1

Simple Past,
Present Perfect, and
Present Perfect Progressive

Adventure Travel

Focus on Grammar 4
Part I, Unit 3
By Ruth Luman, Gabriele Steiner, and BJ Wells
Copyright © 2006. Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Adventure Travel Ad

Are you looking for a little adventure in

your life? Travel with me to beautiful
Colorado. I’m an experienced river rafting
and rock climbing guide. I’ve been
guiding adventure travelers in this area for
10 years. In fact, last year, I took 30 trips
down the Colorado River. Oh, and don’t
worry about safety. I’ve also taken a
number of first aid and safety courses. No
one has ever broken any bones on my
trips!
 Simple Past 1
Use the simple past to talk about things that happened
and were completed in the past.

I rafted down the Nile River a year ago.

I kayaked in the Grand Canyon for two months.
rafted

past future
kayaked

Use ago to show now

when something
He’s not
started.
kayaking now.
 Simple Past 2

Use the simple past with past time expressions.

lastyear.
We trekked through the Andes Mountains last year.
ago.
He backpacked in Peru two months ago.

past future

ed ked
kk a c
tre p
a ck now
b
 Present Perfect 1
Use the present perfect without time expressions to talk
about things that happened at some indefinite time in the
past (time is not stated and important.)

They have canoed down the Amazon River.

time ????

past future

We don’t know when they now

canoed down the river, or the
time is not important.
 Present Perfect 2
Use the present perfect to talk about things that
started in the past, but were not completed (with for
or since.)

I have guided travelers for 10 years.

She has taught English since 2006.

past future
have guided

These things continue up to the now

present and may continue into the
future.
 Present Perfect 2
Since + a point of time to show when a present
condition started.

since noon.
since Wednesday.
since April.
I have worked here since 2006.
since May 9, 2007.
since yesterday.
since last week.
 Present Perfect 2
For + a length of time to show how long a
present condition has been true.

for fifty minutes.

for five hours.
for ten days.
I have worked here for about six weeks.
for almost two months.
for many years.
for a long time.
 Present Perfect 2
It’s more common to put the expression with
for and since at the end of the sentence.

e.g. He has lived in London since 2004.

e.g. Since 2004, he has lived in London. .
 Present Perfect 3
The present perfect without for or since shows that an
activity is finished. We often say how many or how
many times with this use of the present perfect.

He has visited Machu Picchu three times.

three times.

past future

now
 Present Perfect 3
Once/twice/three times/many times/several times

e.g. I have been to France twice.

e.g. She has eaten Indian food many times.
 Present Perfect 4
We sometimes use the Present Perfect with adverbs of time such as
‘already, yet, ever, never, just, lately, and recently’ to show
something happened at an indefinite time in the past.

-She has never been to London.

-The students have just finished their homework.
-Have you ever seen an elephant?
-I have already gone to the supermarket.
-I haven’t had lunch yet.
-Have you seen Lea lately?
-He has started to watch food shows recently.
 Present Perfect or Simple Past

Use the Present Perfect or Simple Past with time

expressions for unfinished time periods (today, this week,
etc.) to show if things might happen again.

-Use the Present Perfect for things that might

happen again in that time period.
e.g. She has written three blog posts this week. (The
week isn’t over. She might write another post.)

-Use the Simple Past for things that probably won’t

happen again in that period.
e.g. She wrote three blogs this week. (The week isn’t
over, but she won’t write another post.)
 Present Perfect or Simple Past

This morning, this afternoon, and this evening can refer to

either finished or unfinished time. Use the Simple Past if
the time period is finished.

-I have had three cups of coffee this morning.

(It’s still morning.)

-I had three cups of coffee this morning.

(It’s now afternoon.)
 BE CAREFUL!!
The Present Perfect with for has a very different
meaning from the Simple Past with for.

-He has taught a cooking class for six

months.
(He is still teaching the class.)

-He taught a cooking class for six months.

(He no longer teaches the class.)
 Present Perfect Progressive
The present perfect progressive shows that an
activity is unfinished. We often say how long with the
present perfect progressive.

forfive
They have been climbing for fivehours.
hours.

for five hours

past future
have been climbing

now
The activity is not finished.
They’re still climbing.
 Present Perfect
Progressive
Use ‘since and for’ and a time expression:

for + a length of time to show how long a present

condition has been true.
since + a point of time to show when a present
condition started.
***After since, we can use a sentence in Simple
Past Tense to show when the action started.

-She has been studying there since she graduated

from high school.
Present Perfect Progressive
We can use both the present perfect and the present
perfect progressive to talk about things that started in
the past, but were not completed (with for or since.)

I have guided travelers my entire career.

I have been rock climbing for 10 years.

past future
have guided
have been rock climbing

These things continue up to the now

present and may continue into the
future.
 We often use verbs of duration such as ‘live,
teach, wear, work, and study.’

-I have lived in my apartment for three months.

-I have been living in my apartment for three
months.
-She has worked hard for weeks.
-She has been working hard for weeks.
-She has studied in New York for two years.
-She has been studying there since she
graduated from high school.
 Remember!
Non-action (stative) verbs are not usually used in the
progressive.

I’ve been knowing how to rock

climb since I was young.

I’ve known how to rock climb

since I was young.
 BE CAREFUL!!
Time expressions such as ‘for the past week, for the last two months,
and for the past ten years’ show that something started in the past
but was not completed. Use the Present Perfect Tense or Present
Continuous Tense. Do not use the Simple Past.

-I have taken classes here for the past three

years.
NOT I took classes here for the past three years.

-She has been cooking dinner for the last hour.

NOT She cooked for the last hour.
 The Present Perfect Continuous is never used
to talk about recently finished actions.

-She has read that book.

(She recently finished the book.)
-She has been reading that book.
(She is still reading the book.

-Susan has mopped the floor.

(recently finished)
-Susan has been mopping the floor for 15 minutes.
(not finished yet)
 Fill in the blanks with the simple

Practice 1 past, present perfect, or present

perfect progressive forms of the
verbs in parentheses.

Dear Mom and Dad,

have sat/have been sitting
I (sit) ____________________________ here for
hours looking at the beautiful birds in the rain forest. This
has beenwonderful!
vacation to Brazil (be) ____________
have seen so many amazing animals since I
I (see) ____________
hiked
arrived here. Last week, I (hike) _______________
through the forest to see the tree monkeys. Our guide on
told us some very interesting
that trip (tell) ___________
have learned/have
information. I (learn) ___________________
been learning so much on this trip!
________________

Love, Daniela
 Look at the groups of sentences.
Practice 2 Discuss the differences in
meaning with a partner.

Example: a. I have
have visited
visited Kenya three times this year.
b. I visited Kenya three times this year.

1. a. I have taken many first-aid courses.

b. I have been taking many first-aid courses.
The year isn’t
The year isn’t
over, but the
2. a. She rafted down the Nile River last week. use of the
over. The use
of the present
simple past
b. She
perfect meanshas rafted down the Nile River. means that she
that she might
3. a. again
We lived in Nepal for two years. probably won’t
return to
return to
Kenya.
b. We have lived in Nepal for two years. Kenya.

c. We have been living in Nepal for two years.

 References

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education and

its licensors. All rights reserved.