Grammar-Quizzes › Verb Phrases › Verb Groups › Present Perfect › Implied Meanings
Present Perfect: Implied Meanings
Interpret meaning with adverbs
Present Perfect Progressive vs. Present Perfect
| PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE |
|---|
Depending on the meaning of a verb, an action or state in the present perfect progressive (1) may be repetitive or continuous, (2) is likely ongoing, and (3) may continue the future. |
| DURATION — NOT COMPLETED |
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I have been flying Boeing 777s for eight years. The adverb specifies the quantity of time. |
I have been flying a Boeing 777 since 1995. |
| REPETITION — NOT COMPLETED |
I have usually been flying northern routes over the poles. The adverb sets the frequency for the ongoing activity. |
II have been flying overseas trips every Tuesday and Wednesday. |
| SHORT DURATION — NOT COMPLETED |
I have been flying as a reserve pilot this year. The adverb sets the duration time, the boundaries. |
I have been test-flying a Boeing 787. The context indicates a short term activity. |
| BACKGROUND |
I have raised three children while he has been flying planes around the world. The context contrasts a long term activity in the background with a completed focus activity in the foreground "has raised three children". |
| PRESENT PERFECT |
|---|
Depending on the meaning of a verb, an action or state in the present perfect progressive (1) may be repetitive or continuous, (2) may be ongoing, and (3) may continue the future or not. |
| DURATION — POSSIBLY COMPLETED |
|
I have worked as a pilot for twenty years. The adverb specifies the quantity of time. |
I have been a pilot since 1998. The adverb specifies the start time. |
| NO DURATION — COMPLETED |
We have already filed our flight plan for today. The adverb specifies completion. |
We have just requested permission to land. a moment ago, recently |
| LONG DURATION — NOT COMPLETED |
The FAA has regulated flight inspection in the US. no adverb The adverb specifies duration—past to present. |
Boeing has built aircraft for defense and commercial operations. no adverb |
| DURATION UNKNOWN — COMPLETED |
I have flown planes before. (indefinite past) The adverb specifies experience in the past, but the location of time in the past is unknown. |
A process is an activity occurring having duration. When no adverb is used, we understand the timing of the activity as occurring in the indefinite past.
An accomplishment is an activity directed toward an end. The situation has a terminal point beyond which it cannot continue.
Aspect — how an action, event or state, denoted by a verb, relates to the flow of time—a single point of time, a continuous range of time, a sequence of discrete points in time.
See and Verb Meaning & Timing, Verbs of Short and Long Duration, and Duration vs Completion (process v. accomplishment).
Present Perfect Adverbs (time expressions)
Specify the timing of an action or activity
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Adverbs for Present Perfect Tense
| DEFINITE TIMING "HAPPENING BEFORE AND UP TO NOW" | |
|---|---|
Adverbial expressions with definite timing are used when actions have starting times and ending times relative to the current moment (now). Compare (1) I have just walked to class this morning. The period ended when I arrived at class. (done, perfective) to (2) I have been walking to class this morning. The period will end when I arrive at class. (may be ongoing, imperfective) |
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| BOTH PROG. NONPROGRESSIVE | BOTH PROG. & NONPROGRESSIVE |
He has just visited Pisa. He has just been visiting Pisa. |
He has visited Pisa today. He has been visiting Pisa today. |
| A TIME PERIOD RELATIVE TO NOW | A STARTING TIME UP TO NOW |
just (just, recently, [neg.] lately) I have just walked a mile. I have just been walking a mile. |
today¹ / tonight (a time starting from within this time to current time)
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so far (to date, up to now) I have read 40 pages so far. *I have been reading 40 pages so far. |
this month¹ (a time starting from within this time to current tim:morning, evening, week, semester, this spring, year, decade, century) |
already (earlier than expected) I have walked 10 minutes already. I have been walking 10 minutes already. |
since / ever since(from this time to current time: 6:00 AM, noon, midnight, this morning, May 2012; ever since I met you) |
yet (later than expected) I haven't walked 10 minutes yet. *I haven't been walking 10 minutes yet. |
from last Monday until now(1 PM until now) |
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| INDEFINITE TIMING "HAPPENING SOMETIME" | |
|---|---|
Adverbial expressions with indefinite timing are used when activities or states happen "sometime", not related to the current moment (now). The precise time is not important. The focus is on the activity or state. These adverbs express duration (a period of time) or repetition (the interval of occurrence). They are mostly imperfective (may extend in the future). |
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| MOSTLY PROGRESSIVE | BOTH PROG. & NONPROGRESSIVE |
He has visited Pisa recently. He has been visiting temporarily. |
He has often given tours. ~He has often been giving tours. |
| DURATION— PERIOD | REPETITION — INTERVAL |
temporarily(continuously, briefly, momentarily) [imperfective, ongoing] ⇒ Mostly progressive. |
repeatedly(constantly, continuously, again and again, perpetually, eternally) ⇒ Switch to "keep" with progressive.³ |
for a moment (ten minutes, a week, a month, for a while², a little while, a day, forever) ⇒ Often present perfect. |
always (routinely, customarily, usually, in general, normally, often, sometimes, hardly ever, never) |
during the week (month, year, etc.) ⇒ Mostly nonprogressive. |
ever (requesting any experience: before) |
from Monday to Tuesday(1 PM to 2 PM, morning to night) all my life |
at night (noon, midnight, sunset) in spring (winter, summer, June, July) |
while it is warm(a relative period of time: when, if, whenever, before, after) before sunrise (after) |
on Mondays (Tuesday, Sundays, etc.) most days (nights, weekends, etc.) |
over the past year (weeks, decades, centuries) throughout the year (weeks, decades, centuries) |
every / each / every other (hour, day, night, week, month, year, May, spring) |
¹ time expressions such as like today or this month include time that is past, present and future. With the present tense, we understand the time to be present, current, now.
² for a while (PP) – can be understood in two ways: (1) having some amount of duration, or (2) being very temporary
³ keep + verb+ing – Repetition can be expressed by using the "keep" (I keep walking. He kept smiling.) The progressive with "repeatedly" (*I am walking to class repeatedly. )sounds awkward.
Also see Ever v. Never, Already v. Yet., Adverbs of Frequency, For v Since.
"Leaning Tower of Pisa–Exterior." By Jordiferrer. Wikimedia, 7 Aug. 2016. Licensed under CC BY-SA4.0 International.
Practice 1
A Street Entertainer – "The World Famous Bushman"
Read Context
David Johnson, known as the World Famous Bushman, is a street performer who has been entertaining passers-by (tourists) along Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco since 1980. He began the bush man act in order to be original (and to collect money.) So what is the World Famous Bushman act? David Johnson hides behind some eucalyptus branches and waits for people to walk by. As they pass, he jumps out and surprises them by yelling "Ugga-bugga!" Some of the people he surprises laugh, while others have gotten angry and have called the police.
Crowds have been gathering across the street from where he usually sits to see Johnson entertain people. In a "good year", Johnson claims he has earned as much as $60,000.
He has been employing a bodyguard to protect him against attacks by people who are unhappy with him and to let Johnson know if elderly people are coming so he can avoid scaring them.
The police have recently received a number of complaints about the Bushman, and Fisherman's Wharf merchants have been trying to shut him down. In 2004, he was charged with four misdemeanors by the police, but a jury cleared him. The city District Attorney has given up pursuing him: "the community has spoken".
If you haven't seen him yet, go to San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf and beware of that clump of leaves that looks like a bush.
clump (N) – a small, close group or cluster, especially of trees or other plants
eucalyptus (N) – a tall tree that produces an oil with a strong smell, used in medicines
jury (N) – a group of 12 ordinary people who listen to the details of a case in court and decide whether someone is guilty or not
misdemeanors (N) – small crimes, unacceptable behavior
wharf (N) – a structure built on the shore of or projecting into a harbor, stream, etc., so that vessels may be moored alongside to load or unload or to lie at rest; quay; pier.
More images on YouTube and Wikipedia– The World Famous Bushman
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