. Verb Forms to Use with the Present Perfect.The English Tenses: A Brief Introduction.past simple are clear in your head and you’ll never be confused about the two again! I hope by the time you finish reading this post, the differences between present perfect vs. The present perfect is used when referring to actions that have happened recently, or when a time isn’t specified. Past Simple: Learn the Key Differences and Never Confuse the Two AgainĪs a language learner, you may be quite confused about the difference between the present perfect and the simple past tenses.Īfter all, they both refer to events that already happened and are now in the past.Įssentially, the simple past refers to actions that have already finished. The student with the most points at the end of the game wins.SeptemPresent Perfect vs. For each correct guess, Team B scores a point. After questioning all the team members, Team B decides who is telling the truth or lying. After each member of Team A has spoken, Team B asks past simple follow-up questions about the student's experience to see if they can work out whether the student is lying or telling the truth. The members of Team A take it in turns to do this by either giving true or made up details using the present perfect to introduce the experience and the past simple to give details. The cards show something they may or may not have done, but each student in Team A tells Team B they have had the experience, regardless of whether it is true or not. past simple activity, students play a true or false guessing game to practice the present perfect and past simple. The student with the most points at the end of the game is the winner. Each group member who guessed correctly, scores a point. After a few questions have been asked, each group member decides if the player's statement is true or false. The other group members then take it in turns to ask past simple follow-up questions to the player to try to determine whether the statement is true or false. If the player picks up a false card, the student makes a false statement but pretends it is true. If the player picks up a true card, they make a true present perfect statement about themselves from the prompt on the card. One player goes first and picks up a sentence card from one pile and a true or false card from another. In this amusing present perfect and past simple game, students make surprising true or false present perfect statements about themselves and their classmates determine whether they are lying or telling the truth by asking past simple follow-up questions.