PAST TENSES OFTEN CONFUSED
Both tenses are used to talk about events that started in the past, have a result now and may
continue in the future.
SIMPLE PAST
PRESENT PERFECT
It talks about:
- Past events
at a specific
point of time.
E.g. When I
was in London
I took many
photos.
- Any finished
action in the
past.
E.g. I drove to
the south.
- Consecutive
past actions.
E.g. When I
arrived home,
the telephone
rang.
It talks about:
- Past events at an indefinite point of
time, which refer to experiences in
life.
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
It talks about:
It talks about:
- Actions that happened
before another action in
the past (the past of the
past).
E.g. I’ve taken many photos. (It
doesn’t matter when, the fact of
having taken photos as an experience
is emphasised here).
- An unfinished action in the past,
expressing how many times.
PAST PERFECT
- An unfinished action at the moment of speaking.
E.g. I’ve driven to the south twice.
E.g. I’ve been driving for hours. (I’m still driving).
- To ask or say HOW LONG only with
Non- action verbs. (Read below)
- To ask or say HOW LONG only with Action
verbs(dynamic verbs).
E.g. I’ve preferred horror movies
since I was a teenager.
E.g. I’ve been saving money for a long time.
- Both are used for recent finished actions. E.g. A: Would you like a cup of coffee? B: No thanks, I’ve
just had breakfast // A: You look so tired! B: I’ve been cleaning the whole day.
- Both are used for finished continuing actions. E.g.
I’ve practiced yoga
all my life
I’ve been practicing yoga
for years
E.g. I printed the pictures
I had chosen.
(First I chose the pictures
and then I printed them).
E.g. When I arrived home,
my husband had already
washed the dishes.
(First my husband
washed the dishes and
then I arrived).
Note: With “WORK”, “LIVE”, “STUDY”, “TEACH” and “PALY” you can use both tenses (Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continuous.
E.g. I’ve lived in Canada
I’ve been living in Canada
since 2010.
for two years.
NON-ACTION VERBS (STATE/STATIVE VERBS):
These verbs are not used in the CONTINUOUS/PROGRESSIVE tenses. They are usually about liking or disliking something, or about a mental
state, not about an action.
Agree – appear – believe – belong – concern – consist – contain – depend – deserve – disagree – dislike – doubt – fit – hate – hear – imagine –
impress – include – involve – know – like – love – matter – mean – measure – mind – need – owe – own – prefer – promise – realize – recognize
– remember – seem – sound – suppose – surprise – understand – want – weigh - wish.
Some verbs can be NON-ACTION and ACTION, but the meaning is different:
VERB
MEANING AS NON-ACTION VERB
MEANING AS ACTION VERB
Be
State.
E.g. He is cynical. (as part of his personality)
Have
To own.
E.g. They have a cottage near a river.
See
1. To see with your eyes.
E.g. I see him now; he’s wearing a Stetson
hat.
2. To understand.
E.g. I see what you mean.
Behaving or acting.
E.g. He is being cynical. (only now, not
usually)
Part of an expression (to have a party/a
break/a picnic/ a bath/lunch/good time).
E.g. We were having a party when my parents
arrived.
1. To meet:
E.g. They’re seeing their son next month.
2. To have a relationship with:
E.g. Peter has been seeing Kate since 2009.
(Kate has been Peter’s girlfriend since 2009)
Taste (also: smell, look)
SENSE: Something has a certain
taste/smell/look.
E.g. 1.This dish tastes/smells/looks good.
The action of tasting/smelling/looking.
E.g. 1. Wait! At this very moment he’s tasting
your dish, I think he’ll like it.
2. I can’t stop smelling flowers, I do it all the
time.
3. They were looking at me furiously.
Feel
Think
1. SENSE: Something has a certain feeling.
E.g. It feels like wool.
2. To think.
E.g. We all felt he was absolutely wrong.
To have an opinion.
E.g. I thought he had left earlier.
The action of feeling.
E.g. I was feeling guilty.
To consider, to have in your head.
E.g. I’ve been thinking very deeply about your
problem, but I haven’t got a solution yet.
Exercise: Past Simple, Present Perfect, Present Perfect Continuous or Past Perfect? Put the verb in ( ) into the most suitable form:
1. Yesterday afternoon Sharon ____________________ (go) to the train station to meet Paul. When she ___________________ (get) there, Paul
was waiting for her. His train ____________________ (arrive) earlier.
2. I’m out of breath, I ____________________ (practice) all day. The competition is next week and I ____________________ (already/register).
3. A: I can’t find my keys, I think somebody ____________________ (take) them.
B: __________ you __________ (look for) them in your bag?
4. Hi, Samantha. I ____________________ (not/see) for ages. How are you?
5. We ____________________ (arrive) at work this morning and ____________________ (find) that somebody ____________________ (break)
into the office during the night. So we ___________________ (call ) the police.
6. You should put some boots on. It ____________________ (rain) for days and it’s very muddy outside.
7. We are worried, we ____________________ (not/know) anything about them, we ____________________ (expect) them to arrive since
yesterday.
8. Look at you!! What on earth __________ you __________ (do) ?!
9. They ____________________ (finish) their task when the teacher ____________________ (ask) for it.
KEY:
1. Yesterday afternoon Sharon ___went_________________ (go) to the train station to meet Paul. When she ___got________________ (get)
there, Paul was waiting for her. His train __had arrived__________________ (arrive) earlier.
2. I’m out of breath, I _’ve been practicing___________________ (practice) all day. The competition is next week and I _’ve already
registered___________________ (already/register).
3. A: I can’t find my keys, I think somebody _has taken___________________ (take) them.
B: _Have_________ you __looked for________ (look for) them in your bag?
4. Hi, Samantha. I _haven’t seen you ___________________ (not/see) for ages. How are you?
5. We _arrived ___________________ (arrive) at work this morning and __found__________________ (find) that somebody
__had broken__________________ (break) into the office during the night. So we _called__________________ (call ) the police.
6. You should put some boots on. It _’s been raining ___________________ (rain) for days and it’s very muddy outside.
7. We are worried, we _haven’t known ___________________ (not/know) anything about them, we _’ve been expecting___________________
(expect) them to arrive since yesterday.
8. Look at you!! What on earth _have_________ you _been doing_________ (do)?!
9. They _had finished___________________ (finish) their task when the teacher ___asked_________________ (ask) for it.