Exercise 1
Find and correct the mistake.
a Didn’t you do your homework yet?
b Pete’s been to the shops. He’ll be back soon.
c Did you ever eat snails?
d We’re here since ten o’clock.
e No one’s seen Lucky since three weeks.
f I had a headache since I woke up this morning.
g Have you called John yesterday?
h A plane just crashed over the Alp5. More details follow later.
i When I was a child, I have ridden my bike to school.
j I have never met my grandmother. She died before I was born.
Exercise 2
Match the statements.
|
a Oh. no! I’ve just smashed a glass. b I’ve already written fifteen emails. c Did you go to Teotihuacan while you were in Mexico? d I worked here last year. e Sam’s gone out. f I read five reports at work today. g I’ve worked here since 1999. h I smashed a glass. I didn’t mean to. i Have you ever been to Teotihuacan? j Sam’s been out. |
1 Sam’s not here. 2 I’m not at the office. 3 I’m asking about your general experience of travelling. 4 Sam’s here. 5 Look. The glass is broken. 6 I still work here. 7 I’m still at the office. 8 I smashed it yesterday. 9 I’m asking about your holiday. 10 Now I work somewhere else. |
Exercise 3
Choose the best option.
a Jim’s never seen/never saw this film. I’m sure he’ll like it.
b Wow! Did you already do/Have you already done the housework?
c They didn’t get/haven’t got married in the end.
d I haven’t been on holiday for/since ages.
e Frances has been/gone to Jamaica. She’ll be back next month.
f I live/l ‘ve lived here for eight years.
g The rabbit dug/has dug a hole in our garden last night.
h A tornado has hit/hit north-west America and several people were killed.
i Hey look! Concorde’s just landed/just landed.
j Ever since I was a child I wanted/I’ve wanted to go to Zanzibar.
Exercise 4
Which description (1-4) fits each sentence (a-j)?
1 A recent action in the past with an effect in the present
2 A finished action in the past
3 An action which started in the past and is still going on now
4 A past action at an indefinite time in the past
a I’ve never been to Tibet.
b Stan has had that car for years.
c We took the dog to the vet’s yesterday.
d I’ve finished my homework at last.
e Pete’s just finished painting the kitchen.
f We had oysters and champagne last night.
g They’ve known each other since they were kids.
h Rick’s been to Malaysia several times.
i Didn’t you see David last week?
j Mireia’s just had a baby girl.
Answers
Read the note to find out why.
1
a Didn’t you do Haven’t you done -> D
b been gone -> C
c Did you ever eat Have you ever eaten ->B
d ‘re ‘ve been -> E
e since for -> F
f had ‘ve had -> E
g Have you called Did you call -> A
h crashed has just crashed -> D
i have ridden rode -> A
j have never met never met -> A
2
a 5 -> D f 2 -> A
b 7 -> E g 6 -> E
c 9 -> A h 8 -> A
d 10 -> A i 3 -> B
e 1 -> C j 4 -> C
3
a ‘s never seen
b Have you already done
c didn’t get
d for
e gone
f I’ve lived
g dug
h hit
i ‘s just landed
j I’ve wanted
4
a 4 b 3 c 2 d 1 e 1
f 2 g 3 h 4 i 2 j 1
Notes
A
Use the past simple for completed actions in the past.
B
Use the present perfect (not the past simple) when it isn’t important when something happened.
C
There is a difference between the participles been and gone.
D
Use the present perfect (not the past simple) to talk about recent past events.
E
Use the present perfect (not the past simple or the present simple) to talk about an action that began in the past but is still going on now.
F
Use for (not since) with the present perfect to say how long an action has been going on.
Review
Present perfect or past simple?
The difference between the past simple and the present perfect causes problems for many people. This is perhaps partly because there are several ways of using the present perfect. Here are some guidelines to help you decide which tense to use.
Past simple
– You use the past simple for completed actions in the past, often with an expression of time, e.g. yesterday, last week, in 2001, a few years ago, etc.
We took the dog to the vet’s yesterday.
I went to South Africa when I was a student.
Present perfect
– You use the present perfect (not the past simple) when it isn’t important when something happened. Often you’re talking about general experiences.
I’ve never been to a safari park before. Have you seen this film?
– Be careful! There is a difference between the participles been and gone.
Jill has been to Zanzibar. Jill has gone to Zanzibar.
(She went to Zanzibar and now she’s back.) (She’s in Zanzibar now.)
– You use the present perfect (not the past simple) to talk about recent past events, often with just, already and yet.
I’ve just seen Matt. We’ve already told him. Haven’t you finished that yet?
Note: In American English, it’s possible to use either the present perfect or the past simple with the adverbs just, already and yet. Both are correct.
Haven’t you finished that yet? OR Didn’t you finish that yet?
– You use the present perfect (not the past simple or the present simple) to talk about an action that began in the past but is still going on now.
I’ve lived in Oxford for years. She’s had that car since she was seventeen.
Note: You use for to say how long an action has been going. on and since to say when the action started.
I’ve been here for ages. She’s known him since last year.
They’ve lived in Siena for three years. He’s had a cold since Friday.
