ESL Help Desk: English Grammar Podcasts

English as a Second Language Writing Grammar Communication Podcasts Audio Stories and More!

Welcome to the - B"H"
ESL Help Desk

We're Interactive, and We're Open 24/7 !

The ESL HELP DESK is redirecting you momentarily to our home page, www.eslhelpdesk.com, where you can view our current podcast.

After visiting our home page, please visit our Library, where membership is currently free.

If you do not currently hold a library card, please register for one!

If you have a library card, please sign in.

To view the podcast you are currently looking at, which is in our Library, select "How Have Your Been?" from our catalogue of podcasts or from the "Grammar" room.

Thank you! We hope you enjoy our site.

Feedback, Please!

Consider the following ideas:

What would you like me to write about?
What questions would like me to answer?
Did you recently see something written that looked incorrect, or hear something that sounded incorrect? Tell me what you saw and/or heard, why you thought it was incorrect, and what you think it should be.
Do you have any comments about the lesson you just listened to?

Your Feedback Is Our Feed!

Looking for a Grammar Book?
The Grammar HELP! Student Handbook

How Have You Been?
The Present Perfect Tense

Welcome to today's ESL Help Desk podcast! Since our last podcast, we've been busy filling the shelves of our Library with audio stories and grammar lessons for learners of English and speakers of English who want to have a little bit of fun with the English language. We recently received a request to discuss the present perfect tense, so today we are going to present the first in a perfect mini-series.

Asking the Right Questions

First, I'd like to ask a question. What's so perfect about the present perfect tense?

Secondly, the name present perfect really confuses me. I think that with the name present perfect, the action should all refer to the present. However, I have noticed that many times we use this tense when we are referring to events that occurred in the past.

You notice correctly. For example, perhaps the last time I saw you was six months ago, and today I meet you on the street and I would like to ask you about all the time since then. I want to know not only about how you are now, but also all of the time leading up to now, from the last time I saw you up to and including now. I ask you, "How've you been?"

So I am confused because we call this the present perfect tense, but we use it when referring to the past, also.

The Structure and Verb Form of the Present Perfect Tense

Let's begin by discussing the structure and verb form of the present perfect verb tense. Let's use the verb be as our main verb.

Notice that the verb form have been, which represents the present perfect tense, and the verb form had been, which represents the past perfect verb tense, are structurally similar. Each one consists of two parts: 1) Each uses a form of the verb have as the helping verb, and 2) each uses the past participle of the main verb be, been. The only difference between the two is that the helping verb for present perfect is in the present tense, as in have been and has been, and the helping verb for past perfect is in the simple past tense, as in had been. Thus, when the helping verb is in the present tense, as in have been or has been, we have formed the present perfect tense. When the helping verb is in the simple past tense, as in had been, we have formed the past perfect tense.

Try this with any main verb and the results will be the same.

to talk:   (present perfect) have/has talked     (past perfect) had talked
to write: (present perfect) have/has written   (past perfect) had written
to go:     (present perfect) have/has gone        (past perfect) had gone
to walk: (present perfect) have/has walked    (past perfect) had walked
to have: (present perfect) have/has had          (past perfect) had had

Notice that the present (has or have) part of the name present perfect refers ONLY to the structure of the verb form: The helping verb (has or have) is in the simple present tense.

Similarly, the past (had) part of the name of past perfect refers ONLY to the structure of the verb form: The helping verb had is in the simple past tense.

Review

The present perfect tense consists of two parts. To form it, use -

1. … the proper form of the verb have, and

2. … the past participle (also known as the
3^rd part) of the main verb.

Examples

       Over the years, I have learned that love remains only if the
       husband and wife help and understand each other.

       Since my father decided to move to America, he has changed and
      my parents' lives have gone in different directions.

Homework

Complete this chart below, focusing only on correct verb forms. Remember to change the verb form to account for subject/verb agreement. The main verbs below are all irregular verbs. Use your dictionary if necessary to obtain the proper past participle form of the main verb.

main verb	I	He	They
break
give
see

Check your answers in the next episode, when we discuss the uses of the present perfect verb tense.

So from the ESL Help Desk, thanks for listening to us this week, and remember to email us your questions about English grammar. At the ESL Help Desk, your feedback is our feed.

Please donate to help keep more great ESL grammar and communication lessons. coming your way.

We appreciate every donation.

Today's Date

Looking for
Grammar Software?
www.softwareforstudents.com