1. Review: what is the present perfect tense?
The present perfect tense is for something that has happened between a time in the past and now.
Usually, the action has finished. The time has not finished.
The present perfect uses the structure:
- have/has + perfect participle + unfinished time
*Perfect participles include been, gone, seen, eaten, etc..
| Unfinished time | Finished action (present perfect) | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| today | have eaten | Today I have eaten breakfast and gone to school. |
| this week | has attended | Aliyah has not been to class at all this week. |
| this event | has been | This game has been so exciting: I can’t wait until the second half. |
| the last 5 days | have been | The train staff have been on strike for the last 5 days. |
| during my work | have seen | Have you seen my pencil? |
| my life | have travelled | I have travelled to Cairo three times in my life. |
*Note: The unfinished time can be dropped if everyone knows what time is being discussed.
2. Present perfect + since/for
Usually the present perfect means the action is finished.
However, if you use ‘since’ or ‘for’, the action is still happening.
‘Since’ is used to say when the unfinished action started.
‘For’ is used to say when how long the unfinished action has been happening.
| Action | Finished | When action started | How long action has been happening | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| have English class | no | May last year | I have had English class since May last year. | |
| live in this village | no | 2015 | I have lived in this village since 2015. | |
| be in this traffic jam | no | 10am | I have been in this traffic jam since 10am. | |
| go to this school | no | 3 months | I have gone to this school for 3 months. | |
| manage this company | no | 15 years | I have managed this company for 15 years. | |
| know Dan | no | half my life | I have known Dan for half my life. |
3. How to make present perfect + since/for
To make the present perfect + since/for:
- have/has + perfect participle + since (when unfinished action started)
- have/has + perfect participle + for (how long unfinished action has happened)
4. ‘All’ is an exception
‘For’ is usually used to say how long an unfinished action has happened.
However, if the action has happened ‘all’ of a time, ‘for’ can be dropped.
5. Examples of present perfect + since/for
| I have worked in this company for 3 weeks. | Innes has lived in Shanghai for 5 years. |
| Lewis has been in Somaliland since Tuesday. | The pair of swans have lived in this pond since the start of the year. |
| Alaska has been part of the United States since 1959. | Alice and Dermot have studied English together for 27 years. |
| The government has refused to consider this issue for as long as I remember. | Herb has liked ice cream all his life. |
6. Exercises
1. Which ones have finished, and which ones are still happening?
(i) I have been President.
I have been President for 25 years.
(ii) I have taken the bus to work.
I have taken the bus to work since 1942.
(iii) I have been married.
I have been married for too long.
2. Using ‘for’ or ‘since’, say how long you have been doing something (example: I have studied English for 2 years).