Form the perfect verb tenses
Key Notes :
The perfect tense usually describes completed actions. It describes something that has, had, or will have happened. To form the perfect tense, use a form of the helping verb to have with the past participle of the main verb. For most verbs, the past participle is the same as the past-tense form.
The present perfect tense describes something that has happened or has started already. It uses a present-tense form of the helping verb to have (has or have).
The airplane has arrived at the gate already.
John and Erica have played the violin for five years.
The past perfect tense describes something that had happened before something else. It uses the past-tense form of the helping verb to have (had).
We had finished dinner by the time Tim arrived.
The future perfect tense describes something that will have happened by a certain point in the future. It uses the future-tense form of the helping verb to have (will have).
The race will have started by noon tomorrow.
Learn with an example
š„Complete the sentence with the present perfect form of the verb.
- Oliver and Isla ______(visited) us in Chennai several times.
The sentence should be completed in the present perfect tense.
The subject is Oliver and Isla, so use the helping verb have with the past participle of the main verb, visit.
Oliver and Isla have visited us in Chennai several times.
š„Complete the sentence with the present perfect form of the verb.
- The carnival _______(close)for the winter.
The sentence should be completed in the present perfecttense.
The subject is the carnival, so use the helping verb has with the past participle of the main verb, close.
The carnival has closed for the winter.
š„Complete the sentence with the present perfect form of the verb.
- My friends ______(persuade) me to join the swimming team.
The sentence should be completed in the present perfecttense.
The subject is my friends, so use the helping verb have with the past participle of the main verb, persuade.
My friends have persuaded me to join the swimming team.
Let’s practice!
