Transcript TIME AND TENSE IN ENGLISH Prof.ssa B. Hughes

PRESENT – FUTURE - PAST
 THE PRESENT:
I) THE PRESENT SIMPLE:
 The auxiliaries ‘to be’ and ‘to have’
THE AUXILIARY ‘TO BE’
POSITIVE
NEGATIVE
INTERROGATIVE
I am
I am not (I’m not)
Am I?
You are
You are not (you’re
not)
Are you?
He is/She is/It is
He/She/It is not
(He/She/It isn’t)
Is he/she/it?
We are
We are not (We
aren’t or We’re
not)
You are
They are
Are we?
You are not (You
aren’t or You’re
not)
Are you?
They are not (They
aren’t or They’re
not)
Are they?
THE AUXILIARY ‘TO HAVE’
POSITIVE
NEGATIVE
INTERROGATIVE
I have
I have not (I
haven’t)
Have I? or Do I
have?
You have
You have not (You
haven’t)
Have you? or Do
you have?
He/She/It has
He/She/It has not
(He/She/It hasn’t)
Has he/she/it? or
Does he/she/it
have?)
We have
We have not (We
haven’t)
Have we? or Do we
have)
You have
You have not (You
haven’t)
Have you? or Do
you have?
They have
They have not
(They haven’t)
Have they? or Do
they have?
Please note that the auxiliary ‘to have’ is followed by ‘got’ when it indicates
possession, but when forming the interrogative and negative you can always use the
‘do’ form as an alternative.
 - He has got a new car
 - He hasn’t got a Ferrari / He doesn’t have a Ferrari
 - Has he got a Ferrari? /Does he have a Ferrari?
 In speaking, or writing, you can also alternate the two forms:
 . He hasn’t got a Ferrari and he doesn’t have a Bugatti, but he has got a Fiat 500!
 THE PRESENT SIMPLE OF NON-AUXILIARY VERBS:
THE VERB ‘TO PLAY’
POSITIVE
NEGATIVE
INTERROGATIVE
I play
I don’t play
Do I play?
You play
You don’t play
Do you play?
He/She/It plays
He/She/It doesn’t
play
Does he/she/it
play?
We play
We don’t play
Do we play?
You play
You don’t play
Do you play?
They play
They don’t play
Do they play?
Spelling difficulties:
- Verbs which end in a consonant + ‘y’ (to try, to cry, to carry…), eliminate the ‘y’ in the
third person singular and substitute it with ‘ies’ (he tries, he cries, he carries).
-Verbs which end in sh/ch/ss/x (to wash, to watch, to kiss, to mix…), you add ‘es’ in the
third person singular (he washes, he watches, he kisses, he mixes), notice that the
pronunciation of the final ‘es’ in this case is /IZ/.
-Verbs which end in ‘o’ (to do, to go), you add ‘es’ in the third person singular (he does,
he goes)
WHEN DO WE USE THE PRESENT SIMPLE?
 We use the present simple to talk about facts and situations that are generally
true:
- She lives in Naples
- Water boils at 100°
This ‘general truth’ can express:
A) A repeated action:
- He studies every day
- He goes to the cinema on Saturday
B) A permanent situation:
- He is a university student
- He works in an office in Benevento
THE PRESENT SIMPLE WITH ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY:
 We often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency (always, often,
sometimes, usually, never…)
- I often study in the afternoon
- He doesn’t usually study in the morning
- He never studies, he isn’t a good student.
Notice the position of the adverb:
- (positive) He always goes to the cinema on Friday
- (negative) He doesn’t often play tennis
- (interrogative) Does he usually study in the morning?
II) The present continuous:
 Form:
To form the present continuous we use the present of the auxiliary ‘to be’ + the
‘ing’ form of the verb:
PRESENT CONTINUOUS OF THE VERB ‘TO PLAY’
POSITIVE
NEGATIVE
INTERROGATIVE
I am playing
I am not playing
(I’m not playing)
Am I playing?
You are playing
You are not playing
(You’re not playing)
Are you playing?
He/She/It is playing
He/She/it is not playing
(isn’t playing)
Is he/she/it playing?
We are playing
We are not playing
(we’re not playing)
Are we playing?
You are playing
You are not playing
(you’re not playing)
Are you playing?
They are playing
They are not playing
(They’re not playing)
Are they playing?
SPELLING DIFFICULTIES:
1) In the present continuous, monosyllabic verbs which end in a vowel(a,e,i,o,u)
followed by a consonant (for example: to sit, to run, to stop, to chat…), double
the consonant before the final ‘ing’.
- Enzo is sitting in front of the tv.
- Ornella is chatting to her friends on facebook.
Please note, when pronouncing these verbs you do not emphasize the double
consonant.
2)Verbs which end in ‘e’ (to live, to take, to give…) lose the ‘e’ before the final
‘ing’.
- I am living with my parents at the moment.
- I am taking extra lessons to improve my English.
3) Verbs which end in double ‘ee’ (to see, to agree…) maintain the two ‘es’ before
the final ‘ing’.
- I am seeing a new group of friends at the moment.
VERBS WHICH DO NOT TAKE THE CONTINUOUS FORM:
A number of verbs, known as ‘stative verbs’, do not usually take the continuous
form, they can be subdivided into the following five categories:
- Verbs of emotion (to love, to like, to hate, to detest, to adore…)
- The auxiliaries ‘to be’ and ‘to have’
- Verbs of the senses (to hear, to taste, to feel, to smell, to see*)
- Verbs which indicate possession (to own, to possess…)
- Verbs of ‘mental activity’ (to think, to understand, to believe, to remember….)
 Please note that some of the verbs mentioned above can be used in the
continuous tense, but only with a specific meaning:
For example we can say:
- I am seeing a new group of friends at the moment (in this case we mean
‘meeting’ or ‘frequenting’)
But we can’t say:
- I am seeing that black cat over there ( *in this case we are using ‘to see’ as a verb
of the senses)
We can say:
- I am thinking of you (you are in my thoughts)
but we can’t say:
- I am thinking you are right (in this case we are expressing an opinion, and we
must say ‘I think you are right).
WHEN DO WE USE THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS?
 We use the present continuous to talk about:
1) Actions that are happening at or around the time of speaking:
-
Luigi is talking to Maria
Francesca is studying English this year
I am reading an excellent book at the moment
2) Temporary situations:
- Ornella is living in Benevento this year because she is attending university.
Compare this with:
- Ornella lives in Benevento (in this case we have a permanent situation)
3) Changing situations:
- Naples is becoming more dangerous
- Pasquale is getting fat, he needs to go on a diet!
THE FUTURE
The future is a complex area of study in English. Some future forms are merely
‘adaptations’ of already-existing present forms, other forms are used exclusively
with a future meaning.
I)
PRESENT TENSES EMPLOYED FOR TALKING ABOUT THE FUTURE:
A) THE PRESENT SIMPLE:
The present simple is used for future events which are in some way part of a
‘timetable’, it is very often used when talking about means of transport:
-
The Benetton store opens at 10.00 am and closes at seven pm.
His new job in Benevento starts on Monday.
The train for Rome leaves at 4.00 pm every Tuesday.
B) THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS:
The present continuous as a future form is used to talk about planned or arranged
future events, the plan or arrangement is pre-meditated and previously
organized.
- I phoned Luigi last night, we are having lunch together tomorrow (Luigi and I
have agreed to have lunch together tomorrow)
- I’m seeing Ornella tonight, we’re going to the cinema (Ornella and I have
agreed to go to the cinema together tonight)
- I’m spending the summer in Paris, I really want to improve my French (in this
case I have already planned and organized my trip to Paris)
II) ‘GOING TO’ TO EXPRESS FUTURE INTENTIONS, DECISIONS AND
PREDICTIONS:
FORM:
Auxiliary ‘to be’ + ‘going’ + full infinitive (= infinitive with ‘to’)
- I am going to buy a new pair of shoes.
USE:
A) We use ‘to be going to’ when we wish to talk about future intentions, things we
have already decided about.
-
I’m going to buy a Ferrari.
I’m going to be a policeman when I grow up.
There’s a good film on at the cinema, are you going to see it?
Very often the ‘going to’ form and the present continuous used as a future form
are interchangeable, there is very little difference between the two.
Compare for example these two very similar statements:
- I’m spending my summer in Paris (I have planned and organized my trip)
- I’m going to spend my summer in Paris (this is what I have decided to do, I
may also already have organized my trip)
In some cases, however, there is, or can be, a subtle difference between the two:
- I’m meeting Paolo in the pub (Paolo and I have made an arrangement and
organized our meeting)
- I’m going to meet Paolo in the pub. (I’m going to the pub, I know Paolo will
be there, but we don’t necessarily have a previous arrangement)
B) We use ‘to be going to’ when we express future predictions based on factual
evidence:
- It’s raining outside! You are going to get wet (in this case the fact that it is
raining outside constitutes factual evidence)
- He hasn’t attended his university courses, he isn’t going to pass his exam (the
fact that he has not attended any courses allows us to express the certain
prediction that he will fail his exam)
- She is six months pregnant (incinta), she’s going to have a baby (the fact that
the woman is visibly pregnant constitutes factual evidence)
- The company he works for is going bankrupt, he is going to lose his job (the
fact that the company is closing down constitutes factual evidence)
III) THE FUTURE WITH ‘WILL’:
FORM:
POSITIVE: Subject + ‘will’ (invariable) + bare infinitive (infinitive without ‘to’)
NEGATIVE: Subject + ‘will’ + not + bare infinitive (infinitive without ‘to’)
INTERROGATIVE: ‘Will’ + subject + bare infinitive (infinitive without ‘to’)
- I will go on holiday - (contracted form): I’ll go on holiday.
- I will not go on holiday – (contracted form): I won’t go on holiday.
- Will you go on holiday ?
USE:
The future with ‘will’ is used to talk about:
A) An ‘uncertain future’, a future action or event not based on a decision that has
already been taken. In this case ‘will’ is often accompanied by verbs such as ‘think’,
‘believe’, or adverbs such as ‘probably’.
-
I think I’ll go to the cinema tonight.
I’ll probably buy a Ferrari, I love fast cars.
B) ‘Will’ used for predictions not based on factual evidence:
- I don’t believe he’ll pass his exam, he hasn’t studied very much (it’s only my
opinion, not based on any form of factual evidence)
- I think the shops will be very busy tomorrow (there is no tangible evidence to
support my statement)
Compare these two examples to:
- He’s not going to pass his exam, he’s never opened a book (we are using the
‘going to’ form because we are basing our statement on factual evidence)
- The sales start tomorrow, the shops are going to be very busy (again we are using
the ‘going to’ form to express a prediction based on factual evidence)
C) ‘Will’ used to express decisions taken at the moment of speaking, also known
as ‘spontaneous will’.
This particular use of ‘will’ is often associated with offers, promises or responses
to offers:
- You look tired, don’t worry I’ll make you a cup of tea.
- I’m busy at the moment but I promise I’ll study with you later.
- Those bags are so heavy! I’ll help you carry them.
- Would you like a cup of coffee?
- No, I’ll have tea please.
IV) THE FUTURE CONTINUOUS:
FORM:
(positive): Subject +‘will’ (invariable) + be (invariable) + ‘ing’ form of the verb
(negative): Subject + ‘will’ (invariable) + not + be + ‘ing’ form of the verb
(interrogative): ‘Will’ + subject + be + ‘ing’ form of the verb
- I will be studying all day tomorrow (contracted form): I’ll be studying…
- I will not be studying all day tomorrow (contracted form): I won’t be studying…
- Will you be studying all day tomorrow?
WHEN DO WE USE THE FUTURE CONTINUOUS?
A) To talk about an activity which will be in progress, or ‘happening’, at a
particular time in the future:
-
At this time next week I will be studying for my English exam.
-
Don’t phone me tomorrow evening, I’ll be watching my favourite soap-opera.
B) To talk about something we know is happening now in some other place:
-
My boyfriend will be studying, I don’t want to disturb him now.
- My parents will be sleeping, they go to bed very early
V) THE FUTURE PERFECT:
FORM:
(positive): Subject + will (invariable) + have (invariable) + past participle
(negative): Subject + will (invariable) + not + have (invariable) + past participle
(interrogative): Will (invariable) + subject + have (invariable) + past participle
- He will have finished his exams in June (contracted form): He’ll have finished…
- He will not have finished his exams in June (contracted form): He won’t have…
- Will he have finished his exams in June?
USE:
A) We use the future perfect to talk about an event that will be completed before
a particular time in the future, a past, concluded, action from a future point of
view:
-
Enzo will have finished his English course next week
-
Naples will have won the football championship by the end of the season
-
Maria is on a diet, she will have lost 10 kilos by next June.
B) We use the future perfect to talk about something that you know has already
happened somewhere else:
-It’s two o’clock, the plane from Rome will have landed (I know the plane from
Rome always lands at half past one)
- It’s eleven 0’clock, Maria will have gone to bed (I know that Maria always goes
to bed at half past ten)
C)The future perfect with ‘in’ and ‘by’
1) We use ‘by’ + fixed moments of time with the future perfect:
-
By next week, I will have finished my English course
-
I will have graduated from university by next June.
2) We use ‘in’ + a period of time + the word ‘time’ with the future perfect:
-
In 0ne week’s time, I will have finished this book
-
I will have graduated from university in two years’ time
THE PAST
I) THE PAST SIMPLE
THE PAST SIMPLE OF THE AUXILIARY ‘TO BE’
POSITIVE
NEGATIVE
INTERROGATIVE
I was
I was not (I wasn’t)
Was I?
You were
You were not
(You weren’t)
Were you?
He/she/it was not
(He/she/it wasn’t)
Was he/she/it?
We were not
(We weren’t)
Were we?
You were not
(You weren’t)
Were you?
They were not
(They weren’t)
Were they?
He/she/it was
We were
You were
They were
PAST SIMPLE OF THE AUXILIARY ‘TO HAVE’
POSITIVE
NEGATIVE
INTERROGATIVE
I had
I did not have
(I didn’t have)
Did I have?
You had
You did not have
(You didn’t have)
Did you have?
He/she/it had
He/she/it did not
have
(He/she/it didn’t
have)
Did he/she/it
have?
We had
We did not have
(We didn’t have)
Did we have?
You had
You did not have
(You didn’t have)
Did you have?
They had
They did not have
(They didn’t have)
Did they have?
 Please note that it is IMPOSSIBLE to say, when using the auxiliary ‘to have’ in
the simple past:
- When ‘have’ is used as a stative verb, to indicate possession:
a) NEGATIVE: He hadn’t (got) a cat when he was a child (this is completely
wrong!)
b) INTERROGATIVE: Had he (got) a cat when he was a child? (this is completely
wrong!)
-
When ‘have’ is used as a dynamic verb:
a) NEGATIVE: He hadn’t a shower yesterday (this is again completely wrong!)
b) INTERROGATIVE: Had he a shower yesterday? (this is completely wrong!)
 When using the auxiliary ‘to have’ in the simple past, you must NECESSARILY
say:
When ‘have’ is a stative verb and indicates possession:
- NEGATIVE: He didn’t have a cat when he was a child (this is now correct)
- INTERROGATIVE: Did he have a cat when he was a child? (this is now correct)
When ‘have’ is a dynamic verb:
- NEGATIVE: He didn’t have a shower yesterday (this is now correct)
- INTERROGATIVE: Did he have a shower yesterday? (this is now correct)
 THE PAST SIMPLE OF REGULAR VERBS:
THE PAST SIMPLE OF THE VERB ‘TO PLAY’
POSITIVE
NEGATIVE
INTERROGATIVE
I played
I did not play
(I didn’t play)
Did I play?
You did not play
(You didn’t play)
Did you play?
You played
He/she/it played
We played
You played
They played
He/she/it did not
play
(He/she/it didn’t
play)
Did he/she/it
play?
We did not play
(We didn’t play)
Did we play?
You did not play
(You didn’t play)
Did you play?
They did not play
(They didn’t play)
Did they play?
 FORM:
- POSITIVE: You add ‘ed’ to the infinitive
He played tennis last Saturday.
- NEGATIVE: You use ‘did not’ (didn’t) + the bare infinitive of the verb (the bare
infinitive is the infinitive without ‘to’)
He didn’t play tennis last Saturday
- INTERROGATIVE: You use ‘did’ + subject + the bare infinitive of the verb
Did he play tennis last Saturday?
 SPELLING DIFFICULTIES:
 Verbs which end in ‘e’ (to live, to like, to dance…), you only add ‘d’ (He lived, we
liked, they danced)
 Verbs which end in a consonant + ‘y’ (to study, to carry, to try…), you eliminate
the ‘y’ and substitute it with ‘ied’ (I studied, we carried, they tried)
 Monosyllabic verbs which end in a vowel (a,e,i,o,u) followed by a final
consonant (to stop, to chat, to plan…), you double the final consonant and add
‘ed’ (We stopped, I chatted, they planned)
 PRONUNCIATION OF THE FINAL ‘ED’:
The final ‘ed’ used to form the past of regular verbs has three possible
pronunciations:
- 1) After ‘d’ or ‘t’ the final ‘ed’ is pronounced /id/ :
He wanted to buy a new car
He needed to study for his exam
- 2) After unvoiced consonants (in Italian these are called ‘sorde’), such as /k/,
/p/ or /s/, the final ‘ed’ is pronounced /t/:
He talked to his friends on the phone
He hoped to pass his exam
He missed his bus
- 3) After voiced consonants (in Italian these are called ‘sonore’), such as /n/, /v/
or /b/, the final ‘ed’ is pronounced /d/:
He turned the page of his book
He loved his dog more than his girlfriend
She combed her long, blonde hair
Please note that the final ‘ed’ found at the end of regular verbs is NEVER
pronounced /ed/!
You do not say ‘work-ed’ or ‘liv-ed’, you say ‘workt’ and ‘livd’.
 IRREGULAR VERBS:
Many verbs are irregular in form, in this case you need to learn each individual
paradigm:
For example: to run – ran – run or to buy – bought – bought.
The second form you find in the paradigm (ran, bought) is that of the past
simple.
POSITIVE: He ran very fast
NEGATIVE: He didn’t run very fast (did not + bare infinitive)
INTERROGATIVE: Did he run very fast? (did + subject + bare infinitive)
 WHEN DO WE USE THE PAST SIMPLE?
1) We use the past simple to talk about single past actions or events:
- Yesterday, I sat in the classroom and listened to my teacher
2) To talk about repeated past events or actions:
-
Every day last year I sat in the classroom and listened to my teacher
3) To talk about states (situations or feelings) which have lasted in time:
-
I lived in Benevento for 10 years
I loved my dog Bobby all his life
4) The past simple is usually used with adverbial expressions which indicate
finished time. This ‘finished time’ can be in the remote past or very recent:
- I studied for my exam yesterday
- Columbus discovered America in 1492
- I spoke to Maria on the phone a few minutes ago.
5) Occasionally, the ‘expression of finished time’ is not explicitly mentioned in
conversation, but implicitly understood by the speakers:
A) So, was it good? Did you enjoy it?
B) Yes, it was great! There was loud music and lots of lovely food!
In this case, although there is no explicit time expression, the two speakers are
clearly talking about a party which speaker B has been to at some time in the
recent past.
 II) THE PAST CONTINUOUS:
 FORM:
Past form of the auxiliary ‘to be’ + ‘ing’ form of the verb
PAST CONTINUOUS OF ‘TO WORK’
POSITIVE
NEGATIVE
INTERROGATIVE
I was working
I was not working
(I wasn’t working)
Was I working?
You were working
You were not working
(You weren’t working)
Were you working?
He/she/it was working
He/she/it was not
working (He/she/it
wasn’t working)
Was he/she/it working?
We were working
We were not working
(we weren’t working)
Were we working?
You were working
You were not working
(You weren’t working)
Were you working?
They were working
They were not working
(They weren’t working
Were they working?
 Please remember that several general categories of verbs cannot be used in the
continuous form (the auxiliaries, verbs of emotion, verbs of possession, verbs
of the senses and verbs which indicate ‘mental activity’). We have previously
investigated these categories when looking at the present continuous form.
 Also remember the spelling ‘difficulties’ that certain categories of verbs present
in the continuous form. Again, if necessary, go back and look at the spelling
difficulties we investigated when looking at the present continuous form.
 WHEN DO WE USE THE PAST CONTINUOUS?
1) We use the past continuous to talk about actions or events which were going on
around a particular time in the past. In this case we are not specifically
interested in when these actions or events began or ended:
Notice the difference:
- Past continuous:
Last year I was working in Benevento
- Past simple:
I started working in Benevento in January and I stopped working there in June
2) We use the past continuous to talk about a ‘background action’ which is very
often interrupted by an action in the past simple:
- I was talking to Maria on the phone (background action – past continuous)
when the doorbell rang (interrupting action – past simple)
3) Occasionally, the past continuous and the past simple are used in a ‘parallel’
manner, to talk about events which are happening at the same time:
- While I was sleeping, my girlfriend prepared my dinner
- While Vincenzo was studying, Maria read her new magazine
- Ornella cooked the pasta while her children were watching television
4) The past continuous is very often used with ‘as’, ‘when’ or ‘while’:
- As I was walking down the street, I saw an old friend of mine
- I met my future wife when I was living in Berlin
- While you were reading these examples, your friends were having fun!
III) THE PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE:
FORM:
To form the present perfect simple, you use the present of the auxiliary ‘to have’ +
the past participle of the verb.
- To form the past participle of regular verbs (to live, to talk, to open…) you add
‘ed’ to the infinitive form (lived, talked, opened…). We encounter the same
spelling ‘difficulties’ that we encountered previously when forming the past
simple form of regular verbs. If you don’t remember these difficulties, go back
and look at the section on ‘spelling’ for the past simple of regular verbs.
- To form the past participle of irregular verbs (to be, to speak, to buy…) you need
to learn each individual paradigm: to be – was – been --- to speak – spoke –
spoken… The past participle is the third form which you find in each
paradigm.
PRESENT PERFECT OF THE VERB ‘TO LIVE’
POSITIVE
NEGATIVE
INTERROGATIVE
I have lived
I have not lived
(I haven’t lived)
Have I lived?
You have lived
You have not lived
(You haven’t lived)
Have you lived?
He/she/it has lived
He/she/it has not
lived
(He/she/it hasn’t
lived)
Has he/she/it lived?
We have lived
We have not lived
(We haven’t lived)
Have we lived?
You have lived
You have not lived
(You haven’t lived)
Have you lived?
They have lived
They have not lived
(They haven’t lived)
Have they lived?
 When do we use the present perfect simple?
We generally use the present perfect simple when we wish to establish a link
between the past and the present.
Compare the following examples:
- PAST SIMPLE:
I met Maria two years ago
I moved to Benevento in June
- PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE:
I have known Maria for two years
I have lived in Benevento since June
As is evident from the examples, when we use the past simple we are interested in
the ‘when’ of actions or events, the time at which they happened.
When we use the present perfect simple we are more interested in the ‘what’ - the
actions or events themselves - not the specific time at which they happened.
1) We use the present perfect simple to talk about something that began in the
past and is still continuing now. In this case we often use these time
expressions:
- ‘for’ (to indicate the duration of the action or event)
I have lived in Benevento for six months.
- ‘since’ (to indicate the moment at which the action began)
I have lived in Benevento since November
- ‘always’ (to indicate the permanent nature of the action or event)
I have always lived in Benevento
2) We use the present perfect simple to talk about something that has happened
in the past and is now part of our ‘life experience’. In this case we often use the
following time expressions:
-
‘before’ (to indicate ‘at some time’ in your past life)
I have looked after children before
-
‘ever’ (only in interrogative forms, to indicate ‘at any time in your life before
now’
Have you ever smoked?
Has she ever met your sister?
-
‘never’ (only in negative forms, to indicate something you have never done,
something that is not part of your life experience)
I have never lived in France
She has never met a VIP!
3) We use the present perfect simple to talk about something that has happened
in the past, but whose result is important now. This particular use is often
referred to as ‘the present perfect for giving or announcing news’. In this case
we often use the following time expressions:
- ‘recently’ (to indicate something that happened in the near past but whose
result is important now)
A) ‘I saw Maria three months ago, she was feeling a bit depressed
B) ‘ Oh, I have seen her recently, she’s fine now’
- ‘just’ (to indicate something that happened a short time before now)
I’ve just passed my English exam, I feel wonderful!
Vincenzo has just met a new girl, he’s probably going to marry her.
President Berlusconi has just come back from Afghanistan.
 ‘already’ (to indicate something that has happened before now – only used in
the positive and interrogative forms)
 I have already passed my English exam, I only have three more exams to do.
 Have you already bought my birthday present?
 They have already decided what to do this summer, they’re going to Greece.
 ‘yet’ (to indicate something that has not happened before now – only used in
the interrogative and negative forms. Notice the position of ‘yet’ at the end of
the sentence)
 I’m in a hurry! Have you finished your homework yet?
 I haven’t been to England yet… but I’m going there soon!
 I haven’t met my new colleagues yet, I hope they’re friendly!
4) SOME IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER WHEN USING THE PRESENT
PERFECT SIMPLE:
- 1) The present perfect with or without an expression of time:
When the present perfect is accompanied by a time expression, it means that the
action or event is still continuing (this is the case we examined at point 1
above)
- I have lived in Benevento for six years (I still live there)
When the present perfect is not accompanied by a time expression, it means that
the action or event happened some time before now but is no longer in course
(this is the case we examined at point 2 above)
- I have lived in Benevento
- 2) Has been and Has gone:
- Giovanni has been to university
- Lucia has been to France
We use ‘has been’ + an indication of place to say that a person has ‘visited’ a
certain place but has now come back, he is no longer there.
- Giovanni has gone to university
- Lucia has gone to France
We use ‘has gone’ + an indication of place to say that a person is now in that
place, he is no longer here.
- 3) Tense changes in conversations and when announcing news:
Conversations and news announcements often start in the present perfect (point
3 in the list of ‘uses’ above) and continue in the simple past. This is because we
are usually initially interested in the event itself, the ‘what’, and only at a later
point in the details, the ‘when’. Look at the following examples:
News announcer:
President Berlusconi has gone to Washington. He has decided to participate in
the United Nations peace conference. He left two days ago, spent the first day
with the Obama family and then met some prominent members of the Italian
community.
Conversation:
I’ve bought a really nice jacket, and I’ve spent all my salary! I went to that new
shop on the High Street yesterday, and I saw it in the window. It was really
expensive, but I needed a new jacket!
 IV) THE PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
- A) FORM:
- To form the present perfect continuous we use: the present of the auxiliary ‘to
have’ + been (invariable) + the ‘ing’ form of the verb.
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS OF THE VERB ‘TO PLAY’
POSITIVE
NEGATIVE
INTERROGATIVE
I have been playing
I have not been playing
(I haven’t been playing)
Have I been playing?
You have been playing
You have not been playing
(You haven’t been playing)
Have you been playing?
He/she/it has been playing
He/she/it has not been
playing (He/she/it hasn’t
been playing)
Has he/she/it been playing?
We have been playing
We have not been playing
(We haven’t been playing)
Have we been playing?
You have been playing
You have not been playing
(You haven’t been playing
Have you been playing?
They have been playing
They have not been playing
(They haven’t been playing)
Have they been playing?
- Please remember that some verbs never take the continuous form (look back at
the five categories of ‘non-continuous’ verbs we described when looking at the
present continuous)
- I have seen Giovanni, he’s standing at the bus stop (the use of the present
perfect simple here is absolutely correct)
- I have been seeing Giovanni, he’s standing at the bus stop (the use of the
present perfect continuous with ‘to see’ which is, in this case, a verb of the
‘senses’ is absolutely wrong!)
- Also remember that certain verbs, or categories of verbs, present ‘spelling
difficulties’ in the continuous form (again, look back at the categories
presented when looking at the present continuous)
- B) When do we use the present perfect continuous?
Very often the present perfect simple and the present perfect continuous can be
used interchangeably
The present perfect continuous is used to describe activities which have been
happening in a period ‘up to now’
-1) We use the present perfect continuous to say how long an activity or event has
been in progress, in this case we usually use ‘since’ or ‘for’
- I have been living in Benevento for five years
- She has been working for Alitalia since 1995
In this case the present perfect simple would also be possible:
- I have lived in Benevento for five years
- She has worked for Alitalia since 1995
In the previous examples, by using the present perfect continuous, we simply
emphasise or underline the duration of the action.
-2) There are, however, two specific cases in which the present perfect simple and
the present perfect continuous have different functions:
A) We cannot use the continuous form to talk about ‘how many times’ an
activity or event has taken place:
-
I have drunk six cups of coffee this morning (each cup of coffee constitutes a
single action which ‘begins’ and ‘ends’, we therefore lose the idea of continuity)
-
I have been drinking coffee all morning (in this case the present perfect
continuous underlines the idea of an uninterrupted activity, the action does
not ‘begin’ and ‘end’)
B) We use the present perfect continuous to talk about the activity itself but
we use the present perfect simple to talk about the result or the
completion of an activity:
Mario: “ Hey Luca, what have you been doing this afternoon?”
Luca: “I’ve been studying for my English exam” (this is what Luca has been
doing this afternoon, but the activity is not necessarily completed)
Mario: “Hey Luca, what have you been doing this afternoon?”
Luca: “I’ve studied for my English exam” (Luca has finished studying, the activity
is now complete)
V) THE PAST PERFECT
FORM:
Past of the auxiliary ‘to have’ + past participle of the verb
PAST PERFECT OF THE VERB ‘TO PLAY’
POSITIVE
NEGATIVE
INTERROGATIVE
I had played
I had not played
(I hadn’t played)
Had I played?
You had played
You had not played
(You hadn’t played)
Had you played?
He/she/it had played
He/she/it had not
played (He/she/it
hadn’t played)
Had he/she/it played?
We had played
We had not played (We
hadn’t played)
Had we played?
You had played
You had not played
(You hadn’t played)
Had you played?
They had played
They had not played
(They hadn’t played)
Had they played?
When do we use the past perfect?
The past perfect is intrinsically linked to the simple past.
We use the past perfect to talk or write about a time which precedes the past
simple.
This form of anterior past is more often found in written narratives than in
everyday conversation.
- Maria was very tired, she had gone to bed very late the night before
- It had rained, the ground was wet and the sky was grey
- They hadn’t studied and the exam was very difficult!
- Maria: “Luigi didn’t pass his exam!”
- Carlo: “I don’t think he had studied very much”
VI) THE PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
FORM:
Past of the auxiliary ‘to have’ + been (invariable) + ‘ing’ form of the verb
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS OF THE VERB ‘TO PLAY’
POSITIVE
NEGATIVE
INTERROGATIVE
I had been playing
I had not been playing
(I hadn’t been playing)
Had I been playing?
You had been playing
You had not been
playing (You hadn’t
been playing)
Had you been playing?
He/she/it had been
playing
He/she/it had not been
playing (He/she/it
hadn’t been playing)
Had he/she/it been
playing?
We had been playing
We had not been
playing (We hadn’t
been playing)
Had we been playing?
You had been playing
You had not been
playing (You hadn’t
been playing)
Had you been playing?
They had been playing
They had not been
playing (They hadn’t
been playing)
Had they been playing?
When do we use the past perfect continuous?
A) We use the past perfect continuous to talk about an action or event which
lasted for a period of time up to the past, in this case we often use ‘for’ and
‘since’.
Just like the present perfect simple and the present perfect continuous, the
past perfect simple and the past perfect continuous are often interchangeable,
but the past perfect continuous places more emphasis on the duration of the
action or event.
- Francesco had been living in Benevento for three years when he met his wife
- Sofia had been crying for so long that her eyes were all red
- They had been working for Alitalia since its inauguration but they still lost
their jobs
- Lucia and Massimo had been studying for six hours when they decided to
have a break
B) We use the past perfect continuous to talk about the activity itself but we
use the past perfect simple to talk about the result or the completion of an
activity:
- I had been cleaning my room and I was very tired (the past perfect continuous
describes the action, but I had not necessarily finished cleaning my room)
- I had cleaned my room and I was very tired (the past perfect simple describes
the result of the action – I had finished cleaning my room)
C) In the same manner as the present perfect continuous, we cannot use the past
continuous form to talk about ‘how many times’ an activity or event has taken
place:
- I had been writing letters all morning and I was very tired (continuous action)
- I had written five letters and I was very tired (here the past perfect continuous
cannot be used as each letter constitutes an action which ‘begins’ and ‘ends’)