Free English Grammar - Mary Ansell 2000
Chapter 4. The prefect and the present perfect continuous
1. Use of the present perfect
The English Present Perfect tense is used to express actions which have already been completed, or perfected, at the time of speaking or writing. In the examples given below, the verbs in the Present Perfect tense are underlined.
e.g. I have done the work.
She has answered half the questions.
In the first example, the use of the Present Perfect tense emphasizes the fact that, at the time of speaking or writing, the work has already been completed. In the second example, the use of the Present Perfect indicates that, at the time of speaking or writing, half the questions have been answered.
2. Formation of the present perfect: Regular verbs
The Present Perfect tense of any English verb is formed from the Simple Present of the auxiliary to have, followed by what is generally referred to as the past participle of the verb.
Most English verbs form the past participle in a regular, predictable manner. These verbs are commonly referred to as regular verbs.
The past participle of a regular English verb is formed by adding the ending ed to the bare infinitive of the verb. For instance, the past participle of the verb to work is worked.
Thus, the Present Perfect tense of the verb to work is conjugated as follows:
I have worked
you have worked
he has worked
she has worked
it has worked
we have worked
they have worked
See Exercise 1.
The following contractions are often used in spoken English:
Without Contractions
I have
you have
he has
she has
it has
we have
they have
With Contractions
I’ve
you've
he's
she's
it's
we've
they've
It should be noted that the contractions for he has, she has and it has are the same as the contractions for he is, she is and it is.
See Exercise 2.
3. Spelling rules for adding ed to form the past participle
Some regular verbs change their spelling when the ending ed is added to form the past participle.
a. Verbs ending in a silent e
When a regular verb ends in a silent e, only the letter d must be added in order to form the past participle. For example:
Infinitive
to close
to move
to please
to receive
Past Participle
closed
moved
pleased
received
b. Verbs ending in y
When a regular verb ends in y immediately preceded by a consonant, the y is changed to i before the ending ed is added. For example:
Infinitive
to study
to rely
to carry
Past Participle
studied
relied
carried
However, when a regular verb ends in y immediately preceded by a vowel, the y is not changed before the ending ed is added. For example:
Infinitive
to play
to convey
to enjoy
Past Participle
played
conveyed
enjoyed
See Exercise 3.
c. Verbs ending in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel
The rules concerning the doubling of final consonants which apply when adding the ending ing to form the present participle also apply when adding the ending ed to form the past participle.
Thus, when a one-syllable verb ends in a single consonant other than w, x or y immediately preceded by a single vowel, the final consonant must be doubled before the ending ed is added to form the past participle. In the following examples, the consonants which have been doubled are underlined. For example:
Infinitive
to rub
to trim
to plan
to stop
Past Participle
rubbed
trimmed
planned
stopped
When a verb of more than one syllable ends in a single consonant other than w, x or y immediately preceded by a single vowel, the final consonant is doubled before the ending ed only when the last syllable of the verb is pronounced with the heaviest stress. In the following examples, the syllables pronounced with the heaviest stress are underlined. For example:
Infinitive
to control
to infer
to occur
to permit
to fasten
to order
to focus
to limit
Past Participle
controlled
inferred
occurred
permitted
fastened
ordered
focused
limited
In the first four examples, the last syllable of the verb is pronounced with the heaviest stress, and the final consonant is doubled before ed is added. In the last four examples, the first syllable of the verb is pronounced with the heaviest stress, and the final consonant is not doubled before ed is added.
The final consonants w, x and y are never doubled when the ending ed is added. For example:
Infinitive
to follow
to box
to portray
Past Participle
followed
boxed
portrayed
It should also be noted that final consonants immediately preceded by two vowels are not doubled when the ending ed is added. For example:
Infinitive
to greet
to rain
to soak
to treat
Past Participle
greeted
rained
soaked
treated
See Exercise 4.
4. Pronunciation of the ed ending
The ending ed is usually not pronounced as a separate syllable. For instance, in each of the following examples, both the bare infinitive and the past participle consist of one syllable. For example:
Bare Infinitive
puff
work
miss
watch
Past Participle
puffed
worked
missed
watched
However, when the ending ed is added to verbs which end in d or t, the ed ending of the past participle is pronounced as a separate syllable. The reason for this is that the sounds of d and t are so similar to the sound of the ed ending, that the ending must be pronounced as a separate syllable in order to be heard clearly.
In each of the following examples, the bare infinitive consists of one syllable; whereas the past participle consists of two syllables. For example:
Bare Infinitive
add
land
hunt
wait
Past Participle
added
landed
hunted
waited
Similarly, when d is added to verbs ending in a silent e preceded by d or t, the final ed of the past participle is pronounced as a separate syllable. In each of the following examples, the bare infinitive consists of one syllable; whereas the past participle consists of two syllables. For example:
Bare Infinitive
fade
glide
cite
note
Past Participle
faded
glided
cited
noted
See Exercise 5.
5. Formation of the present perfect: Irregular verbs
In addition to regular English verbs, there are many irregular English verbs, which do not form the past participle with the ending ed. The English irregular verbs are related to the strong verbs of the German language. The following are examples of irregular English verbs. For example:
Bare Infinitive
begin
find
go
let
take
Past Participle
begun
found
gone
let
taken
The past participles of irregular English verbs are formed in an unpredictable manner, and must be memorized. A table of common English irregular verbs is provided.
Except for the irregularity of the past participle, the formation of the Present Perfect tense is the same for an irregular verb as for a regular verb. In both cases, the Simple Present of the auxiliary to have is followed by the past participle of the verb.
For instance, the irregular verb to take has the past participle taken. Thus, the Present Perfect of the irregular verb to take is conjugated as follows:
I have taken
you have taken
he has taken
she has taken
it has taken
we have taken
they have taken
See Exercise 6.
6. Questions and negative statements
As is the case with other English tenses, questions and negative statements in the Present Perfect are formed using the auxiliary. In the case of the Present Perfect, the auxiliary is have or has.
a. Questions
In order to form a question, the auxiliary is placed before the subject of the verb. For example:
Affirmative Statement
I have worked.
You have worked.
He has worked.
She has worked.
It has worked.
We have worked.
They have worked.
Question
Have I worked?
Have you worked?
Has he worked?
Has she worked?
Has it worked?
Have we worked?
Have they worked?
b. Negative statements
In order to form a negative statement, the word not is placed after the auxiliary. For example:
Affirmative Statement
I have worked.
You have worked.
He has worked.
She has worked.
It has worked.
We have worked.
They have worked.
Negative Statement
I have not worked.
You have not worked.
He has not worked.
She has not worked.
It has not worked.
We have not worked.
They have not worked.
The following contractions are often used in spoken English:
Without Contractions
have not
has not
With Contractions
haven't
hasn't
c. Negative questions
In order to form a negative question, the auxiliary is placed before the subject, and the word not is placed after the subject. However, when contractions are used, the contracted form of not follows immediately after the auxiliary. For example:
Without Contractions
Have I not worked?
Have you not worked?
Has he not worked?
Has she not worked?
Has it not worked?
Have we not worked?
Have they not worked?
With Contractions
Haven't I worked?
Haven't you worked?
Hasn't he worked?
Hasn't she worked?
Hasn't it worked?
Haven't we worked?
Haven't they worked?
d. Tag questions
Tag questions are also formed using the auxiliary. In the following examples, the negative tag questions are underlined.
Affirmative Statement
I have worked.
You have worked.
He has worked.
She has worked.
It has worked.
We have worked.
They have worked.
Affirmative Statement with Tag Question
I have worked, haven't I?
You have worked, haven't you?
He has worked, hasn't he?
She has worked, hasn't she?
It has worked, hasn't it?
We have worked, haven't we?
They have worked, haven't they?
See Exercise 7.
7. The present perfect continuous
a. Use
The Present Perfect Continuous tense is used to express continuous, ongoing actions which have already been completed at the time of speaking or writing.
In the following example, the verb in the Present Perfect Continuous tense is underlined.
e.g. The bus has been waiting for one hour.
The use of the Present Perfect Continuous tense in this example indicates that, at the time of speaking or writing, the bus has completed one hour of continuous waiting.
b. Formation
The Present Perfect Continuous tense of any English verb is formed from the Present Perfect of to be, followed by the present participle of the verb. For instance, the Present Perfect Continuous tense of the verb to work is conjugated as follows:
I have been working
you have been working
he has been working
she has been working
it has been working
we have been working
they have been working
Thus, it can be seen that the Present Perfect Continuous tense has two auxiliaries. The first auxiliary is have or has, and the second auxiliary is been.
See Exercise 8.
c. Questions and negative statements
When a verb has more than one auxiliary, it is the first auxiliary which must change its form to agree with the subject of the verb. It is also the first auxiliary which is used to form questions and negative statements.
Questions are formed by placing the first auxiliary before the subject of the verb. For example:
Affirmative Statement
I have been working.
You have been working.
He has been working.
She has been working.
It has been working.
We have been working.
They have been working.
Question
Have I been working?
Have you been working?
Has he been working?
Has she been working?
Has it been working?
Have we been working?
Have they been working?
Negative statements are formed by placing the word not after the first auxiliary. For example:
Affirmative Statement
I have been working.
You have been working.
He has been working.
She has been working.
It has been working.
We have been working.
They have been working.
Negative Statement
I have not been working.
You have not been working.
He has not been working.
She has not been working.
It has not been working.
We have not been working.
They have not been working.
Negative questions are formed by placing the first auxiliary before the subject, and the word not after the subject. However, when contractions are used, the contracted form of not follows immediately after the first auxiliary. For example:
Without Contractions
Have I not been working?
Have you not been working?
Has he not been working?
Has she not been working?
Has it not been working?
Have we not been working?
Have they not been working?
With Contractions
Haven't I been working?
Haven't you been working?
Hasn't he been working?
Hasn't she been working?
Hasn't it been working?
Haven't we been working?
Haven't they been working?
Tag questions are formed using the first auxiliary. In the following examples, the negative tag questions are underlined. For example:
Affirmative Statement
I have been working.
You have been working.
He has been working.
She has been working.
It has been working.
We have been working.
They have been working.
Affirmative Statement with Tag Question
I have been working, haven't I?
You have been working, haven't you?
He has been working, hasn't he?
She has been working, hasn't she?
It has been working, hasn't it?
We have been working, haven't we?
They have been working, haven't they?
Exercises for Chapter 4
1. Using the Present Perfect tense, fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the verbs shown in brackets. For example:
We ... the contest. (to enter)
We have entered the contest.
He ... the work. (to finish)
He has finished the work.
1. They ... a pizza. (to order)
2. It ... to rain. (to start)
3. You ... the question. (to answer)
4. I ... the eggs. (to cook)
5. We ... the sauce. (to heat)
6. He ... the room. (to clean)
7. She ... the car. (to start)
8. They ... on the door. (to knock)
9. You ... on the lights. (to turn)
10. She ... them to come. (to ask)
Answers
2. Rewrite the following sentences, using the contracted form of the auxiliary to have. For example:
It has started.
It's started.
We have telephoned.
We've telephoned.
1. I have agreed.
2. You have moved.
3. He has looked.
4. We have argued.
5. They have explained.
6. You have waited.
7. She has answered.
8. We have finished.
9. It has cooled.
10. I have ordered.
Answers
3. Paying attention to the spelling of the past participles, fill in the blanks using the Present Perfect tense of the regular verbs shown in brackets. For example:
She ... hard. (to try)
She has tried hard.
He ... his friend. (to annoy)
He has annoyed his friend.
1. We ... them. (to envy)
2. She ... the clarinet for five years. (to play)
3. You ... for the job. (to apply)
4. We ... the eggs. (to fry)
5. They ... six people. (to employ)
6. He ... the wall with paint. (to spray)
7. I ... home. (to hurry)
8. They ... unusual intelligence. (to display)
9. It ... our chances. (to destroy)
10. You ... on your bicycle. (to rely)
Answers
4. Paying attention to the spelling of the past participles, fill in the blanks using the Present Perfect tense of the regular verbs shown in brackets. For example:
He ... the child. (to scare)
He has scared the child.
They ... the hillside. (to scar)
They have scarred the hillside.
1. She ... . (to apologize)
2. I ... the soup. (to stir)
3. It ... . (to stop)
4. We ... what happened. (to explain)
5. They ... a concert. (to plan)
6. You ... the table. (to wipe)
7. We ... our hopes on you. (to pin)
8. She ... the choir. (to join)
9. They ... an eagle. (to spot)
10. It ... every day. (to rain)
11. You ... the cream. (to whip)
12. She ... everything. (to arrange)
Answers
5. Keeping in mind that the ending ed forms a separate syllable only when it follows the letter d or t, indicate the number of syllables in each of the following past participles. Read each of the the past participles aloud. For example:
... pained
1 pained
... painted
2 painted
1. ... waited
2. ... wailed
3. ... pinned
4. ... printed
5. ... acted
6. ... added
7. ... wanted
8. ... warned
9. ... raced
10. ... rated
11. ... joined
12. ... jumped
13. ... folded
14. ... frowned
15. ... passed
16. ... patted
17. ... raided
18. ... rained
19. ... stared
20. ... started
Answers
6. Referring to the table of irregular verbs if necessary, fill in the blanks with the Present Perfect tense of the irregular verbs shown in brackets. For example:
They ... tall. (to grow)
They have grown tall.
He ... it. (to choose)
He has chosen it.
1. We ... lunch. (to eat)
2. I ... the floor. (to sweep)
3. She ... in a choir. (to sing)
4. They ... to work. (to go)
5. You ... your way. (to lose)
6. He ... earlier than usual. (to rise)
7. We ... to everyone. (to speak)
8. I ... the kingfisher. (to see)
9. They ... each other a long time. (to know)
10. She ... here from France. (to fly)
11. He ... very helpful. (to be)
12. I ... the blue cloth. (to cut)
13. We ... two letters. (to write)
14. They ... the competition. (to win)
15. She ... no one. (to tell)
16. It ... a long time. (to take)
17. You ... to do it. (to forget)
18. I ... it. (to hear)
19. They ... town. (to leave)
20. He ... the problem. (to understand)
Answers
7. Following the model of the examples, rewrite the following affirmative statements as questions, negative statements, negative questions without contractions, negative questions with contractions, and affirmative statements followed by negative tag questions. For example:
I have read this book.
Have I read this book?
I have not read this book.
Have I not read this book?
Haven't I read this book?
I have read this book, haven't I?
He has found the answer.
Has he found the answer?
He has not found the answer.
Has he not found the answer?
Hasn't he found the answer?
He has found the answer, hasn't he?
1. They have eaten the cookies.
2. She has told the truth.
3. He has run fast.
4. We have watered the plants.
5. You have hurried.
Answers
8. Paying attention to the spelling of the present participles, fill in the blanks using the correct forms of the verbs shown in brackets. For example:
I ... all night. (to work)
I have been working all night.
She ... the trumpet. (to practise)
She has been practising the trumpet.
1. We ... for you. (to wait)
2. They ... a race. (to run)
3. He ... a book. (to read)
4. You ... a letter. (to write)
5. I ... the table. (to set)
6. It ... for hours. (to rain)
7. We ... here for three years. (to live)
8. She ... to us. (to speak)
9. You ... presents. (to buy)
10. They ... a trip. (to plan)
Answers
9. Following the model of the example, rewrite the following two affirmative statements as questions, negative statements, negative questions without contractions, negative questions with contractions, and affirmative statements followed by negative tag questions. For example:
They have been enjoying themselves.
Have they been enjoying themselves?
They have not been enjoying themselves.
Have they not been enjoying themselves?
Haven't they been enjoying themselves?
They have been enjoying themselves, haven't they?
1. It has been snowing.
2. You have been visiting your friends.
Answers
Answers to the exercises for Chapter 4
Answers to Exercise 1:
1. have ordered 2. has started 3. have answered 4. have cooked 5. have heated 6. has cleaned 7. has started 8. have knocked 9. have turned 10. has asked
Answers to Exercise 2:
1. I've agreed. 2. You've moved. 3. He's looked. 4. We've argued. 5. They've explained. 6. You've waited. 7. She's answered. 8. We've finished. 9. It's cooled. 10. I've ordered.
Answers to Exercise 3:
1. have envied 2. has played 3. have applied 4. have fried 5. have employed 6. has sprayed 7. have hurried 8. have displayed 9. has destroyed 10. have relied
Answers to Exercise 4:
1. has apologized 2. have stirred 3. has stopped 4. have explained 5. have planned 6. have wiped 7. have pinned 8. has joined 9. have spotted 10. has rained 11. have whipped 12. has arranged
Answers to Exercise 5:
1. 2 2. 1 3. 1 4. 2 5. 2 6. 2 7. 2 8. 1 9. 1 10. 2 11. 1 12. 1 13. 2 14. 1 15. 116. 2 17. 2 18. 1 19. 1 20. 2
Answers to Exercise 6:
1. have eaten 2. have swept 3. has sung 4. have gone 5. have lost 6. has risen 7. have spoken 8. have seen 9. have known 10. has flown 11. has been 12. have cut 13. have written 14. have won 15. has told 16. has taken 17. have forgotten 18. have heard 19. have left 20. has understood
Answers to Exercise 7:
1. Have they eaten the cookies? They have not eaten the cookies. Have they not eaten the cookies? Haven't they eaten the cookies? They have eaten the cookies, haven't they?
2. Has she told the truth? She has not told the truth. Has she not told the truth? Hasn't she told the truth? She has told the truth, hasn't she?
3. Has he run fast? He has not run fast. Has he not run fast? Hasn't he run fast? He has run fast, hasn't he?
4. Have we watered the plants? We have not watered the plants. Have we not watered the plants? Haven't we watered the plants? We have watered the plants, haven't we?
5. Have you hurried? You have not hurried. Have you not hurried? Haven't you hurried? You have hurried, haven't you?
Answers to Exercise 8:
1. have been waiting 2. have been running 3. has been reading 4. have been writing 5. have been setting 6. has been raining 7. have been living 8. has been speaking 9. have been buying 10. have been planning
Answers to Exercise 9:
1. Has it been snowing? It has not been snowing. Has it not been snowing? Hasn't it been snowing? It has been snowing, hasn't it?
2. Have you been visiting your friends? You have not been visiting your friends. Have you not been visiting your friends? Haven't you been visiting your friends? You have been visiting your friends, haven't you?