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The Present Perfect vs The Present Perfect Continous Tense Grammar Gameshow

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The Present Perfect vs The Present Perfect Continous Tense Grammar Gameshow

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Will
Hello, and welcome to today's Grammar Gameshow! I'm your host, Will. But I'm no auxiliary! And, of course, let's not forget Leslie, our all-knowing voice in the sky.

Hello, everyone!

Tonight, we're going to ask you three questions about...

Leslie
The present perfect simple and continuous tenses. Yes, those past to present tenses using have plus a past participle!

Will
OK! Now, let's meet our contestants!

Mya
Hi everyone. I'm Mya!

Will
And contestant number two?

Mike
Hi, Will. My name's Mike!

Will
Welcome back Mike. OK! Let's get going. And don't forget you can play along at home too. Question one: True or false? The present perfect continuous has a use that is the same as the present perfect simple.

Mya
True!

Will
Leslie?

Leslie
It is true. Both can be used for an activity which started in the past and continues into the present.

Will
Well done. You score 2 points. And for a bonus 19 points, can you give us an example?

Mya
Errr... I've been working as an accountant for 8 years?

Will
And?

Mya
Err... I've worked as an accountant for 8 years?

Will
Leslie?

Leslie
Yep. Both correct and with the same meaning.

Will
Well done Mya. You score six points.

Mya
But you said...

Will
Question 2: As we have just said, the present perfect simple and continuous can have the same use. However, sometimes the present perfect continuous cannot be used but the present perfect simple can. Why?

Mike
Trick question! They can always be used the same!

Will
Leslie?

Leslie
Nope! Sorry! Because of its continuous form, the present perfect continuous cannot usually be used with state verbs. This means you must use the simple form. Even if you mean continuous.

Will
Mike, if you can give us an example of some state verbs, you can still score.

Mike
Know, need, want?

Will
That'll do nicely! 1 point for you. OK, time for our final question. This one is a picture question. Have a look at this picture, and make two sentences with it; one in the present perfect simple and one in the continuous.

Mya
He's been writing letters for an hour. He's written a number of letters.

Will
Leslie?

Leslie
Absolutely right again. The present perfect simple looks at completed actions, and often counts how many or how much, whereas the present perfect continuous tends to see one action in duration, and cares about how long.

Will
Good job. 33 points to you. Well that brings us to the end of today's Grammar gameshow. Let's count the points. And the winner is... Mya with 37 and a half. Well done! Here's what you've won!

Leslie
It's a toothbrush!

Will
That should help you 'brush up' on your English. We'll see you again next week, where you can play for an even bigger prize. And Mike? You got totally destroyed, didn't you?

Mike
I just wanted to say...

Will
Bring out the venomous snakes. It looks like we'll need another contestant. Thanks for joining us. Say goodbye, Leslie.

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BBC Learning English - Course: The Grammar Gameshow / Unit 1 / Session 5 / Activity 1

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Will Hello, and welcome to today's Grammar Gameshow! I'm your host, Will. But I'm no auxiliary! And, of course, let's not forget Leslie, our all-knowing voice in the sky. Hello, everyone! Tonight, we're going to ask you three questions about... Leslie The present perfect simple and continuous tenses.

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The Present Perfect vs Past Simple Grammar Gameshow

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The Present Perfect vs Past Simple Grammar Gameshow

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Will
Well, hello! And welcome to today's Grammar Gameshow! I'm your host, Will! No, seriously, look, I'm running out of these. You come up with one at home. And of course, let's not forget Leslie, our all-knowing voice in the sky.

Will
Tonight we're going to ask you three questions about...

Leslie
The present perfect simple and past simple tenses.

Will
OK! Now, let's meet our contestants!

Didactica
Hello. I'm Didactica

Will
And contestant number two?

Didactica
It's nice to meet you. I'm Pedantia.

Will
Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but you two are sisters, aren't you?

Pedantia
That's correct.

Didactica
And linguists.

Both
We do everything together.

Will
That was creepy! I guess it's a team game, then! Let's get going and don't forget you can play along at home too. Round one is a 'which tense' round. I'm going to show you some past simple sentences and you're going to decide if they should remain past simple or be changed into the present perfect. Here we go. I cut my finger.

Didactica
How badly?

Will
Does it matter?

Pedantia
Of course! The present perfect is all about the relevance...

Didactica
...or importance of something in the present...

Pedantia
...even if the action is past. If you cut your finger,

Didactica
...but it isn't important to you - maybe it doesn't hurt...

Pedantia
...or doesn't stop you using your hand,

Didactica
then it's past simple. But...

Pedantia
...if you cut your finger...

Didactica
...and you need to go to hospital,

Pedantia
...well, that's a relevant or significant present consequence...

Didactica
...of a past action, so then...

Pedantia
...it's a present perfect.

Pedantia
You need to be...

Will
Oh, I don't know! You cut your finger at an artery, and a six-foot-high fountain of blood is spurting all over the ceiling!

Didactica
...nip then. Probably...

Didactica
...present perfect. I've...

Pedantia
...cut my finger.

Will
The Olympic Games started.

Didactica
Is this being mentioned...

Pedantia
...for the first time?

Didactica
Then it's news.

Pedantia
So, the Olympic Games...

Didactica
...have started. Present perfect...

Didactica
...news. Official, or...

Pedantia
...personal. You could also...

Didactica
...tell people that you've passed...

Pedantia
...your driving test if...

Didactica
...you want to give...

Pedantia
...them a lift for the first time...

Will
Last one, I lived in London for many years.

Didactica
live in London?

Pedantia
Then, I've lived in...

Didactica
London for many years.

Pedantia
Present perfect...

Didactica
...for a continuation or...

Pedantia
...repetition of something...

Didactica
...up to the present.

Will
You're giving me the willies. Leslie, comfort me!

Leslie
The difference between the present perfect simple and past simple is not always easy to understand. Much of it relies on context and what the speaker thinks is important or relevant. The bottom line is, the present perfect is used when past actions or states are important or connected to the present in some way. This could be past actions with present consequences, announcing new information, or the continuation of something from the past to the present. Finally, after we have used the present perfect simple, we switch to the past simple to go into specific detail. Don't forget!

Will
Well done, ladies. Have 11 divided in half. That's one each! Round two. The present perfect is often associated with a number of adverbs. These adverbs spell out J.E.A.N.Y. I want to know what they are.

Pedantia
Just.

Pedantia
Already or Always.

Pedantia
Although, the word genie...

Didactica
...is spelt 'G E N...

Pedantia
...I E' so it would have been...

Didactica
...better to say...

Pedantia
...spell a homophone...

Pedantia
It's just a way of remembering.

Pedantia
...is important.

Didactica
And you forgot...

Will
Alright, yeah, we get it! You know, there's something very eerie about you two. Leslie!

Leslie
Scarily accurate! The present perfect is associated with a number of adverbs, many of which mean 'at some or any time up to now'. A useful way of remembering some of them is to use the mnemonic JEANY! Just, ever, already, never, yet! You could also say JEANYFSLR, with for, since, lately, and recently. But it doesn't have the same ring to it.

Will
Good work. On to our last round, thank goodness. Look at these sentences and tell me if the use of time in each is correct. Have you been to France?

Didactica
The sentence is...

Pedantia
...correct. In these contexts...

Didactica
...when time is not mentioned, the speaker...

Pedantia
...is usually thinking of a period of...

Will
I've last seen John yesterday.

Pedantia
Yesterday is...

Didactica
...finished time...

Didactica
...the present perfect ...

Pedantia
...with finished time...

Didactica
...except in exceptional circumstances.

Leslie
Correct!

Will
Right. Last one. Have you seen John this morning?

Pedantia
What time is it...

Didactica
...in this context?

Didactica
Then the morning...

Pedantia
...is not over. It is...

Didactica
...still this morning...

Pedantia
...so we can use...

Didactica
...the present perfect.

Will
Well, what if it's 3pm?

Didactica
Then the morning...

Pedantia
...is finished and becomes...

Didactica
...finished time.

Leslie
Correct!

Will
Make them stop Leslie.

Leslie
All the hairs on the back of my neck are standing up. The present perfect is often used without a time word. In these cases, the speaker is generally thinking of a time period meaning up to the present. We can also use the present perfect with time periods that are not finished. For example, saying 'I've had a nice day today,' at 8 o'clock at night. If the time word represents a finished time period though, we use the past simple.

Will
Good job, ladies. You certainly know your grammar. Have twelvty points.

Didactica
...a real number.

Will
That is true! But I don't care! That was creepy. And accuracy is your speciality, so release the indescribable whatchamacallit. Freaky-deaky! I probably did the world a favour there. Saved some money on a prize too! And that brings us to the end of today's Grammar Gameshow. Thanks for joining us. Say goodbye, Leslie.

Leslie
Sampai jumpa, Leslie!

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BBC Learning English - Course: The Grammar Gameshow / Unit 1 / Session 30 / Activity 1

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Will Well, hello! And welcome to today's Grammar Gameshow! I'm your host, Will! No, seriously, look, I'm running out of these. You come up with one at home. And of course, let's not forget Leslie, our all-knowing voice in the sky. Will Tonight we're going to ask you three questions about...

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Will
Hello, and welcome to today's Grammar Gameshow! I'm your host, Will! The last document that ever matters! And of course let's not forget Leslie, our all-knowing voice in the sky.

Will
Tonight we're going to ask you three questions about...

Leslie
The past perfect. That useful tense using 'had' and a past participle for talking about the past that's past the past!

Will
OK! Now, let's meet our contestants!

Mark
Hi, Will. My name's Mark!

Will
And contestant number two?

Levington
Hello, everyone. I'm Levington!

Will
Welcome back, Levington. Win this one and you'll be on a par with our last champion, Mya.

Levington
Really?! Where is she now?

Will
Oh, don't worry about her. She's squirreled away somewhere. Ok. Let's get going and don't forget you can play along at home too. Our first round is a find the mistake round. Can you correct the mistake in each of these sentences? I didn't eat by the time I had left home.

Mark
I hadn't eaten by the time I left home.

Will
When I had arrived home, my sister already made lunch.

Levington
When I arrived home, my sister had already made lunch.

Will
I had woken up late because I forgot to set my alarm clock.

Mark
I woke up late because I'd forgotten to set my alarm clock.

Leslie
Good job everyone! The past perfect describes actions that happened before the point in the past that we are currently speaking about. Once a time in the past has been set, it allows us to go back for a moment to a point before that. Events in the past perfect always take place before the past simple or past continuous.

Will
Well done! Have 23 points between you to be divided according to the day of the week and the strength of your personality. Let's have a bonus question. Look at this sentence and tell me how the verb phrase 'had had' should be pronounced.

Mark
I had had a shower.

Will
Sorry... I didn't quite catch that. Try closing one eye and pulling your lips back.

Will
One more time? Maybe hold your arms above your head

Will
One for luck! Just lift your leg. A little higher...higher still.

Will
Totally wrong I'm afraid. And your attempt to distract us with your weird body movements only makes things more embarrassing for you. What a shame. Levington?

Levington
I had had a shower.

Leslie
When 'had' is pronounced as an auxiliary verb, it takes its weak form! If the main verb is also 'had', we pronounce the first one weak and the second one strong. I had had a great time.

Will
15 points for Levington. On to question two! The past perfect is formed with 'had' and a past participle verb, but in which other grammatical structure is the past perfect's form required?

Levington
It's got to be the past perfect continuous! 'Had' plus 'been' plus verbING

Will
A swing and a miss there Levington. Mark, would you like to give it a try?

Will
Are you sure? If Levington had known the answer, he would have got the points!

Mark
A third conditional! It's a third conditional.

Leslie
Well done! The third conditional is used to talk about the possible consequences of past events that didn't happen. Its formula uses the past perfect in the conditional clause. If + had + past participle, would + have + past participle.

Will
Well done! If Levington had given me the answer, I would have given him twenty points. But for you? Three!

Will
On to our last question. The past perfect can also be used to talk about unrealised hopes. In this case, its pronunciation changes significantly. How?

Levington
Isn't the auxiliary verb usually stressed instead of unstressed?

Will
Very good! Can you give me an example?

Levington
I had intended to just do my best, but now I want to beat Mya's record!

Will
Good for you!, Mya was a lot more intelligent than you are...but people love an underdog! Leslie?

Leslie
Well done! The past perfect is often used to express unrealised hopes. Those are things we wanted but didn't happen. Verbs like 'wish', 'hope', 'intend' and 'want' are common in this structure. We also usually stress the auxiliary verb.

Will
Well done Levington. Six points for you. I had hoped that I would be able to sleep the whole night through by now...but the dreams...Papa...Papa...Don't leave papa! Well, that brings us to the end of today's Grammar Gameshow. Let's count out the points. And the winner is... Mark! With fifty-twelve points. Well done! Here's what you've won!

Leslie
It's an expired lightbulb! Very illuminating!

Will
We'll see you again next week, where you can play for another prize. And Levington. So close, but so far. Even though you didn't win, did you do well?

Levington
Well, I had hoped...

Will
Here come the crocodiles. It looks like we'll need another contestant. Thanks for joining us. Say goodbye Leslie.

Leslie
Auf Wiedersehen, Leslie.

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BBC Learning English - Course: The Grammar Gameshow / Unit 1 / Session 14 / Activity 1

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Will Hello, and welcome to today's Grammar Gameshow! I'm your host, Will! The last document that ever matters! And of course let's not forget Leslie, our all-knowing voice in the sky. Will Tonight we're going to ask you three questions about... Leslie The past perfect.

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a) Geçmişte belirli bir andan, tarihten ya da olaydan daha önce olup bitmiş eylemleri anlatmak için kullanılır. Bu zaman için geçmişin geçmişi diyebiliriz.
Yesterday afternoon I was bored, I had done the shopping. I had done the cleaning and I had finished all my assignments, so I decided to go out with my friends.
When I realised I didn't have my keys, I ran back home but by the time I arrived, my flatmate had already left.

b) Geçmişte bir eylem ya da olaydan önce başlamış olan ve bu eylem esnasında hala devam etmekte olan eylemlerden bahsetmek için kullanılır.
My father had worked at the same company for almost twenty years when he decided to retire.

c) Past Perfect Tense ile kullanılan bazı zaman ifadeleri şu şekildedir:
Before + Past Simple, Past Perfect
We had finished our assignment before the bus called us over.
Before she graduated from college, Sue had taken acting lessons.

After + Past Perfect, Past Simple
The war broke out after she had lost her baby.
After they had talked about the plan in detail, they went on the next items on the agenda.

d) Tıpkı Present Perfect Tense gibi superlatives ve ordinal numbers'tan sonra kullanılır.
It is the worst meal I have ever eaten.
It was the worst meal I had ever eaten.
We went to Brazil in 1999. It was the first time we had travelled outside Asia.

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a) Belli bir zaman belirtilmemiş, geçmiş zamanda olmuş eylemleri anlatırken kullanılır. Present Perfect Tense ile kurulan cümleler when sorusuna cevap vermez çünkü olayın ne zaman olduğunun önemi yoktur. Önemli olan eylemin gerçekleşmesidir.
I have bought some new furniture.
I bought some new furniture last week.

b) Bu zamanı geçmişte başlamış, konuşma anında da devam eden eylemlerden bahsederken de kullanırız.
My parents have gone away on holiday, so now it is quiet in the house.

c) Bitmemiş, devam eden zaman diliminde gerçekleşen eylemlerden bahsederken kullanırız.
I haven't heard the alarm this morning.  => Now it is 11.00 in the morning - Hala sabah zaman dilimindeyim.
So far today,  I haven't been able to call my friend as I am very busy with my work. => I am still busy - Gün henüz bitmedi ve hala meşgulüm.

d) Yakın geçmişte olup sonuçları ya da etkileri içinde bulunduğumuz anda devam eden eylemler için kullanılır.
I have burnt myself. => I am in pain now -  Şu anda acı çekiyorum.
I have cleaned the house. => It's clean now. -  Şu anda temiz.

e) Kişinin yaşadığı olayları ve tecrübeleri anlatırken genellikle “ever/never ...  before, once/twice/three times etc” yapılarıyla kullanırız.
I have travelled by boat several times in my life but only on small ones.

f) Bir olayı haber verirken Present Perfect Tense kullanılır.
They have just announced the winner of the election on television.

g) Superlatives (derecelendirme sıfatları) ve ordinal numbers (sıralama sayıları) gibi yapılarla kullanılır.
This is the worst coffee I have ever drunk.
This is the third time I have visited Canada but it is the first time I have travelled by plane.

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The Present Perfect Tense vs The Present Perfect Continous Tense 

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The Present Perfect Tense vs The Present Perfect Continous Tense 

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a) The Present Perfect Continous Tense geçmişte başlamış ve hala devam eden eylemler için kullanılır.
He has an important test tomorrow, so he has been studying all day. He probably won't finish until later tonight.

b) Yeni bitmiş olan ve etkisi hala devam eden genellikle de sebep - sonuç ilişkisi taşıyan eylemlerde kullanılır.
I'm very hungry so I think now that I am home I will make a big dinner. I have been running around all day and have not had time to eat properly.

c) Geçici durumları anlatırken kullanılır.
I have been living with my uncle for three years but I'm going to move into my new apartment tomorrow.

d) Non-progressive fiiller Present Perfect Continous Tense ile kullanılamaz. Fakat wish, want, hope gibi fiiller beklenti olduğunda vurgu yapmak amacıyla kullanılabilir.
I have been admiring  him for a long time X

I have admired him for a long time.

My friend Sam has been knowing me since I was a child. X
My friend Sam has known me since I was a child.
We have been wanting/hoping/wishing/waiting to go on holiday in summer.

e) Sıklık bildiren zarflarla (always, never, sometimes etc) ve eylemin bitmiş olduğunu vurgulayan just, already, yet gibi yapılarla bu zaman kullanılamaz.