Present Perfect Tense


Present Perfect Tense
I have sung
The present perfect tense  is a rather important tense  in English,  but i t gives speakers of  some languages
a difficult time. That is because  i t uses concepts or ideas that do not exist in those  languages. In  fact,
the structure of  the present perfect tense  is very  simple. The problems come with the use of  the tense.
In addition, there are some differences  in usage between British and American English.
In this  lesson we  look at the structure and use of  the present perfect, foll owed by a quiz to check  your
understanding:
·  Structure: how to make the present perfect tense
·  Use: when and why to use the present perfect tense
·  For and Since with the present perfect tense. What's the difference?
·  Present Perfect Quiz
The present perfect tense  is really a very
interesting tense, and a  very useful one. Try
not to translate the present perfect tense  into
your  language. Just try to accept the concepts
of  this tense and  learn to "think" present
perfect! You will soon  l earn to like the
present perfect tense!
How do we make the Present Perfect Tense?
The structure of  the present perfect tense  is:
subject + auxiliary verb + main verb
have    past participle
Here are some examples of  the present perfect tense:
subject  auxiliary verb    main verb
+
I have seen  ET.
+  You  have eaten mine.
-She  has  not  been  to Rome.
-  We  have  not  played  football.
?  Have you finished?
?  Have they done it ?
Contractions with the present perfect tense
When we use the present perfect tense  in  speaking, we usually contract the subject and auxiliary  verb.
We also somet imes do this when we wri te.
I have  I've
You have  You'v e
He has
She has
It has
John  has
The car has
He's
She' s
It' s
John's
The car's
We  have  We've
They  have  They've
Here are some examples:
·  I've  finished my work.
·  John's seen ET.
·  They've gone home.
How do we use the Present Perfect Tense?
This tense  is called the present perfect tense. There  i s always a connect i on with the past and wi th the
present. There are basically three uses  for the present perfect tense:
1.  experience
2.  change
3.  continuing situation
1. Present perfect tense for experience
We of ten use the present perfect tense to talk about experience  from the past. We are not interested in
when you did something. We only want to know if you did  it:
I have seen ET.
He's or he's??? Be careful! The 's
contraction  is used  for the auxiliary  verbs
have and be. For example, "It' s eaten" can
mean:
·  It has eaten. [present perfect tense,
active  voice]
·  It is eaten. [present tense, passive
voice]
It i s usually clear  from the context.
He has lived in Bangkok.
Have you been there?
We have never eaten caviar.
past  present  future
!!!
The action or state was in the
past.
In my  head, I have a memory
now.
Connection with past: the event was in the past.
Connection with present: in my  head, now, I have a memory of  the event; I know something about
the event; I have experience of   i t.
2. Present perfect tense for change
We also use the present perfect tense to talk about a change or new information:
I have bought a car.
past  present  future
-  +
Last week I didn' t have a car.  Now I have a car.
John has broken his leg.
past  present  future
+  -Yesterday John had a good l eg.  Now he has a bad  leg.
Has the price gone up?
past  present  future
+  -Was the price $1.50 yesterday?  Is the price $1.70 today?
The police have arrested the killer.
past  present  future
-  +
Yesterday the killer was  free.  Now he is  in prison.
Connection with past: the past i s the opposite of  the present.
Connection with present: the present  i s the opposite of  the past.
Americans do not use the present perfect
tense so much as British speakers. Americans
of ten use the past tense  instead. An American
might say "Did  you have  lunch?", where a
British person would say "Have  you had
lunch?"
3. Present perfect tense for continuing situation
We of ten use the present perfect tense to talk about a continuing situation. This  i s a state that started
in the past and continues  in the present (and will   probably continue  into the future). This  i s a state
(not an action). We usually use for or since with this structure.
I have worked here since June.
He has been ill for 2 days.
How long have you known Tara?
past  present  future
The situation started in the past.  It continues up to now.
(It will probably continue  into
the future.)
Connection with past: the situation started in the past.
Connection with present: the situation continues  in the present.
For & Since with Present Perfect Tense
We of ten use for and since with the present perfect tense.
·  We use for to talk about a period of  time—5  minutes, 2 weeks, 6 years.
·  We use since to talk about a point in past time—9  o'clock, 1st January, Monday.

for / since
a period of time  a point in past time
x------------20 minutes  6.15pm
three days  Monday
6 months  January
4 years  1994
2 centuries  1800
a  long time  I lef t school
ever  the beginning of  time
etc  etc
Here are some examples:
·  I have been  here for 20  minutes.
·  I have been  here since 9 o'clock.
·  John  hasn' t called for 6 months.
·  John  hasn' t called since  February.
·  He has worked in New York for a  long time.
·  He has worked in New York since he left school .
For can be used with all tenses. Since is
usually used with perfect tenses only.
 

Present Continuous Tense

Present Continuous Tense
I am singing
We of ten use the present continuous tense  in English. It is very different from the simple present tense,
both in structure and  in use.
In this  lesson we  look the structure and use of  the present continuous tense, followed  by a quiz to check
your understanding:
·  Structure: how do we make the present continuous tense?
·  Use: when and why do we use the present continuous tense?
·  Spelling: how do we spell  verbs with -ing  for the present continuous tense?
·  Present Continuous Tense Quiz
Continuous tenses are also called
progressive tenses. So the present
progressive tense  is the same as the present
continuous tense.
How do we make the Present Continuous Tense?
The structure of  the present continuous tense  is:
subject + auxiliary verb + main verb
be    base +  ing
Look at these examples:
subject  auxiliary verb   main verb
+
I  am    speaking  to you.
+  You  are    reading  this.
-She  is  not  staying  in  London.
-  We  are  not  playing  football?
Is  he    watching  TV?
Are  they waiting  for John?
How do we use the Present Continuous Tense?
We use the present continuous tense to talk about:
·  action  happening now
·  action  in the  future
Present continuous tense for action happening now
a) for action  happening exactly now
I am eating my lunch.
past  present  future
The action is happening now.
Look at these examples. Right now you are looking at this screen and at the same time...
...the pages are turning.  ...the candle  is  burning.  ...the numbers are spinning.
b)  for action  happening around now
The action may  not be happening exactly  now, but it  is  happening  just before and  j ust af ter now, and i t
is  not permanent or habitual .
John is going out with Mary.
past  present  future
The action  is  happening around now.
Look at these examples:
·  Muriel is learning to drive.
·  I am living with my sister until  I  find an apartment.
Present continuous tense for the future
We can also use the present continuous tense to talk about the future—if we add a future word!! We
must add (or understand  from the context) a future word. "Future words" include,  for example,
tomorrow, next year, in June, at Christmas etc. We only use the present continuous tense to talk
about the future when we  have planned to do something before we speak. We  have already made a
decision and a plan before speaking.
I am taking my exam next month.
past  present  future
!!!
A  firm plan or programme exists
now.
The action  is  in the  future.
Look at these examples:
·  We're eating in a restaurant tonight. We've already  booked the table..
·  They can pl ay tennis with  you tomorrow. They're not working.
·  When are  you starting your new  job?
In these examples, we have a firm plan or programme before speaking. The decision and plan were
made before speaking.
How do we spell the Present Continuous  Tense?
We make the present continuous tense by adding -ing to the base  verb. Normally  it's simple—we  just
add -ing. But sometimes we have to change the word a little. Perhaps we double the  last letter, or we
drop a letter. Here are the rules to help  you know how to spell  the present continuous tense.
Just add -ing to the base verb:
work  >  working
pl ay  >  playing
assist  >  assisting
see  >  seeing
Basic rule
be  >  being
Exception1
If  the base  verb ends  in consonant + stressed vowel + consonant, double the  last letter:
s  t  o  p
consonant
stressed
vowel
consonant
(vowel s = a, e, i , o, u)
stop  >  stopping
run  >  running
begin  >  beginning
Note that this exception does not apply when the last syllable of the base verb is not
stressed:
open  >  opening
If  the base  verb ends  in ie, change the ie to y:
lie  >  lying
Exception2
die  >  dying
If  the base  verb ends  in vowel + consonant +e, omit the e:
come  >  coming
Exception3
mistake  >  mistaking
 

Simple Present Tense

Simple Present Tense
I sing
How do we make the Simple Present Tense?
subject + auxiliary verb + main verb
do    base
There are three important exceptions:
1.  For positive sentences, we do not normally use the auxiliary.
2.  For the 3rd person singular (he, she,  i t), we add s to the main  verb or es to the auxiliary.
3.  For the verb to be, we do not use an auxiliary, even  for questions and negatives.
Look at these examples with the main  verb like:
subject  auxiliary verb    main verb
I, you, we, they      like  coffee.
+
He, she,  i t      likes  coffee.
I, you, we, they  do  not  like  coffee.
-He, she,  i t  does  not  like  coffee.
Do  I, you, we, they    like  coffee?
?
Does  he, she,  i t    like  coffee?
Look at these examples with the main  verb be. Notice that there  i s no auxiliary:
subject  main verb  
I  am    French.
You, we, they  are    French.  +
He, she,  i t  is    French.
I  am  not  old.
You, we, they  are  not  old.  -He, she,  i t  is  not  old.
?
Am  I    late?
Are  you, we, they    late?
Is  he, she,  i t    late?
How do we use the Simple Present Tense?
We use the simple present tense when:
·  the action  is general
·  the action happens all  the time, or habitually,  in the past, present and future
·  the action  is not only  happening  now
·  the statement  i s always true
John drives a taxi.
past  present  future
It i s John's  j ob to drive a taxi . He does i t every day. Past, present and  future.
Look at these examples:
·  I live  in New York.
·  The Moon goes round the Earth.
·  John drives a taxi .
·  He does not drive a bus.
·  We do not work at night.
·  Do you pl ay  football?
Note that with the verb to be, we can also use the simple present tense  for situations that are not
general. We can use the simple present tense to talk about now. Look at these examples of  the verb "to
be"  in the simple present tense—some of  them are general, some of  them are now:
Am I right?
Tara is not at home.
You are happy.
past  present  future
The situation  is  now.
I am not fat.
Why are you so beautiful?
Ram is tall.
past  present  future
The situation  is general . Past, present and future.
This pages hows the use of  the simple present
tense to talk about general  events. But note
that there are some other uses  for the simple
present tense, for example  in conditional  or if
sentences, or to talk about the future. You
will   learn about those later.
 
Tenses
The English Tense System
The  links  below are to lessons  for each of  the 12 basic
tenses. In each  lesson we  look at two aspects of  the
tense:
·  Structure: How do we make the tense?
·  Use: When and why do we use the tense?
Some  lessons  look at additional aspects, and most of
them  finish with a quiz to check  your understanding.
Present Tense
I do do, I do
Present Continuous Tense
I am doing, I am doing tomorrow
Present Perfect Tense
I have done
Present Perfect Continuous Tense
I have been doing
Past Tense
I did do, I did
Past Continuous Tense
I was doing
Past Perfect Tense
I had done
Past Perfect Continuous Tense
I had been doing
Future Tense
I will  do
Future Continuous Tense
I will   be doing
Future Perfect Tense
I will   have done
Future Perfect Continuous Tense
I will   have been doing
Many English  learners worry too much about
tense. If   you stopped 100 native English
speakers  in the street and asked them about
tense, one of  them might give  you an
intelligent answer—if  you were  lucky. The
other 99 would know  little about terms  like
"past perfect" or "present continuous". And
they would know nothing about aspect, voice
or mood. But they can all speak  fluent
English and communicate effectively. Of
course, for ESL it helps to know about
tenses, but don't become obsessed with them.
Be  like those native speakers! Speak
naturally!
 

Exercise 18

 Check the souund of these words in the dictionary.
1.  Breath/Breathe in deeply and then out again.
2. Suits were usually made of wool cloth/clothe.
3. I really loath/loathe the fashion of the 1980s.
4. The medicine soothes/sooths the pain of the inflammation.
5. The baby‟s teeth/teethe are coming through.
Homographs
Some examples of homographs:
to lead  /lɪːd/    lead    /led/
to read  /rɪːd/   read    /red/
to live    /lɪv/    live    /lɑɪv/
The sound may also change according to the where the stress is on the word:
to record  /rɪˈkɔːd/  record    /ˈrekɔːd/
to present  /prɪˈzent/  present  /ˈpreznt/
 
-ed suffix
The  morpheme  -ed  of  the  past  tense  (or  past  participle)  is  also  pronounced  in  three
different ways depending on the preceding consonant:
ɪd     after t and d    
painted    /peɪntɪd/  founded    /fɑʊndɪd/
wanted    /wɒntɪd/  rounded    /rɑʊndɪd/
t     after unvoiced consonants: /f/ /k/ /p/ /s/  tʃ   /ʃ     
clapped    /klæpt/  brushed    /brʌʃt/
laughed  /lɑːft/    wished    /wɪʃt/
d      in other cases      
earned    /ɜːnd/    carried    /kær ɪd/
changed  /tʃeɪndʒd/  harmed    /hɑːmd/ 
13
Exercise 17 Pronounce the past form of these regular verbs paying attention to the  –ed
suffix.
1. study  _____
2. judge  _____
3. listen  _____
4. miss  _____
5. work  _____
6. answer  _____
7. test  _____
8. invent  _____
9. research  _____
10. enjoy  _____

 
Suffixes
-s suffix
The  morpheme  -s  of  the  3rd  person  singular   (he  works), of  the  noun  plural  (books),  of
the  genitive  (John‟s)  and  of  the  contraction  of  is  or  has  (he‟s)  is  pronounced  in  three
different ways depending on the sound of the preceding consonant:
ɪz   after sibilant consonants:  s   ʃ   tʃ   dʒ
slices    /slɑɪsɪz/    brushes  /brʌʃɪz/  
churches  /tʃɜːtʃɪz/     wages    /weɪdʒɪz/
s     after unvoiced consonants: /f/ /k/ /p/ /t/ 
packs    /pæks/    rates    /reɪts/
laughs    /lɑːfs/    taps    /tæps/  
12
z     in other cases    
boys    /bɔɪz/    girls    /gɜːlz/  
clothes    /kləʊðz/     John‟s    /dʒɒnz/
Some unvoiced sounds,  θ  and  f , become voiced when the -s  suffix is added.
Compare:
bath    /bɑːθ/  baths      /bɑːðz/
knife    /nɑɪf/    knives      /nɑɪvz/
Exercise 16 Write the sound /s/, /z/ or /ɪz/ next to the following words.
1. judges    _____
2. lives    _____
3. plates    _____
4. classes    _____
5. breathes    _____
6. watches    _____
7. attends    _____
8. tapes    _____
9. books    _____
10. wives    _____
 
Exercise 15 Circle the word that is pronounced differently from the other three words.
1. accident    access      accommodate    accept
2. sheep    beer      field        people  
3. angry    jungle      English      spring  
4. shout    now      round       mould
5.  cheese    chip      machine      attach
6. signature   foreign    Gnostic      tongue
7. suit    fruit      cruise       biscuit
8. though    rough     enough      tough    
9. floor    poor      flood        door
10. author    caught    laughter      daughter
 

ENGLISH SPELLING AND SOUNDS

UNIT 2 ENGLISH SPELLING AND SOUNDS
English  spelling  is  a  particular  obstacle  to  non-native  speakers.  This  is  due  to  the  fact
that  during  the  course  of  its  history  it  has  been  influenced  by  numerous  languages,
especially by  German,  Latin,  French and  the  Scandinavian  languages.  Thus,  for  example,
the  sound  /ʃ/  is  to  be  found  in  the  following  letter  combinations:  shut,  champagne,
nation, expansion, conscience, issue, and sugar.
Sometimes words do not sound alike despite their similar spellings (homographs):  bow -/bəʊ/ and /bɑʊ/, close - /kləʊz/ and /kləʊs/, live - /lɪv/ and /lɑɪv/. Other words sound
alike,  but  are  spelled  differently  (homophones):  aren‟t  /  aunt  -  /ɑːnt/,  bare  /  bear  -/beə/, and seen / scene - /sɪːn/.
10
It was already noted over 400 years ago that English used more letters than necessary to
spell  many  of  its  words,  and  during  the  17th  century  numerous  redundant  letters  were
removed,  the  emergent  standard  spellings  tending  to  prefer  one  of  the  shorter  forms
among  the  alternatives  previously  in  use.  For  example,  in  the  16th  century  the  word  bit
was sometimes spelt byte. Many words were reduced like  byte by the loss of a silent final
-E,  the  replacement  of  Y  by  I,  and  the  simplification  of  doubled  consonants.  But  many
other words have kept unnecessary letters, for instance the B in debt , the E in have or the
P in receipt.
After  the  17th  century  this  process  of  simplification  of  English  spelling  slowed  down,
thanks  to  the  standardizing  influence  of  printing  and   the  spread  of  dictionaries.  The
American lexicographer Noah Webster took the process of simplification a step further in
the early 19th century, and Americans today use some distinctive spellings of the type his
dictionary recommended, such as center, traveling, favor, defense, realize (Br.Eng. centre,
travelling, favour, defence, realise).
Difficult vowel combinations Practice saying the following words
u:  /ʌ/ - bun, /ʊ/ - put, /ɪ/ - busy, /e/ - bury, /uː/ - rude, /juː/ - huge, /ə/ -focus, /ɜː/ - burn.
ea: /ɪː/ - beach, /e/ - bread,  /eɪ/ - break, /eə/ - bear, /ɪə/ - dear.
au: /ɑː/ - aunt, /ɔː/ - author, /ɒ/ - because, /eɪ/ - gauge.
oo:  /uː/ - too, /ʊ/ - look, /ʌ/ - flood, /əʊ/ - brooch, /ɔː/ - floor.
ei:  /eɪ/ - eight, /ɪː/ - receive, /ɪ/ - counterfeit, /e/ - leisure, /ɑɪ/ - height
ui:  /uː/ - fruit, /ɪ/ - build, /wɪː/ - suite, /ɑɪ/ - guide.
ou:  /ɑʊ/ - out, /əʊ/ - soul, /ʌ/ - touch, /ʊ/ - could, /uː/ - you, /ɔː/ - pour.
oa: /əʊ/ - road, /ɔː/ - broad.
ow:  /ɑʊ/ - now, /əʊ/ - know, /ɒ/ - knowledge.
ough:  /əʊ/  -  though, /uː/  -  through, /ɔː/  -  bought, /ɑʊ/  -  drought, /ə/  -  borough,
/ɒf/ - cough, /ʌf/ - enough.
augh:  /ɔː/ - taught,  /ɑːf/ - laugh.  
11
Difficult consonant combinations Practice saying the following words
ch:  /k/ - character,  /tʃ/ - choice, /ʃ/ - chef, /Ǿ/ - yacht.
cc:  /ks/ - success, /k/ - account, /tʃ/ - cappuccino.
gn:  /n/ - sign, /gn/ - recognise.
ng:  /ŋ/ - sing, /ŋg/ - finger, /ndʒ/ - danger.
 

LEARNING ORAL ENGLISH

/s/
Apart  from  the  letter  „S‟,  the  /s/  sound  can  be  represented  by  a  number  of  consonant
combinations,  which  differ  in  pronunciation  from  the  Italian:  psyche,  cellar,  science,
listen.
Exercise 13 Tick the words that contain the /s/ sound.
1. song    5. face    9. issue    13. disciple
2. Islam    6. city    10. months    14. sugar
3. vision    7. message    11. castle    15. mix
4. science    8. houses    12. fascism    16. psychology
9
Exercise 14 Underline the word that the transcription represents.
1. bɔːn    burn    born
2.  θɪŋ    thing    thin
3. fɪːlɪŋz    fillings  feelings
4. vɑɪn    vine    wine
5. meɪdʒə    major    mayor
6. ræm    rum    ram
7. wɜːd    word    worried
8. fəget    forget    forged
9.  ɑɪs      eyes    ice
10. huːz    whose    house
Tongue Twisters Quickly say the following sentences.
1. She sells sea shells on the sea shore.
2. Thirty-three thrilling thespians thought throughout Thursday.
3. I wish to wash my Irish wristwatch.
4. In Hertford, Hereford and Hampshire, hurricanes hardly ever happen.
5. A skunk sat on a stump.
 

Oral English

/w/This sound tends to be pronounced by Italian speakers as /v/.
Exercise 10   The  teacher will read out the following sentences. Underline the alternative
that you hear.
1. There was only a little vine / wine left.
2. Where is the vest / west?
3. I saw a long whale / veil in the distance.
4. What was under the wheel / veal?
5. Her poetry has become worse / verse.
8
/dʒ/
When  written  with  a  „J‟,  Italian  speakers  tend  to  pronounce  this  sound  as  /j/.  The  letter
„G‟ can also produce this sound: general, storage, as can the combination
–dge and –age: edge, storage.
Exercise 11 Tick the words that contain the /dʒ/ sound.
1. gin      5. yam    9. jet      13. damage
2. large      6. soldier    10. gear      14. mayor
3. goat      7. guilty      11. just      15. collage
4. injury      8. gum      12. get      16. college
/h/
This sound tends to be omitted by Italian speakers. However, the h is not pronounced in
such  words  as  hour,  honour,  heir  and  honest,  in  some  words  and  place  names:  exhibit,
Totten(h)am, or in rapid speech:  Tell (h)im we‟ll be late.
Exercise 12 The teacher will read out sentences. Tick the word that you hear.
1. ill      hill
2. eye    high
3. art      heart
4. air      hair
5. ear      hear
6. old      hold
7. heir    hair
8. all      hall
9. eight    hate
10. edge    hedge

 
 
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