
| PAST – SOURCE / INFORMATION | |
|---|---|
We use past tense to focus on who, what, where, why, how or the origin of something. |
|
Where did you get those jeans? |
I got them at the Gap. |
Where did you go? |
I went shopping. (seeking information) |
What did you buy? |
I bought some jeans. |
What are they made of? |
They are made of denim. |
| PRESENT PERFECT – DURATION / RECENCY | |
|---|---|
We use present perfect to focus on an aspect of time: the duration or the recency of the activity. (for the past few hours, recently, so far) |
|
What brands have you worn? |
I've worn Levi's and Gap. (so far) |
Where have you been? |
We have been shopping. (for the past few hours) |
What have you bought? |
I've just bought some new shoes. (recently) |
What have they been made of? (jeans) |
They have been made from cotton over the past one hundred years. |
recency (n.) – being recent
seek (v.) – asking for
| PAST |
|---|
Use the past tense for an emotional response, in which it is more urgent to tell what happened than how long or howmany times. |
Wow! Look at him. ! He just did a backflip. (amazement) |
Mom! Johnny hit me. (outrage) |
His car ran into the back of mine! (shock) |
| PRESENT PERFECT |
|---|
Use the present perfect tense when relating the importance of time: how long, how many times. (duration and repetition of activity) |
He has done a backflip. (indefinite past) |
Johnny has hit me. (indefinite past) |
*His car has run into the back of mine. |
outburst – a sudden release
| ERRORS | SOLUTIONS |
|---|---|
Where did you go on vacation? We have been to the beach this summer. incorrect
|
We went to the beach this summer. (focus is on activity) We have been to the beach recently. (focus is a recent time) We have been vacationing at the beach this summer. (forcus is time – ongoing) (If we are still at the beach, use present perfect progressive with "this summer". If we are talking about a recently completed trip, use past tense, or use present perfect with the adverb "recently".) |
Where did you get that? I have
bought it
at the bakery. |
I bought it at the bakery. (Emphasis on where. Use past tense for reporting source or origin.) |