The Perfect Tenses

The Perfect Tenses: grammar rules, examples and when to use.

present perfect
past perfect
future perfect

The Present Perfect

The Formation of the Present Perfect
auxiliary verb to have (have/has) + Participle II
(the present tense of the verb to have + the past participle of the main
verb.)

Affirmative Interrogative Negative

I have worked. Have I worked? I have not worked.

He has worked. Has he worked? He has not worked.
She has worked. Has she worked? She has not worked.
It has worked. Has it worked? It has not worked.
We have worked. Have we worked? We have not worked.
You have worked. Have you worked? You have not worked.
They have worked. Have they worked? They have not worked.
(Verb Contractions: I have = I’ve; he has = he’s; she has = she’s; it has =
it’s; we have = we’ve; you have = you’ve; they have = they’ve)

The Present Perfect denotes:

1) a completed action closely connected with the present when the time os the
action is indefinite.

Key example:
Mr. Smith has finished his work. He can rest now.

For study:
1. Mrs. Smith had laid the table. The family are having dinner.
2. Granny has prepared a surprise. Everybody is looking forward to
it.
3. Granny has baked a layer cake. The family are enjoying it.
4. Jane has cleared the table. She can do her lessons now.
5. Little Kate has gone for a walk. It is quiet in the house.
Note: - The Present Perfect is not used when the time of the action in the
past is definite, e.g.: I finished my work at 8 o’clock.
2) an action performed within a period of time which has not yet ended. The
period may be indicated by such words as this month, this year, never, yet, etc.

Key example:
Annie has written an article this year.

For study:
Samuel has been to London this month.
Sarah has studied abroad this year.
She has taken the post-graduate course this year.
She has never failed in in her exams.
She has already got a place at the hostel.

3) The beginning of the period is often indicated by the conjunction since which
denotes “from some definite moment in the past till now”.

Key example:
Samuel has known me since he was twelve.

For study:
1. Samuel has lived in Hanbury Street since he moved to London.
2. Sarah has studied abroad since she graduated from college.
3. We have been friends with Samuel since 2005.
4. Annie has worked as a hospital pharmacist since she graduated
from the University.

The Past Perfect

The Formation of the Past Perfect

auxiliary verb had + Participle II

(the past tense of the verb to have + the past participle of the main verb.)

Affirmative Interrogative Negative

I had worked. Had I worked? I had not worked.

He had worked. Had he worked? He had not worked.
She had worked. Had she worked? She had not worked.
It had worked. Had it worked? It had not worked.
We had worked. Had we worked? We had not worked.
You had worked. Had you worked? You had not worked.
They had worked. Had they worked? They had not worked.

The Past Perfect denotes an action completed before a certain moment in the
past.

Key example:
He told us that he had passed his exams .

For study:
1. They told us that John had gone to the dentist.
2. I had come to the station before the train arrived.
3. I had seen my friend before the train stopped.
4. I had called her before she saw me.
5. I had run up to her carriage before she got off.

The Future Perfect

The Formation of the Future Perfect

auxiliary verb shall/will have + Participle II

(the future tense of the verb to have + the past participle of the main verb.)

Affirmative Interrogative Negative

I shall have worked. Shall I have worked? I shall not (I’ll) have worked.
He will have worked. Will he have worked? He will (He’ll) not have
She will have worked. Will she have worked? worked.
It will have worked. Will it have worked? She will not have worked.
We shall have worked. Shall we have worked? It will not have worked.
You shall have worked. Shall you have worked? We shall not have worked.
They will have worked. Will they have worked? You shall not have worked.
They shall not have worked.
(Verb Contractions: I shall = I’ll; he will = he’ll)

The Future Perfect denotes an action completed before a definite moment in

the future or an action which will begin before a definite moment in the future,
will continue up to that moment and will be going on at that moment.

Key example:
They will have closed the shop before we get there.

For study:
1. I shall have finished my work by the 23d of July.
2. We shall have booked tickets by the time school breaks up.
3. My daughter and I will have come to Miami by the 27th of July.
4. We shall have been there a fortnight when my husband joins us.
The Perfect Tense
Remember that the tense of a verb refers to the time of the action or state of
being.
The perfect tenses expresses action that is already completed.
The present perfect tense expresses a present action that began in the past
and is now completed in the present.
The past perfect tense expresses an action that began in the past, was
completed in the past before something else occurred.
The future perfect tense expresses an action that will be completed by some
point in the future.
Examples of The Perfect Tense:
To form the perfect tenses, you must use auxiliary verbs.
Present Perfect-Present tense of have + past participle
Past Perfect-Past tense of have + past participle
Future Perfect-Will or shall + have + past participle
It is easier to understand the perfect tenses by looking at some examples:
1) I have put the money in the machine. (present perfect)
2) I had finished my homework before mom called me for dinner. (past perfect)
3) By the time the show is over, Marie will have danced for 40 minutes. (future
perfect)
4) The class has been outside for recess. (present perfect)
5) Jeff tried to hide the vase because he had broken it. (past perfect)
6) By the time I am 18, I will have saved over $2,000. (future perfect)
7) My sister has taken martial arts lessons for six years. (present perfect)
8) I had watched almost all of the show before the power went off. (past
perfect)
9) Do you think the lunchroom will have cooked enough pizza for all of us?
(future perfect)
10) Will had won the race every year until this year. (past perfect)