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Present Perfect: Sentence Practice

Determine tense use from contextual clues

 

 

Past and Present Perfect Adverbs

PAST ADVERBS

Completed – a time no longer included in a person's current time frame.  (e.g., We ate this morning, but we are hungry now.)
A  PAST CALENDAR TIME A  PAST TIME WITHIN A PERIOD

last night

today  (hours passed)

yesterday

this morning  (hours passed)

last week

this week (days passed)

last year

this year  (days passed)

last January

this century (years passed)
AN EXACT TIME A PAST HABIT

January 10, 1999

always   "used to"

August 1960

mostly

1992

sometimes

May 5th at 5:00 (past)

half of the time

on June 6, 1906

infrequently

in the 1900s

never
A PAST TIME RELATIVE TO NOW A PAST RELATIVE TIME

a second ago

at that time

a hour ago

then, back then

six weeks ago

in those times (past)

a year ago

when I was there

 

while I was visiting.

 

during the 1990s
   

 

 

 

 

 

 
PRESENT PERFECT ADVERBS

Completed – but still included in a person's current time frame. When a period of time is stated, the adverb refers to time already passed (e.g.,  We've eaten this morning. We're still full.)
UP TO NOW PAST TO NOW

up to / up to now

today  (hours ongoing)

so far

this morning  (hours ongoing)

before now

this week (days ongoing)

to date

this year  (days ongoing)

 

until now / up until now
FROM AN EXACT TIME FOR A QUANTITY OF TIME

since noon (exact time)

for two minutes (quantity time)

since this morning

for an hour

since July 2003

for three days

since yesterday

over the past 3 years

since the 1900s

in my life (current)

ever since I met you

in these times (current)  

CONTINUOUS / REPEATED RECENT IN SPEAKER'S MIND

always

recently

usually

lately

often

just

frequently

 

occasionally

 

never  

 
EXPERIENCE EARLIER OR LATER THAN EXPECTED

ever?

already (completed) 

before?

yet

(often no adverb) 

still

 

Also see  Adverbs for Time  (summary of tenses).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practice 1

A casual conversation

hall talk
 

 

Indicate the time frame with past or present perfect.

  1. Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence. 
  2. Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "Check 1-26" button at the bottom, or click the check button to the left  as you go.  The time word(s) are enclosed in straight brackets [adverb] and the aspect or meaning is enclosed in parentheses (ongoing).

 

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.
  (apartments – flats)

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practice 2

Past & Present Perfect Pairs

 

 

 

Indicate the time frame with past or present perfect.

  1. Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence. 
  2. Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "Check 1-26" button at the bottom, or click the check button to the left  as you go. 

 

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

37.

38.

39.

40.

41.

42.

43.

44.

45.

 

 

Remember that static verbs cannot take theprogressive verb form.