- Marianna
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Use this cheat sheet to help you remember the English tenses forms, usage, and typical sentence and question structures. In part II we’ll focus on the present perfect simple, present perfect continuous, past perfect simple and past perfect continuous.
PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE
SENTENCE FORM: subject + have / has + verb 3rd form + continue sentence
QUESTION FORM: have / has + subject + verb 3rd form + continue
USAGE 1: life experience (no date given)
I have played every Grand Theft Auto
I have never played Grand Theft Auto
Have you ever played GrandTheft Auto?
USAGE 2: News
They have just returned from the gig
They haven’t returned from the gig yet
Have they already returned from the gig?
USAGE 3: How long (with “state” verbs)
He has been in London Since 2018
He hasn’t been home since 2018
How long has he lived in London?
USAGE 4: Project status
John has completed the album, but not the cover art
John hasn’t completed the album, nor the cover art
Has John completed the album?
USAGE 5: Unfinished time period
I have had three coffees today
I haven’t had any coffee today
How many coffees have you had today?
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
SENTENCE FORM : Subject + have / has + been + verb ing + continue sentence
QUESTION FORM: Have / Has + subject + been + verb ing + continue
USAGE 1: How long (“active” verbs)
We have been recording for 3 hours
We haven’t been recording since the lockdown began
How long have you been recording?
USAGE 2: Explaining current state
They are tired because they have been working hard
They are tired because they haven’t been sleeping
Have they been working, is that why they are tired?
USAGE 3: repeated activity in present time period
I’ve been trying to get in contact with her all morning.
She hasn’t been picking up her phone all morning.
Have you been trying to contact me?
PAST PERFECT SIMPLE
SENTENCE FORM: subject + had + verb 3rd form + continue sentence
QUESTION FORM: Had + subject + verb 3rd form + continue
USAGE 1: before or after an event in the past
I had watched the original Dune before seeing the new one
I hadn’t watched the original Dune before seeing the new one
Had you watched the original Dune before seeing the original?
USAGE 2: by some period in the past
Joe Rogan had already been famous by the time he started his podcast
Bret Weinstein hadn’t been famous by the time the university scandal happened
Had they been famous by the time their podcasts came out?
USAGE 3: How long (with “state” verbs)
He had been with us for 5 years before he moved abroad.
He hadn’t been with us for long before he moved abroad.
How long had he been with you?
USAGE 4: commonly with surprised / said / shocked / remembered/ forgot
John forgot that he had locked his door, so he didn’t have to worry.
John forgot that he hadn’t locked his door, so the robbers had a field day!
Has John completed the album?
USAGE 5: explanations of past results
The PC had crashed so I couldn’t submit the project
We couldn’t continue with the presentation because the project hadn’t been submitted
Why had it not been submitted before the start of the meeting?
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
SENTENCE FORM : Subject + had + been + verb ing + continue sentence
QUESTION FORM: Had + subject + been + verb ing + continue
USAGE 1: How long (“active” verbs) before start of another event
We had been recording for 3 hours when the PC crashed
We hadn’t been recording at all when the PC crashed
How long had you been recording when the PC crashed?
USAGE 2: Explaining past result due to repeated activity
They were tired because they had been working hard
They hadn’t been sleeping so they were tired
Had they been working, is that why they were tired?
Part 1 focuses on the present simple, present continuous, past simple and past continuous.