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Action Completed

Young man thinking about speeding ticket

Jack remembering June 16th.
Referring to Past Activities or Events

 

 

 

Use past tense when an activity or event:

 

Past vs. Present Perfect Time Frames
PAST PRESENT PERFECT

Used for an action that is completed, existed in the past, but does not exist now.  The speaker is mentally distanced from it.

Used for an action that is enduring or reoccurring, existed in the past and may continue or reoccur in the future, or has recently stopped. The speaker is still affected by it 

Jack received a speeding ticket on June 16th.

Jack has received several traffic citations over the past year. (recently, already)

Jack had two speeding tickets last year.

Jack has completed his traffic school courses. (recently, already)

Jack was more care after that.

Jack has been more careful about watching his speedometer. (continues)

 

speeding

 

 

 

Adverbs for Past Tense
ADVERBS FOR PAST TENSE ADVERBS FOR PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

Activities that occured in the past and have entered a past time frame in the  mind of the speaker.

Activities and events that began in the past and have continued up until the present (or recent past) and remain current in the mind of the speaker.
  • this morning...  (hours passed)
  • this week  (days have passed)
  • this year..
  • this decade.
  • last night
  • yesterday
  • last week
  • last year
  • January 10, 1999
  • in August 1960
  • 1992
  • May 5th, at 5:00 a.m. (if it has already passed)
  • twenty years ago
  • at that time (that indicates distance or time passed)
  • when I saw it   (saw indicates the past tense time frame)
  • while I was studying  (studying event was in a past time frame) 
  • up to / until now
  • so far
  • before now
  • to date
  • until this moment
  • since noon (exact time)
  • since this morning
  • since July 2003
  • since yesterday
  • since the 1900s
  • ever since I met you
  • *this morning (hours ongoing)
  • *this week (days ongoing)
  • *this year  (days ongoing)
  • *this decade  (years ongoing)
  • *this century (years ongoing)
  • for two minutes (quantity time)
  • for an hour
  • for three days
  • over the past 3 years
  • in my life (current)
  • in these times (current)

* used with present perfect progressive

 

 

 

Examples of "Distancing" vs. "Keeping Near"
PAST  - DISTANCING PRESENT PERFECT - KEEPING NEAR

Distant past – "It's so over! "

Near past –  "This is my now."

Jack smoked for ten years.  He quit last year.
(He doesn't smoke anymore.  He's a new man.)

Jack: "I have been nicotine free for a year."
(The present perspective includes a year-long period.)

Jack was married to Rita.  They divorced six months ago.
(The papers were signed - completed.)

Rita: "I have just gone through a divorce." 
(The divorce affects Rita months afterward.)

Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in August 2005.
(Done.  Cleaned up. People have gone on with their lives.)

Hurricane Katrina has devastated the New Orleans area.
(The disaster still affects people years afterward.)
 

 

 

Common Mistakes
ERRORS FIXES  

I attended college since September of last year.
I went there several times.

I have attended college since September of last year. (Match adverbs with tense.)
I have been there several times. (Use present perfect if talking about experience; use past tense if relating a series of events.)
 

 

 

 

 

 

GreecePractice

 

 

 

 

Select the correct tense.
  1. Choose the tense that agrees with the adverbs of time. 
  2.  An asterisk (*) indicates an incorrect answer. 
# READ & DECIDE YOUR RESPONSE
1.
2. took
3.
is taking
has been taking
4.
5.  
6.
7.
   

 

 

 

 

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