40 min
Perfect forms 1
1 topic
2 tasks
1.
All perfect forms are based on the perfect infinitive.
HAVE + V3
- She has lost her memory. (present perfect)
- They have been living in France for the last year. (present perfect continuous)
- I told him that I had never heard of the place. (past perfect)
- When I went back to the village the house had been pulled down. (past perfect passive)
- We will have finished by tomorrow afternoon. (future perfect)
- I'm sorry to have disturbed you. (perfect infinitive)
- Having seen the film, I don't want to read the book. (perfect participle)
2.
Perfect infinitives
We use Perfect infinitives:
1) After link verbs like seem and appear to refer to a previous time period (an ordinary to-infinitive will usually refer to the present or future):
2) After passive reporting verbs:
3) After phrases expressing emotions and feelings:
4) After modals:
1) After link verbs like seem and appear to refer to a previous time period (an ordinary to-infinitive will usually refer to the present or future):
- There seems to have been some sort of mistake.
2) After passive reporting verbs:
- They are said to have arrived.
- The suspect is reported to have been at home at the time of the incident.
3) After phrases expressing emotions and feelings:
- I'm sorry to have kept you waiting.
- She was felt not to have met the standards required.
4) After modals:
- Who would have thought?
- She might have seen it before.
3.
Perfect participles
When talking about results and time, we can use a Perfect -ing form to emphasise that one thing happens before another:
- I didn’t remember having met her before.
- Having finally grasped what I meant, he got down to work.
4.
Perfect passives
Perfect passives can sometimes be confusing because they involve both be (= passive) and have (= Perfect) as auxiliaries:
- The refugees have been prevented from entering the country.
- This picture is thought to have been painted by a pupil of Rembrandt’s.
5.
Structure variations
HAVE is not the only possible auxiliary for Perfect forms. In some set phrases, we use BE instead.
BE + V3
- Winter is come.
- How soon will you be/have finished, dear?
- I went to get the car from the garage, but they weren't/hadn't finished.
Another structure similar to a perfect form is this:
have/be yet to
- We have/are yet to decide what action to take.
A contracted form is also possible:
- We've yet to decide what action to take.
- We're yet to decide what action to take.
be done Ving = have finished Ving
According to Google, it’s not at all uncommon:
- I have finished working. — 218K results
- I’ve finished working. — 165K results
- I’m done working. — 227K results
- I am done working. — 112K results
6.
Don't overdo Present Perfect!
- It's not as big as I expected. (NOT have expected)
- You're older than I thought. (NOT have thought)
- I never thought he would get a degree. (NOT have never thought)
7.
Present Perfect is quite common in IF/WHEN clauses when you need to emphasise the completion of an action.
- Call me when you have arrived.
- If she has written the report earlier, she'll let you know.
8.
It is the first etc. time sth has happened = sth is happening for the first time
That works with the past too.
- This is the fifth time you've asked me the same question.
- I'm flying to New York tomorrow. It'll be the first time I've travelled by plane.
- That's the third cake you've eaten this morning.
That works with the past too.
- It was the third time he had been in love that year.
- It was the first time that I had heard her sing.
- It was the fifth time she had asked the same question.
- It was only the second opera I had seen in my life.
END OF GUIDE
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