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Present Perfect Summary

Diagnostic

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Quiz 1: beginning – intermediate

Quiz 2: intermediate – advanced 

Present Perfect - "Up to Now"

 

tower of pisa

The Tower of Pisa has been under restoration for ten years.

 

fixing pisa

Engineers have been working to save the Tower of Pisa!

 

visitors to pisa

The Tower has stood in this location since 1350.

I have been standing in line to get into the Tower since 10:00 a.m.

Present Perfect - Experience

 

suitcase on wheels

Have you ever visited Pisa?
I've never visited Pisa.
I haven't ever visited Pisa.

 

You haven't ever been to Pisa?
Yes, I haven't.  

 

camera

An art committee has photographed the entire Tower of Pisa.

They have been organizing 64,000 photographs.

Present Perfect - Relating Past Experience

 

view from pisa tower

The committee has recently made a Quicktime VR from the top of the tower.

 

fixing the lean of pisa

They have already righted the tower by 14 centimeters.

They haven't straightened it yet. In fact, they don't plan to.

 

Present Perfect Practices

pilot

I have been working as a pilot.

I have worked as a pilot.

 

thinking

I spilled my drink on the carpet. I cleaned it up afterwards.  (Done. Finished. I'm not thinking about it anymore.)

You have spilled your drink on the carpet.  (Because the spill remains, it is on my mind.)

 

cold weather

The weather has been cold since the end of November.

The weather was cold in November.

 

tropical island

Mary Morris applied for her passport last month because she will soon be leaving on a trip that she _____ about for many years.

 

Pisa construction workers

"When the tower was closed to the public a decade ago, officials said it would be open again in just a few years. The ambitious plan to stop the tower's increasing tilt has taken far longer than expected, but officials say it is succeeding."

 

Thin Cover Girls

We have been coming to this beach for fifteen years.

We have been coming to this beach since July, 1995.

 

Jaycee

Jaycee (spinned, span, spun?) _____the ball on his finger last night.

 

Jamie

Jamie (let) _____the ball drop in yesterday's final play.

 

jeans

Where did you get those jeans?
Where have you been (for the past few hours)?

 

Wow! He did a backflip!
He has done lots of backflips in his career.