Compare:  I lived in Rome. (but not anymore)  I’ve lived in Rome, Paris and New York. (and I know all these cities now)  I’ve been living in New York for ten years. (and I’m living there now)

Compare:  She ’s been married three times. (she is still alive)  She was married three times. (she is dead now)  It rained yesterday. (it’s sunny today)  It has been snowing. (we can see the snow)

the link between the past and the present PAST PRESENT FUTURE

PRESENT PERFECT OR PAST SIMPLE? PAST SIMPLEPRESENT PERFECT PAST ACTIONS The new mall opened last week. The car broke down yesterday. ACTIONS LINKED TO THE PRESENT The new mall has just opened. (it’s open now) The car has broken down. (it cannot drive) PAST STATES I had that car for two years. (I sold it.) I was there earlier. (I’m home now.) STATES THAT STILL EXIST I have had this car for two years. (I still do.) I’ve been there since the morning. (I still am.) REPEATED ACTIONS THAT ARE OVER John Wayne acted in more than 50 films. (His career is over now.) Shakespeare wrote hundreds of sonnets. (He’s dead now.) REPEATED ACTIONS THAT CAN HAPPEN AGAIN Jim Carrey has acted in more than 15 films. (He will continue making new films.) JK Rowling has written ten books so far. (She is still alive and still writes.)

PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE positivenegative I You We They have + past participlehave + not + past participle (haven’t + past participle) He She It has + past participlehas + not + past participle (hasn’t + past participle) questionsshort answers have + I / you / we / they + past participleYes, I have. No, we haven’t. has + he/ she / it + past participleYes, he has. No, she hasn’t.

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS positivenegative I You We They have been + verb-inghave + not + been + verb-ing (haven’t been + verb-ing) He She It has been + verb-inghas + not + been + verb-ing (hasn’t been + verb-ing) questionsshort answers have + I / you / we / they + been + verb-ingYes, I have. No, we haven’t. has + he/ she / it + been + verb-ingYes, he has. No, she hasn’t.

PRESENT PERFECT PASSIVE present perfect simple passive have / has been + past participle This book has been printed in France. They have been ordered a fine. All the work has been finished in time. present perfect continuous passive is also possible, but rarely found

Use: 1. UNFINISHED PAST – action began in the past and continues to the present (and possibly to the future as well) e.g. We’ve lived in this house for twenty years. Sorry I’m late. Have you been waiting long? I’ve been a teacher for five years. I’ve been working at the same school all that time.

 often there is little or no difference between the simple and the continuous  the continuous can sometimes suggest a more temporary situation  the simple can sound more permanent  certain verbs, by definition, suggest duration & are often found in the continuous (wait, rain, snow, learn, sit, lie, play, stay…)  state verbs generally don’t take the continuous form (if do, there’s a change in meaning)

2. PRESENT RESULT – action happened in the past, usually recent past, and its results are felt now e.g. You’ve changed. What have you done? I’ve lost some weight. I’ve been doing some exercise. She’s hot because she’s been running.

 certain verbs, by definition, suggest a short action & are more often found in the simple (start, find, lose, begin, stop, break, die, cut…)  in the continuous these verbs suggest a repeated activity ( I’ve been stopping smoking for years.)  the use of the simple suggests a completed action (I’ve painted the bedroom.)  the use of the continuous suggests a possibly incomplete action (Someone’s been drinking my tea.)  the continuous is used if there is no additional information

3. INDEFINITE PAST – action happened at an unspecified time in the past; the actual time isn’t important – focus in on the result / experience e.g. Have you ever taken any illegal drugs? She has never been abroad. Have you ever been flying in a plane when it hit an air pocket?

SUMMARY PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLEPRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS focus on the result of the action I’ve washed the car, so it’s cleaner now. focus on the duration I’ve been washing the car, so I’m all wet. when we say how much or how many She has written ten pages of her report. when we say how long She’s been writing her report all day. when we say how many actions I’ve tried to call him a dozen times. repeated actions I’ve been trying to call him all day. states up to the present I’ve always hated hospitals. not for states I’ve always been hating hospitals.

BE CAREFUL!  She’s been to Japan. (at some time in her life)  She’s gone to Japan. (and she‘s there now) by Irene, 2008