Definition: Present Perfect Continuous Tense is used to express an action that happened in the past and is still going on in the present time.
Form of Present Perfect
Affirmative: Subj + (have/has) + V3 (past participle) + …
Interrogative: (Have/Has) + subj + V3 (past participle) + …?
Negative: Subj + (have/has) + not + V3 (past participle) + …
Usage of Present Perfect
➷Present Perfect is used to talk about the length of time.
- She has come to Cambodia for 3 years.
- I have thought about it since last night.
➷Present Perfect is used to talk about an indefinite past action.
- Vince has lived with her husband without happiness.
- Have you bought what I asked?
➷Present Perfect is used to talk about life experience.
- Nora and his wife have visited London 3 times.
- I have played the guitar ever since I was a boy.
➷Present Perfect is used to talk about an unfinished action.
- Why have they worked so hard this month?
- I haven’t seen Lora today. Where has she gone?
➷Present Perfect is used to talk about an action that has just been finished with adverbials.
- She has already done her homework.
- Have you just missed the bus again?
Note1: The preposition "for" is used to show a duration of time
- I have used this phone for two years but it still looks new.
- My mother has gone to Singapore for one week.
Note2: The preposition "since" is used to show a beginning of time
- Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been a couple since 1980.
- We have arrived here since 9 o’clock in the morning.
Note3: The adverb "already" is used in an affirmative sentence.
- I have already bought the tickets.
- I have bought the tickets already.
Note4: The adverb "yet" is used in a negative and interrogative sentence.
- I have not bought the tickets yet.
- I have not yet bought the tickets.
- Have you bought the tickets yet?
- Have you yet bought the tickets?
Note5: We use "have/has been" when someone has gone to a place and already returned.
- A: Have you ever been to Thailand?
- B: No, but I've been to Cambodia.
Note6: We use "have/has gone" when someone has gone to a place and yet returned.
- A: Where's Rain? I haven't seen him for days.
- B: He's gone to his hometown for a week. He'll be back tomorrow.
| Basic Structure and Short Answer |
| Affirmative | Interrogative | Negative | Affirmative | Negative | |
| I have learned | Have I learned? | I have not learned | Yes, I have | No, I haven't | |
| We have learned | Have we learned? | We have not learned | Yes, we have | No, we haven't | |
| You have learned | Have you learned? | You have not learned | Yes, you have | No, you haven't | |
| They have learned | Have they learned? | They have not learned | Yes, they have | No, they haven't | |
| He has learned | Has he learned? | He has not learned | Yes, he has | No, he hasn't | |
| She has learned | Has she learned? | She has not learned | Yes, she has | No, she hasn't | |
| It has learned | Has it learned? | It has not learned | Yes, it has | No, it hasn't |
Auxiliary Verbs
* "have/has" is used as an auxiliary verb to help the main verb to create perfect form.
- They haven't mastered Chinese, but they can communicate.
➦To have "have" is a present verb (V1). In the sentence, it becomes an auxiliary verb so it helps the main verb "mastered" to create perfect form.
- Electricity bill has still not arrived yet.
➦To have "has" is a present verb (V1). In the sentence, it becomes an auxiliary verb so it helps the main verb "arrived" to create perfect form.
Important Note*
| Tense: | Present | + | Perfect |
| Form: | "have/has" | + | V3 |
WH Questions
* “WH Questions”, (What/When/Where/Why/Who/How…), is used to ask for information.
What: is used to ask for Thing. Ex: What has she planned to do?
When: is used to ask for Time. Ex: When have they closed the stock market?
Where: is used to ask for Place. Ex: Where has she been exactly?
Why: is used to ask for Reason. Ex: Why has it been so windy?
Who: is used to ask for Person. Ex: Who has spent the most time in space?
How: is used to ask for Manner. Ex: How have plants adapted to fire?
Expressions
* When we use Present Perfect it means that something has happened at some specific point in our lives before now and the exact time of that action is no important.
(in the last week, in the last year, this week, this month, so far, up to now,...)
- Have you been to Canada in the last year?
- They have had three exams in the last week
- She has worked for three different companies so far.
- My car has broken down three times this week.
Note: "Last year" and "in the last year" are very different in meaning. "Last year" means the year before now, and it is considered a specific time which requires simple past. "In the last year" means from 365 days ago until now. It is not considered a specific time, so it requires present perfect.
- She went to Vietnam last year.
➦She went to Vietnam in the calendar year before this one.
- She has been to Vietnam in the last year.
➦She has been to Vietnam at least once at some point between 365 days ago and now.
10 Irregular Verbs
Infinitive (to/bare)V | Present Simple V1 | Past Simple V2 | Past Participle V3 | Present Participle V-ing |
| (to)be | is/am/are | was/were | been | being |
| (to)become | become(s) | became | become | becoming |
| (to)begin | begin(s) | began | begun | beginning |
| (to)break | break(s) | broke | broken | breaking |
| (to)bring | bring(s) | brought | brought | bringing |
| (to)build | build(s) | built | built | building |
| (to)buy | buy(s) | bought | bought | buying |
| (to)catch | catch(es) | caught | caught | catching |
| (to)choose | choose(es) | chose | chosen | choosing |
| (to)come | come(s) | came | come | coming |
Active Voice and Passive Voice
* Active Voice refers to the subject which is the doer of the action.
* Passive Voice refers to the subject which is the receiver of the action.
| Present Perfect Active Voice | Present Perfect Passive Voice |
| + | Subj + (have/has) + V3 + obj | ➣ | Subj + (have/has) + been + V3 |
| ? | (Have/Has) + Subj + V3 + obj? | ➣ | (Have/Has) + Subj + been + V3 |
| - | Subj + (have/has) + not + V3 + obj | ➣ | Subj + (have/has) + not + been + V3 |
1. A:
P:
2. A:
P:
3. A:
P:
4. A:
P:
5. A:
P:
Learner can find more practice exercises in Test Yourself Online section.
Learner's Materials
Video Lesson
* Session 1:
* Session 2:
* Session 3:
Test Yourself Online
Learner can find answers to these Test Yourself onlines in Answer Key worksheet below.
Worksheet
* Present Simple
* Verb Follows Subject
* Active Voice and Passive Voice
* Modal Active Voice and Passive Voice
* Answer Key
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