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B. Kinds of Tense
Based on Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English defines, “from structural point of view, English verbs are inflected for only two tense:
present and past”
4
In her book “Modern English: A Practical Reference Guide” Marcella Frank points out,
“there are three past tenses and two future tenses. Note further that the past perfect is tied in time to the past tense, the present perfect
to the present tense, and the future perfect to the future tense”.
5
So, if simple and compound tense are mixed together, there are twelve kinds of tenses. They are: simple present, simple past, simple future, present
progressive, past progressive, future progressive, present perfect, past prefect, future perfect, present perfect progressive, past perfect progressive, and future
perfect progressive.
C. Present Prefect Tense
1. The Meaning of Present Prefect tense
Present perfect tense, in Oxford Learner’s Pocket Dictionary defined as verb which expresses an action done in a time period up to the
present, formed in English with havehas and past participle.
6
Raymond Murphy said: “When we talk about a period of time that continues up to the present, we use the present
perfect”.
7
4
Douglas Biber, et.al., Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English, Harlow: Pearson Education limited, 1999, P.453
5
Marcella Frank, Modern English: A Practical Reference Guide, P.66
6
Oxford Learner’s Pocket Dictionary, New York: Oxford University Press, 2009, new ed., p. 347
7
Raymond Murphy, English Grammar in Use With Answer. Cambridge :Cambridge University Press, 1985, p. 28
9
From two definitions above, the writer concludes that present perfect tense can be defined as an action occurred in the past which are
completely finished but still have connection to the present or future.
2. The Form of the Present Perfect Tense.
There are many tenses in English grammar; one of them is present perfect tense. There are some definitions about present perfect tense such
as follows: According to Betty Schrampfer Azar in Fundamentals of English
Grammar
pointes out that “The basic form of the present perfect: have or has + the past participle.
Use have with I, you, we, they, or plural noun e.g., Students. Use has with she, he, it, or a singular noun e.g., Jim.
With pronouns, have is constructed to apostrophe + ve „ve and has to
apostrophe + s „s”.
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a. Affirmative
To make affirmative statement, we use the following formula : S + havehas + Past participle + …
Example:
8
Betty S. Azar, Fundamental of English Grammar, Jakarta: Binarupa Aksara, 1993, edisi dwibahasa, second edition, p. 161
10
Subject Have has
Past participle
I Have
Watched The movie
We Have
Played Volleyball
They Have
Eaten Sarkiyah
Has Finished
Her study Zakaria
Has moved
Since 1 p.m.
To make an affirmative statement, we use the following formula : S + havehas + been
+ Past participle + … Example:
Subject Havehas been
I Have
been At school
Since a.m.
We Have
been here
For three day
They Have
been To Malaysia
This weekend
Sarkiyah Has
been To museum
This holiday
Zakaria Has
been In hospital
Since thursday According A.J. Thomson and A.V. Martinet
said: “the present perfect tense is formed with the present tense of have + the past
participle ”
9
.
9
A.J. Thomson and A.V. Martinet, A Practical English Grammar London: Oxford University Press, 1986, p. 165
11
Present perfect tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb havehas and the present participle form of the main verb havehas+ regular or
irregular verb and it’s commonly accompanied by definite time words such as since and for.
b. Negative
To make a negative statement, we use the following formula S + havehas + not + Past participle + …
Example:
Subject Havehas
Not Past
participle
I Have
Not Watched
The movie We
Have Not
Played Volleyball
They Have
Not Eaten
Sarkiyah Has
Not Finished
Her study Zakaria
Has Not
moved Since 1 p.m.
To make a negative statement, the verb be, we use the following formula:
S + have has + not + been + .......
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Example:
Subject Havehas not
been
I Have
Not
been At school
Since a.m.
We Have
Not
been here
For three day
They Have
Not
been To Malaysia
This weekend
Sarkiyah Has
Not
been To museum
This holiday
Zakaria Has
Not
been In hospital
Since thursday
c. Interrogative
To make an interrogative statement of verb other than be we put havehas before the subject. The following formula:
Havehas + Subject + Past participle +…?
Example:
Havehas Subject
Past participle
Have I
Watched The movie?
Have We
Played Volleyball?
Have They
Eaten Meatball?
Has Sarkiyah
Finished Her study?
Has Zakaria
moved Since 1 p.m.?
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To make an interrogative statement of verb be, we use the formula:
Havehas + Subject + .......?
Example:
Havehas Subject
been
Have
I been
At school Since 7 a.m.
Have
We been
here For three days?
Have
They been
To Malaysia This weekend?
Has
Sarkiyah been
To museum This holiday?
Has
Zakaria been
In Hospital Since Thursday?
To make an interrogative statement of verb other than be, we
use the formula: Haven’thasn’t + Subject + past participle + .........?
Example:
Havehas Subject
Past participle Have
n’t I
Watched The movie?
Have n’t
We Played
Volleyball Have
n’t They
Eaten Meatball
Has n’t
Sarkiyah Finished
Her study Has
n’t Zakaria
Moved Since 1 p.m.?
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To make an interrogative negative statement of verb be, we put has before the subject. The formula is:
Havehas + Subject + Past participle + .....?
Example:
Havehas Subject not
been
Have
I
Not
been At school
Since 7 a.m.?
Have
We
Not
been here
For three
days?
Have
They
Not
been To Malaysia This weekend?
Has
Sarkiyah
Not
been To museum
This holiday?
Has
Zakaria
Not
been In Hospital
Since May?
3. The Usage of Present Perfect tense
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