Search results for 'tag:Present perfect tag:Simple present' matching tags 'Present perfect' and 'Simple present'

Re: How to remember tenses?

Goodman — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:25:45 GMT

Huygen,

By reading your post, something tells me that your English level should be beyond the question you just asked, and able to categorize the tenses already.

There are 3 basic tenses: Simple past â present â future

There are past progressive- present progressive- future progressive.

Then there past perfect- present perfect âfuture perfect which is not commonly used.

I am curious, may be I am missing something. Why do you have to memorize the tenses?

We should be able use it according to the sense of time.

You are walking â you are doing something at this minute. So itâs present progressive

I walk 2 miles everyday after work. Simple present, used to reflect a routine.

They were watching TV when you called last night.- Simple past progressive.

The perfect tenses are more complex and you may have to do some reading and studying on your own.

Here is something which may be helpful: http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/presentperfect.html

Re: Present Perfect (americans)

Diamondrg — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 07:40:10 GMT

Hi, YSchneider. I am not a native speaker and this is indeed a tough grammar point for non-native speakers.

Here is an extract from CGEL*:

Did you lock the front door? [5]

in a domestic situation where it is known that the front door is locked at bedtime every night. In that case, [5] is more or less equivalent to Did you
lock the front door at bedtime? (Incidentally, in [5], "the" in "the front door" is another case of situational definiteness; cfS.Uff.)

--

The ATTITUDINAL PAST, used with verbs expressing volition or mental state, reflects the tentative attitude of the speaker, rather than past time.
In the following pairs, both the present and past tenses refer to a present state of mind, but the latter is somewhat more polite:

Do/Did you want to see me now?
I wonder/wondered if you could help us.

--

Where did you put my purse ? [ 1 ]
Where have you put my purse? [2]

The purpose of both of these questions may be to find the purse; but in [1] the speaker seems to ask the addressee to remember a past action; while in [2] the speaker apparently concentrates on the purse's present whereabouts. There are many such cases.

--

Leaving aside such virtual equivalences, we may now focus on the difference between the two constructions, contrasting the meanings of the simple past given in 4.14 with the following meanings of the simple present perfective:

(a) STATE LEADING UP TO THE PRESENT

That house has been empty for ages.
Have you known my sister for long?

(b) INDEFINITE EVENT(S) IN A PERIOD LEADING UP TO THE PRESENT

Have you (ever) been to Florence?
All our children have had measles.

(c) HABIT (ie recurrent event) IN A PERIOD LEADING UP TO THE PRESENT

Mr Terry has sung in this choir ever since he was a boy.
The province has suffered from disastrous floods throughout its history.

Of these meanings, (a) corresponds to the 'state past' use of the simple past, but differs from it in specifying that the state continues at least up to the present moment (cf: That house was empty for ages - but now it's been sold); (b) corresponds to the 'event past', but differs from it in that the past time in question is indefinite rather than definite (cf: Did you go to Florence (last summer) ?); (c) corresponds to the 'habitual past', but, as with (a), the period identified must continue up to the present.

Note In AmE there is a tendency to use the past tense in preference to the present perfective, especially for the indefinite past; eg: Did you ever go to Florence ? (c/4.13 Note lb], 4.22 Note [a ]).

--

Have you seen the Javanese Art Exhibition? [yet]
Did you see the Javanese Art Exhibition? [when it was here]

The first of these implies that the Exhibition is still open; the second that the Exhibition has finished. From this concern with a period still existing at the present time, it is only a short step to the second implication often associated with the present perfective, viz that the event is recent. The simple present perfective is often used to report a piece of news:

_., , > the news? The president has resigned.

Because of this connotation of recency, B's reply in the following exchange must be considered absurdly inappropriate:

A: Has the postman left any letters? B: Yes, he did six months ago.

Since postmen in general deliver letters daily, the implicit time zone in this case would be no longer than a day.

[Note] In AmE, the simple past is often preferred to the present perfective for the variants of the indefinite past discussed in this section. Compare [6 ], for example, with Did the children come home yet? <esp AmE). Other AmE examples are: I just came back; You told me already; and without an adverb: /*m tired -1 had a long day.

* A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language (Quirk et al.]

Re: Present Perfect (americans)

Yankee — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:04:32 GMT

As is the case with British English, whether an American uses the simple present or the present perfect often simply depends on how the speaker is viewing a past activity. That said, when either tense is possible according to the "usual rules", I think there is a noticeable tendency for Americans to choose the simple past tense more often than our British cousins would. There are also a few well-known examples of American usage that probably drive some (but hopefully not all) Brits crazy. For example: "Did you eat yet?" and "I already did that."

The problem with quite a few of your sentences is that there isn't enough context in the sentences themselves (they're very short) and/or not enough broader context with them to say for sure which tense might be more likely in AmE. In a few of your sentences, you haven't really given what I think would be typical wording, so there really isn't much point in trying to say which tense would be used. For example, I can't imagine a doctor asking a patient in his office whether or not the patient had broken his/her arm. And I doubt that the sentences "I've changed my address!" and "I changed my address!" would be used to tell someone I had moved to a new address, so I would need more context there before I could give further input.

It may well be the case (but I don't know this for a fact) that in some cases where a Brit would definitely use the present perfect because there is an effect on the present, we might choose instead to use the simple present tense. If I take your broken arm example, an American might choose to say "I broke my arm last week" (focus on the past event) or "My arm is broken (focus on the current state -- the bone is not yet healed).

Maybe someone else will have some input for you.

Re: I have known/know him for many years.

CalifJim — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:30:35 GMT

I have sometimes thought that I should go back. (Can I say "I sometimes think that I should go back."? Yes. If I can, will the meaning change? Yes.)

I have never believed their theories. (Can I say "I never believe their theories."? Yes. If I can, will the meaning change? Yes.)

I have often wondered why he didn't marry her. (Can I say "I often wonder why he didn't marry her."? Yes. If I can, will the meaning change? Yes.)

I have known her for many years. (Can I say "I know her for many years."? No. If I can, will the meaning change?)

I have known him since I was a child. (Can I say "I knew him since I was a child."? No. If I can, will the meaning change?)

In the first three, the first formulation (present perfect) distributes the action of the verb throughout a period of time extending from the past to the present. The second pattern (simple present) describes a current habit -- a tendency of thought, disbelief, or wonder which the speaker experiences "now".

Re: I've been "wanting" to visit Paris all my life.

Avangi — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:52:43 GMT

Hi Viceidol,

Thus far we have examples of three tenses: simple present, present progressive, and present perfect progressive. As Philip says, the present progressive seems awkward with "I am wanting." I don't know if it's considered incorrect.

The other two seem fine, correct, and natural. I want to go to Europe. (simple present) I've been wanting to go to Europe. (present perfect progressive)

I expect I might use "I am wanting" (I'm wanting) in certain cases similar to "I'm thinking." I'm thinking I might run out of gas. I'm thinking I shouldn't be spending so much time on my homework.

When I switch from a standard (stick) shift to an automatic transmission, I'm wanting to push in the clutch when I come to a full stop. I'm wanting to ask her for a divorce, but I keep thinking about the children. Somehow, these seem natural to me.

I am wanting has the same feel as I keep wanting.

Best wishes, - A.

Edit. Hi Yankee, I got interrupted while I was writing this, and didn't see your post.

Re: Please help me with Tenses

Clive — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:10:58 GMT

Hi,

Simple Present: I study English

Present Continuous: I am studying English

Present Perfect: I have studied English

Present Perfect Continuous: I have been studying English

Simple Past: I studied English

Past Continuous I was studying English

Past Perfect: I had studied English

Past Perfect Continuous:I had been studying English

Future: I will study English

Future Continuous:I will be studying English

Future Perfect:I will have studied English

Future Perfect Continuous? I will have been studying English

or some more? You might want to look at 'future (and past) with going to'. There's also the Passive Voice.

Best wishes, Clive

Please help me with Tenses

Nessitas — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:52:46 GMT

Simple Present: I study English

Present Continuous: I am studying English

Present Perfect: I have studied English

Present Perfect Continuous: I have been studying English

Simple Past: I studied English

Past Perfect: ?

Past Prefect Continuous:?

Future: I will study English

Future Continuous: ?

Future Perfect:?

Have Past Continuous? Future Perfect Continuous? or some more?

Re: conditional

Marius Hancu — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:58:04 GMT

>To me, 'is likely' denotes present time

No, it looks into the future, as any forecast would, and this is one.

Simple present or even present perfect are used in constructions which refer to the future.

Tense and time are not the same.

Re: a Few grammar questions

CalifJim — Sat, 17 May 2008 00:12:40 GMT

Anonymous
Explain why the verb âTo Beâ is not a non-progressive verb?

It can be used in progressive tenses -- although this is not common. (The baby is being difficult this morning.)

Anonymous
I know the simple present never talks about the present ...

You have false knowledge. I wonder what makes you think this.

Anonymous
Why does the present tense not exist in English?

Again, you are mistaken. The present tense exists in English. Where are you getting all these crazy ideas?

Anonymous
What are perpendicular and parallel actions?

I've never heard of this distinction.

Anonymous
What is the difference between the Present Perfect and the Present Perfect Progressive?

Present Perfect is formed with the auxiliary have and the past participle of some verb: have seen, has done, have lived. Present Perfect Progressive is formed with the auxiliaries have and been and the present participle of some verb: have been seeing, has been doing, has been living.

a Few grammar questions

Anonymous — Fri, 16 May 2008 23:47:12 GMT

Hi everyone,

I have a few grammar questions and I don't know how to answer them:

Explain why the verb âTo Beâ is not a non-progressive verb?

I know the simple present never talks about the present but what can be an exception to this rule?

Why does the present tense not exist in English?

What are perpendicular and parallel actions?

and

What is the difference between the Present Perfect and the Present Perfect Progressive?

Thank you in advance if you take the time to help me :)