Questions tagged [perfect-constructions]
Perfect constructions employ a form of HAVE as an auxiliary and the past participle of a lexical verb to express past events as a current state.
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“I have not been seeing her very often lately”
I have not met her very often lately (that means that I only have seen her once or twice)
BUT if I have seen may be 5 or 6 times can I use
I have not been seeing her very often lately
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auxiliary verb or bare infinitive?
"She might have been waiting for us"
‘Have been waiting’ forms the present perfect progressive tense
‘might’ is a modal verb
The verb that follows modal verbs is suppose to be a bare ...
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past perfect to emphasize a contrast
the Byrds were now a family friends.Joan again
"I remember meeting them inside Ciro's - at first they had seemed older than the english groups.But up close it was clear that they were very young ...
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Is the past perfect continuous really necessary?
I've come across the following sentences in one grammar book. I wonder if it's really necessary to use the past perfect continuous in them?
The original sentences:
It had been raining for several ...
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“I think I threw/have thrown them out.”
I am always confused when it comes to choosing between Simple Past and Present Perfect. So, I am curious are there situations where using either one is OK?
Recently I was watching the TV show "...
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Why present perfect and not simple past in this sentence?
Cold you please help me?
I have tried to find an explanation, but I am stuck.
I watched an interview yesterday. Both people were sitting in a garden and at a certain point the interviewee pointed at a ...
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1answer
23 views
Using the verb “prefer” with the “perfect gerund”
Is it OK to use prefer with the perfect gerund?
I would prefer having travelled by car last month.
I would prefer having been watching TV for the last twenty minutes.
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1answer
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Mixed conditionals in a sentence
If I had won the lottery, I would be travelling the world.
OR
If I had won the lottery, I would have travelled the world.
Which one of these is correct?
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have had to do something (for sometime)
Is it possible to use "have had to do something" in this sentence?
I have had to give him a call for one week now. But I am lingering.
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May/might had done
We can use the structure “may/might have done” to talk about what was possible to happen or the past possibilities:
You might have left your cellphone at work. = Perhaps you have left your cellphone ...
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would have done or had done
I would have appreciated it if my colleagues had done the same for me.
I would have appreciated it if my colleagues would have done the same for me.
Is the second sentence correct?
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Perfect tenses after since
guys!
Can you please explain the use of two perfect tenses in one sentence with 'since'? The sentence is original and is taken from R.J. Palacio's book 'Wonder': "It had been a long time since I'...
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Why “I hadn't noticed” instead of “I didn't notice”/“I haven't notice”?
I see that I hadn't noticed is commonly used by native speakers, more than the pair I didn't notice and I haven't noticed ,in the following example
People are being more careful nowadays, don't you ...
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22 views
“As soon as I earn money, I will get a car”
I have a friend learning English: He said he would usually use, “ As soon as I earn money, I will get a car.”. Yet, someone told him to use, “As soon as I have earnt money, I will get a car.”.
I tried ...
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31 views
Using I've Known With Past Year
Someone wished me a great year on my birthday, and I wanted to reply like that:
Hope it'll be a great year like the past one where I've known such a beautiful inside-outside soul, thanks, dear.
Is ...
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1answer
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Would be or Would have been, and why?
He would be a king, unfortunately he died due to a disease
He would have been a king, unfortunately he died due to a disease
Would be or Would have been, and why?
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are these present perfect a good choice in my text
"My parcel is at last in France!!! unbelievable!" did I say today.
I did not expect to receive it any more, since it was sent 2 months ago. I have thought "It is lost for ever".
...
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Can I use the past perfect without an action described by past simple?
Can I use the past perfect without an action described by past simple?
For example:
Alex: There were people at the cinema?
Me: No, because it had just opened.
Another example
Alex: What had you ...
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39 views
Which tense should l use?
"You are late! I have waited for 20 minutes"
Or
"You are late! I waited for 20 minutes"
We are told if you see "for+ specific time" you should use present perfect so the first one must be true.
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Soon with Past Perfect
Can I use “soon” in the following manner?
I had some garlic at lunch and smelled bad. But thankfully, the smell has soon worn off, and I smell fine now.
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She hoped to have done
I saw a sentence
She hoped to have done
Or a sentence, created with the same structure. I don'tunderstand how it works. Then I saw a full version of it:
She hoped that she had done
So, it's like a ...
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2answers
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It is able to be possible/ She is able to have drunk
If "can" and "be able to" are interchangable sometimes, for example:
She can speak Latin = She is able to speak Latin
Can "be able to" be used instead of "can" in:
She can't have drunk that much ...
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Could have - Would have been able - Could have been able
Is there any difference between:
I could have done it
I would have been able to do it
I could have been able to do it
I think the third one is excessive because it has two the same elements of ...
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Can/Could have done = Can/Could it be so that
I recently saw such a phrase:
I can have done it
Can it be a contraction of
It can be so that I have done it ?
The same with
I could have done it = It could be so that I had done it
Or these ...
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Could have escaped VS Couldn't have escaped
I am stuck with perfect infinitive:
I could have done = I had a posisibility to do but I didn't
Then conversely it should mean
I couldn't have done = I didn't have a posisibility to do but I did it ...
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“Julie has cooked dinner Let's go and eat!” (PrPerf vs PrPerfCont)
Is it OK to use Present Perfect Continuous here, just like with "have you been crying? Your eyes are wet!" (crying-result-tears) ===>"Julie has been cooking, Let's go and eat!"(cooking-result-baked ...
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Difference between “I had already ordered” and “I already ordered”
I forgot that I had already ordered this book when I received it today.
I forgot that I already ordered this book when I received it today.
Think both are correct.
The first means that the order ...
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2answers
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Why can't I use Present Perfect Continuous or vice versa Present Perfect forms in these sentences?
He has traveled so much recently that we have not managed to see each other much and I have met someone else. (why not "has been traveling")
I have been eating
fish and fruit since I got here. (...
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2answers
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Did you notice that I had changed some passages/I changed some passages in my article?
Context: I sent one of my articles to a friend of mine a week ago and yesterday I resent it with some corrections. So, today I am talking to my friend on the phone and ask:
1 - Did you notice that ...
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1answer
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Perfect Forms Of State Verbs
We use perfect to denote our finished,fulfilled actions for example.
I have done my homework
İt implies that the action has been achieved,fulfilled and now my homework is done.
I have been here for ...
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1answer
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is past perfect continuous used in this case to emphasize the cause of something
We did not drink very much at all (one vodka each) but other young people had been drinking heavily all evening. Some of the dancers looked quite drunk.
I don't understand why it is past perfect ...
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hadn’t felt / hadn’t been feeling (in context)
Question with an assignment.
Instructions: Complete the sentences with the correct forms of the verbs in brackets. Use the Past Simple, Past Perfect Simple, Past Perfect Continuous.
Mum ...
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1answer
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“Did you ever go?” or “Have you ever been?”
Which answers would you pick as correct?
Is it possible that both (Did you ever go/ Have you ever been?) are correct?
A: France is the best country I've ever been.
Did you ever go/ Have you ever been?...
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1answer
46 views
We had been dating
I have a friend practicing English. He asked this: "We had been dating for three years before we had married". And, "I have been studying English since I have met Sally":
Are these both usages right?
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1answer
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Can present perfect be used for events occurred long time ago?
I had a discussion with my mate about the usage of present perfect tense, and he raised the point that it can only be used for recent past events. First off, it's illogical, because we can't agree ...
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Present Perfect's explanations vs What it really is?
First of all, I wish to say I'm kind of confused about the explanations for the present perfect and what really is the present perfect. I've came across many sites saying that the Present Perfect is:
...
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“He found the bicycle that he had lost yesterday.” Past perfect with yesterday?
He found the bicycle that he had lost yesterday.
Is this sentence correct? If so, which is the intended meaning:
He lost the bicycle yesterday and he found it after that.
He lost the bicycle ...
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1answer
406 views
Understanding “haven’t got very far” in this sentence
When I saw this sentence, there seems to be something weird to me. I got this sentence from Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries, entry number 17.
I haven't got very far with the book I'm reading.
'Got' ...
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1answer
52 views
When + Past Perfect
Does Past Perfect sound good here?
This sentence is from the book, but I am not sure why we need Past Perfect here. It would make more sense to use Past Simple there.
He must, he thought, have ...
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2answers
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What is the origin of perfect continous?
I know we use present perfect tense for past actions which have present effects. We use it for unfinished actions which started in the past and still continuing as well. I have observed that we use ...
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2answers
275 views
Correct error in perfect tense
I'm self-studying English and in an exercise I'm asked to correct the errors in perfect tense of a series of sentences. One of them is the following
Supposing they would have got married, wouldn't ...
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1answer
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“Since they partnered up they have made a lot of money”
Since they partnered up they have made a lot of money.
Or should it be
Since they had partnered up they have made a lot of money.
because first they partnered up and only then they have made a ...
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1answer
307 views
Present Perfect Tense with State Verbs
Can I use the Present Perfect SIMPLE with State Verbs like “Thought” and “Know”? Like, for example, “I’ve thought you were my friend” and “I’ve known she was nice.” Can I use it? If I can’t, why?
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Using present perfect continuous
One of the uses of present perfect continuous is:
One continuing event
We use the present perfect continuous for a single activity that began at a point in the past and is still continuing:
...
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1answer
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Past Perfect tense in “if clause” type 3
"If he had come here yesterday at 5 p.m., he might have seen his sister."
What does this sentence mean and which situation do I imagine with this sentence?
Do I imagine the situation that he came ...
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1answer
50 views
“If” Clause, Type 3, and Perfect Tense
"If he had come yesterday, he might have seen his sister."
This sentence implies he didn't come yesterday and didn't see his sister.
"If he has come YESTERDAY, he may have seen his sister."
İ ...
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Which version of the word “dry” is suitable to question about the next step of instructions
Which one of these sentence is correct?
1) What do we need to do after we have dry our body?
2) What do we need to do after we have dried our body?
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Tenses in English
Sandra finds her mobile phone very useful.
She uses it all the time
She has been using it all the time.
Which one is correct in the second sentence? Please tell me!
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1answer
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“be in love” vs. “fall in love” in a perfect construction
Which one is correct grammatically?
I've been in love with you ever since I saw you
I've fallen in love with you ever since I saw you
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1answer
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Grammaticality and past perfect tense
Let's say there are two summers. Summer of 2012, summer of 2011. And summer of 2012 was bad time, whereas the summer of 2012 is the best summer I've had.
Now, if I put it this way.
"I knew that ...
