English for Exams Karen Kovacs

Employment and finances 
5 9

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U
to show the present result of som ething that happened in the unspecified past.
I ca n't go out with you because I
___________
[lose] m y w allet. [I s till don 't have my
w allet now.1
Oh dear! What's happened to yo ur le g ? - 1
___________
Ibreak] it. (My leg is broken now.]
5 with unfinished tim e periods.
Note that with finished tim e periods we use past tenses, even if a finished tim e period is 
implied but not stated, fo r example if we are talking about somebody no longer alive.
[The tim e is 10.30 am] Poor me. I _________________ [not have) a break this m orning.
[The tim e is 6.00 pm] Poor me. I _________________ (not have) a break this m orning.
I _________________ (be) m arried twice.
Marilyn M onroe_________________ (be) m arried three times.
0
8
Answ er the questions you hear so that they are tru e fo r you. Use the present perfect
oi 
sim ple, changing tenses if appropriate.
CD2
j Exam tip: Be careful if your language has a tense that is constructed sim ilarly to the
I present perfect tenses in English, e.g. in Latin languages. There are almost certainly some 
j differences in the way the tenses are used. Make sure you know what the differences are.
Do you know when to use the present perfect sim ple and when to use the present perfect 
continuous?
present perfect simple
have/has +
past participle 
e.g. 
has done
present perfect continuous
have/has + been
+ 
-ing 
e.g. 
has been doing
1 
You can use either tense to talk about how long an activity has been going on.
I've done yoga fo r six years.