Difference between Present Perfect and Past Perfect

Both present perfect and past perfect talk about something that happened before a point in
time (reference point).

In the present perfect, our reference point is the present.

In the past perfect, our reference point is in the past.

Present perfect

 An action that started in the past and continues to the present.

I have lived in this city for six months.
 An action that happened before now (unspecified time)
I have been to Japan twice

How to form the present perfect:

Examples of the present perfect:

 My mother has just gone to the store.

 Janet has lived abroad for five years.
 I haven’t seen the new movie yet.
 Have you finished your homework?

It’s very common to use the contractions ‘ve and ‘s in the present perfect:

 I’ve been to Japan three times.

 My mother’s just gone to the store.
 Janet’s lived abroad for five years.

Past perfect

 An action that happened before a time in the past

When I arrived at the office this morning, I discovered that I had left my computer on
the night before.

How to form the past perfect:

Situations where you would use the past perfect:

Situation:

1. I went to Japan in 1988 and 1991.

2. I turned 10 years old in 1994.
Past perfect sentence:

I had been to Japan twice by the time I was 10 years old.

Situation:

1. My husband ate breakfast at 6:00 AM

2. I woke up at 7:00 AM

Past perfect sentence:

When I woke up this morning, my husband had already eaten breakfast.

It’s common to use the contraction ‘d in the past perfect:

 I’d traveled to five different countries by the time I was 20 years old.
7. Make more conversation, using the same tenses

1 A. What ..... do? 1 A. ..... got a car?

B. I work ..... B. Yes, I .....

A. How long .....? A. How long .....?

B. For ..... B. Since .....

A. What ..... do before that? A. How much ..... pay for it?

B. I worked ..... B. It was .....

Vocabulary
Adverbs
1. Many adverbs end in –ly.

Slowly Carefully Usually

Find some more examples in the text on p58-9.

2. There are also many adverbs that don’t end in –ly.

Find these examples in the text.

Together Hard Still Just Of Course

3. Complete the sentences with one of these adverbs.

Still

Nearly

Only

Of course

Together

1. ‘Do you love me?’ of course I do. I adore you.’

2. I called Tom at 10.00 in the morning, but he was still in bed.
3. It’s our anniversary today. We’ve been together for fifteen years.
4. Kate is very fussy about food. She only eats pasta and crisps.
5. She was very ill and nearly died, but fortunately, she got better.
4. Complete the sentences with one of these adverbs.
At last exactly too especially just

1. I like all Russian novelists, especially Tolstoy.

2. ‘I hate ironing,’ ‘Me, too . It’s so boring.’
3. ‘Are you telling me that we have no money?’ exactly. Not a penny.
4. I met her on December 23, just before christmas.
5. At last I have finished this exercise. Thank goodness! It was so boring.