Grammar-Quizzes › Verb Phrases › Verb Groups › Present Perfect
Present Perfect
Summary of Practices
Present Perfect Diagnostic: identify specific points that need review
This is a grammar diagnostic page with study links.
Quiz 1: beginning – intermediate
Quiz 2: intermediate – advanced
Up to Now: express duration from past to present
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
Duration vs. Completion (atelic v. telic)
Practice 1 - correct or incorrect
Practice 2 - complete the sentence (MC)
Practice 3- edit
The Tower of Pisa has been under restoration for ten years.
Duration/ Repetition: express continuous vs. recurring activity
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
Pres. Perf. Non vs. Progressive
Practice 1 – correct – incorrect
Practice 2 – complete the sentence (MC)
Practice 3 – edit
Engineers have been working to save the Tower of Pisa!
Permanent/Temporary: express long- or short-term activity
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
The Tower has stood in this location since 1350.
I have been standing in line to get into the Tower since 10:00 a.m.
Experience: express something happening in an unspecified past time
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
Practice 1 – complete the sentence (MC)
Practice 2 – complete the sentence (MC)
Have you ever visited Pisa?
I've never visited Pisa.
I haven't ever visited Pisa.
You haven't ever been to Pisa?
Yes, I haven't.
Completed / Ongoing: contrast present perfect completed vs. ongoing
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
Pres Perf Non- vs. Progressive
Practice 1 – complete the sentence
Practice 2 – correct / incorrect
Practice 3 – editing
Engineers have tried to keep the Tower of Pisa from falling.
They have been trying a new method.
Already v. Yet: indicate completed or delayed timing of an action
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
Already v. Yet – timing
Already v. Yet – positive v. negative (polarity)
Have yet to – before an infinitive
Positioning – initial v. medial v. final
Practice 1 – multiple choice
Practice 2 – correct / incorrect
Practice 3 – editing
The bus has already been here.
We have already waited for half an hour.
The bus hasn't come yet.
I haven't waited a long time yet.
I have yet to receive our order. (before infinitive)
We have yet begun to fight. (without a negative)
For / Since: express duration with a quantity of time vs. a specific time
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
Practice 1 – complete the sentence (MC)
Practice 2 – correct / incorrect
Practice 3 –complete the sentence (MC)
We have been coming to this beach for fifteen years.
We have been coming to this beach since July, 1995.
Progressives: express duration or repetition in mixed time frames
Intermediate – Advanced ELL
Present vs. Progressive (mixed tenses)
Verbs of Short and Long Duration
Situations (states, actions activities, processes)
We have been reading the news online every morning for many years. (indefinite timing)
Yesterday, the four of us were reading the same story on different websites. (definite timing)
As we were sharing details from our websites, we realized that the details differed. (backgrounding)
We fact-checked, discussed and determined how much truth the article presented. (series of events)
"Where did you read that?" he asked. (source, origin question)
Just / Recently: relate the past to the present time frame
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
Justin has recently graduated and is looking for work.
Future Perfect: a future time is the "window" for viewing the completion or progress of a second activity
Beginning–Advanced ESL, Native Speakers
By 9:00, we will have finished our meeting.
By 9:15, everyone will have left.
By the time: view relative progress or completion
Int.– Adv. ESL, Native Speaker
Practice 1 – multiple choice
Practice 2 – correct / incorrect
Practice 3 – read and edit
[adverbial clause, PP + clause]
By the time I leave work, the sun will be setting. (ongoing)
By the time I leave work, the sun will have set. (completed)
Implied Meanings: Interpret meaning with adverbs
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
I have worked as a pilot.
I have been flying to cities around the world.
Pres Perf State of Mind: relate past events to the current moment
Beg.–Adv. ESL
I spilled my drink on the carpet. I cleaned it up afterwards. (Done. Finished. I'm not thinking about it anymore.)
You have spilled your drink on the carpet. (Because the spill remains, it is on my mind.)
Sentence Practice: coordinate verb tense with adverbs
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
The weather has been cold since the end of November.
The weather was cold in November.
Paragraph Practice: determine tense use from contextual clues
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
Mary Morris applied for her passport last month because she will soon be leaving on a trip that she _____ about for many years.
Present Perfect Context: identify present perfect tense in context
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
"When the tower was closed to the public a decade ago, officials said it would be open again in just a few years. The ambitious plan to stop the tower's increasing tilt has taken far longer than expected, but officials say it is succeeding."
Audio Practice
Been / Being: contrast the sounds of been and being
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
Practice – complete the sentence (MC)
We've been quiet. (present perfect - active)
We're being quiet. (present progressive - active)
We've been seen by Dr. Allen. (present perfect - passive)
We 're being seen by Dr. Allen (present progressive - passive)
Past Perfect: contrast earlier from later events
Intermediate– Advanced ESL, Native Speakers
Practice 1 – complete the sentence (MC)
Practice 2 – complete the sentence (MC)
After we had ordered from the menu, we began to talk.
First, we ordered from the menu. Then, we began to talk.
We had just ordered from the menu when the electricity went off.
Irreg Verb Forms 1: Review past and participle verb forms (A – L)
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
awake, beat begin, bite, blow, bring, buy, choose, cost, dig, draw, drive, fall, feel, find, fly, get, go, hang, hear, hit, hold, hurt, know, lay,
Jaycee (spinned, span, spun?) _____the ball on his finger last night.
Irreg Verb Forms 2: Review past and participle verb forms (L – W)
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
let, lie, lose, loosen, meet, put, read, ring, run, see, send, shake, shut, sit, slide, spend, stand, stick, swear, swim, teach, tell, throw, upset wear,
Jamie (let) _____the ball drop in yesterday's final play.
Reporting Source: report a past activity (not its timing)
Beginning–Intermediate ESL
- Source vs. Duration – past vs. present perfect
- Emotional Responses
- Common Mistakes
- Practice – complete the sentence (MC)
Where did you get those jeans?
Where have you been (for the past few hours)?
Wow! He did a backflip!
He has done lots of backflips in his career.