Grammar Practice in Context - David Bolton, Noel Goodey 1997

10 The present perfect or the simple past? They’ve left London or They left London?

Quick reference

• We use the present perfect to talk about the present results or effects of a past action or situation. The effect or the result of the action or situation isn’t finished at the time of speaking. What’s the matter? - I’ve hurt my leg. (His leg’s hurting now.)

• We use the past simple if the action or situation took place at a particular time in the past, which is now finished. We use the past simple (not the present perfect) after When ...?

When did you hurt your leg? -I hurt it yesterday during a basketball match.

1 This is a questionnaire to find out how healthy you are. Match the questions on the left with the answers on the right.

1 What serious illnesses have you had?

2 Have you ever smoked?

3 Have you ever taken illegal drugs?

4 How many times did you go to the doctor’s last year?

5 How many times have you been to the doctor’s this year?

6 When did you last go to the doctor’s?

7 How much alcohol have you had today?

8 How much alcohol did you drink yesterday?

9 How many times did you eat fried food last week?

10 How many hours’ exercise have you taken this week?

a) Once. I had some chips on Friday.

b) I drank two glasses of wine.

с) I went three weeks ago.

d) f haven’t had any today.

e) About two. I played squash yesterday.

f) I had glandular fever when I was eight.

g) Yes, but I’ve stopped now.

h) No, I’ve never taken drugs.

i) I went two or three times.

j) I’ve been twice.

1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8... 9... 10...

2 Adam is asking Anna about a party. Put the verbs in the present perfect or the simple past.

Adam: What (1 be) ... the party like last night?

Anna: It (2 be) ... good. Why (3 not come) ... you ...?

Adam: I (4 have) ... too much work to do last night. I (5 have) ... exams all this week, so I (6 be) ... very busy. (7 see) ... you ... Lucy there?

Anna: Yes, I (8) ... .

Adam: (9 talk) ... you ... to her?

Anna: Yes. She (10 seem) ... really happy. She (11 apply) ... for a new job.

Adam: That’s good. And (12 be) ... Nick with her?

Anna: No, they (13 break up) ... . They (14 not be) ... together now for a month.

Adam: Oh, 1 (15 not know) ... (16 find) ... Lucy ... anyone else?

Anna: No, she (17 tell) ... me last night that she (18 not want) ... another boyfriend at the moment.

Adam: Oh, well, 1 might phone her in that case.

3 Jo Thomas is a famous guitar player with the band ’Earthforce’. A journalist is asking him questions. Write her questions, using the present perfect or the simple past.

1 ...?

Jo: I started playing the guitar when I was nine.

2 ... ?

Jo: I left school when I was sixteen.

3 ...?

Jo: We gave our first concert in a pub in Plymouth.

4 ...?

Jo: We got our first recording contract five years ago with Polygram Records.

5 ...?

Jo: We’ve made twelve albums so far.

6 ...?

Jo: I chose it. I thought ’Earthforce’ was a good name for a rock band.

7 ...?

Jo: We’ve sold about eight million. We sold over a million records last month!

8 ...?

Jo: No, we haven’t been there yet. They don’t seem to like our music in the States.

4 it is 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Sally Brice is having a bad day. She is talking to her neighbour. Read the dialogue. Some of the lines are correct, and some have a mistake in them. If the line is correct, put a tick (/). If the line has a mistake, underline the mistake and write the correction in the brackets.

Sally: I can’t use the car because I’ve lost the keys.

Neighbour: When did you lose them?

Sally: I’ve lost them this morning, I think. And I can’t use my word processor because I’ve cut my finger.

Neighbour: When have you done that?

Sally: I’ve done it this morning on a piece of glass.

Oh, and the dog’s disappeared.

Neighbour: The dog’s disappeared!? When has that happened?

Sally: When I’ve let it out into the garden this morning.

And worst of all, the telephone has stopped working and nobody came to repair it.

Neighbour: Why has no-one come?

Sally: Because the Telecom engineers went on strike.

(1...) (6...) (11...)

(2...) (7...) (12...)

(3...) (8...) (13...)

(4...) (9...)

(5...) (10...)

5 Write ten sentences about your life, using the present perfect and the simple past. Say what you have done or have not done so far, and what you did or did not do at particular times in the past.

Examples:

I’ve walked in the Himalayas. I met the Pope in 1994.

Check your answers with a teacher.