Present Perfect Forms

1. Present perfect tense

The present perfect is a verb tense which is used to show that an action has taken place once or many times before now. The present perfect is most frequently used to talk about experiences or changes that have taken place, but there are other less common uses as well. Read on for detailed descriptions, examples, and present perfect exercises.

Present Perfect Forms

The present perfect is formed using has/have + past participle. Questions are indicated by inverting the subject and has/have. Negatives are made with not.

Statement: You have seen that movie many times.

Question: Have you seen that movie many times?

Negative: You have not seen that movie many times.

Present Perfect Uses

USE 1 Unspecified Time Before Now

We use the present perfect to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important. You CANNOT use the present perfect with specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc. We CAN use the present perfect with unspecific expressions such as: ever, never, once, many times, several times, before, so far, already, yet, etc.

Examples:

I have seen that movie twenty times.

I think I have met him once before.

There have been many earthquakes in California.

People have traveled to the Moon.

People have not traveled to Mars.

Have you read the book yet?

Nobody has ever climbed that mountain.

A: Has there ever been a war in the United States?

B: Yes, there has been a war in the United States.

2. Modal verbs

Modal verbs

The modal verbs are:

can

may

must

shall

will could

might

should

would

We use modals to show if we believe something is certain, possible or impossible:

My keys must be in the car.

It might rain tomorrow.

That can't be Peter's coat. It's too small.

We also use them to do things like talk about ability, ask permission, and make requests and offers:

I can't swim.

May I ask a question?

Could I have some tea, please?

Would you like some help?

Modal Verbs

Here's a list of the modal verbs in English:

can could may might will

would must shall should ought to

Modals are different from normal verbs:

1: They don't use an 's' for the third person singular.

2: They make questions by inversion ('she can go' becomes 'can she go?').

3: They are followed directly by the infinitive of another verb (without 'to').

Probability

First, they can be used when we want to say how sure we are that something happened / is happening / will happen. We often call these 'modals of deduction' or 'speculation' or 'certainty' or 'probability'.

For example:

It's snowing, so it must be very cold outside.

I don't know where John is. He could have missed the train.

This bill can't be right. £200 for two cups of coffee!

Ability

We use 'can' and 'could' to talk about a skill or ability.

For example:

She can speak six languages.

My grandfather could play golf very well.

I can't drive.

Obligation and Advice

We can use verbs such as 'must' or 'should' to say when something is necessary or unnecessary, or to give advice.

For example:

Children must do their homework.

We have to wear a uniform at work.

You should stop smoking.

Permission

We can use verbs such as 'can', 'could' and 'may' to ask for and give permission. We also use modal verbs to say something is not allowed.

For example:

Could I leave early today, please?

You may not use the car tonight.

Can we swim in the lake?

Habits

We can use 'will' and 'would' to talk about habits or things we usually do, or did in the past.

For example:

When I lived in Italy, we would often eat in the restaurant next to my flat.

John will always be late!

3. My hobbies

My hobbies include

sports

spending time with my friends

listening to music

going to the beach

traveling

Sport

I enjoy playing all types of sports such as basketball, volleyball, softball, and soccer. My favorite sports team is the New York Yankees and I love going to their games.

Spending time with my friends

I love hanging out with my friends because I always have a good time no matter what. Some things I like to do with them are going to the movies, shopping, going to the beach in the summer, and playing sports with them.

Listening to music is one of my favorite hobbies. I listen to just about every type of music there is except for country. My ipod has all my favorite music on it and I bring it everywhere I go. I don't know what I would do without my ipod.

Since where I live there are two beaches within walking distance I love to go to the beach during the summer. I can spend my whole day at the beach and never get bored. I love to lay in the sun, go swimming in the ocean, and kayaking with my friends.

I love to travel even thought I don't do it that often. I try to travel to different places when I have the opportunity. I had the best time of my life when I traveled to Ireland and I wish I could go back every year. I love being in new places where everything is different. I really want to travel to Germany one day.