Page 2 | Verb Tenses | English Genie

Present Perfect

Subject + have/ has + past participle

Examples:	I have walked	They have run
	You have killed	He/ she/ it has waited*
	We have eaten	*Note: use ‘has’ when the subject is he, she, or it.

1. Use present perfect for talking about experiences or accomplishments from an unspecified time.

- I have visited several major cities in many countries.

- England has won the World Cup of Soccer, but I can’t remember when.

2. Talk about an experience or situation that started at a point in past and has continued until now by adding ‘for’ or ‘since.’

- Young people have become crazier since YouTube launched in 2005.

- Disco hasn’t been popular for many years.

3. You can add a number of times/ occurrences to present perfect sentences, but not a specific point in time.

right: She has been to the washroom three times in the last hour.

wrong: She has been to the washroom 5 minutes ago.*

Note: use simple past, NOT present perfect, if you want to say the time that something happened.

- She went to the washroom 5 minutes ago.

Subject + base verb

Examples:	I walk	They run
	You kill	He/ she/ it waits*
	We eat	*Note: add -s to the verb when the subject is he, she, or it. If the verb ends in -y, change the -y to an -i and add -es.

Use present simple when explaining how something is or usually is. More specifically, present simple is used for:

1. Facts

- Gravity prevents us from floating around.

2. General truths and stereotypes

- Doctors are treated with more respect than educators.

3. Common occurrences

- Students often ignore teachers after a big lunch.

4. Habits

- I pull my hair when marking tests.

5. Feelings and preferences

- I enjoy holidays. I don’t really like the stress of work. I prefer holidays to work stress.

6. Discussing or reviewing literature

- In Catch 22, Joseph Heller illustrates the illogical chasm that occasionally forms between reality and practicability.