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PAST TENSES AND PRESENT PERFECT - THEORY

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  • It is used to talk about an event, action or behaviour in the recent past that has a result in the present. The action may be finished or unfinished.
    PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS - "You look exhausted. HAVE YOU BEEN working hard?"
  • It is used to talk about a situation or action in progress that is interrupted by another event
    PAST CONTINUOUS - "While I WAS THINKING about the problem, I suddenly had the most amazing idea."
  • It is used to talk about past events or situations in a time period that extends from the past up to the presen
    PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE - "I HAVE BEEN to Russia three times since 2003. I went last in 2013. "
  • It is used to emphasise that two situations or events were happening simultaneously
    PAST CONTINUOUS - "While I WAS TRYING to phone her, she WAS TRYING to phone me!"
  • It refers to actions or events up to a particular time (or up to another event or action) in the past.
    PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS - "They HAD BEEN PLANNING their expedition for months before I joined their team"
  • It is used to talk about the duration of an event or situation which started in the past and extends up to the present.
    PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE - "I HAVE LIVED here since I was four."
  • It is used to talk about a situation or action in progress around a point in time in the past
    PAST CONTINUOUS - "I WAS LIVING in London when Prince William married Kate Middleton"
  • It is used with "always" and "forever" to talk about repeated actions or behaviour.
    PAST CONTINUOUS - "She WAS always OFFERING to babysit so that my husband and I could go out."
  • It is used to talk about an event in the past that has a result in the present.
    PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE - "Cancel the skiing trip - I HAVE BROKEN my leg"
  • It cannot be used with stative verbs (be, know, love, etc.), which describe a state rather than an action
    PAST CONTINUOUS / PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS / PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
  • It is used to talk about past events which continue up to the present or up to a time in the recent past.
    PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS - "I'VE BEEN WATCHING this film on TV but I'm going to turn it off if something doesn't happen soon."
  • It is used to talk about repeated actions in the past.
    PAST SIMPLE - "We WENT to the beach at weekends in the summer"
  • It is used to talk about a completed action, event or situation at a particular time in the past.
    PAST SIMPLE - "The train LEFT at 8.30 am"
  • It is used to talk about repeated past events in a time period that extends up to the present.
    PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS - "The car has been breaking down a lot recently"
  • It refers to actions or events before a particular time (or before another event or action) in the past.
    PAST PERFECT SIMPLE - "He asked me when exactly I HAD first HEARD about the problem"