b. Haven’thasn’t + S + V3 contraction.
Examples: Haven’t I worked?
Haven’t you been ill? Haven’t we gone to Lampung?
Haven’t they eaten breakfast? Hasn’t he been busy?
Hasn’t she arrived?
3. The Usage of the Present Perfect Tense
Betty Schrampfer Azar said “the present perfect expresses the idea that something happened or never happened before now, at an unspecific time in the
past, the exact time it is not important”.
20
She also said “the present perfect also expresses the repetition of an activity before now”.
21
Michael Swan said “when we want to talk about actions or situations, which started in the past and have continued up to the present, we often use the present
perfect to show the connection between past and present”.
22
In a Practical English grammar, A. J. Thomson and A. V. Martinet state that this tense may be said to be sort of mixture of present and past, it is always implies a
20
Betty Schrampfer Azar, Understanding and Using English Grammar, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1989, 2
nd
ed., p. 29
21
Ibid
22
Michael Swan, Practical English Usage, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987, p. 494
strong connection with the present and is chiefly used in conversation, letter, newspaper, and radio reports”.
23
Ruth Pierson and Susan Vik also have their own opinion, they said “the present perfect tense can express actions that a are finished, but do not occur with a
specific past time expression, b started in the past, continued to the present, and are still happening now”.
24
Raymond Murphy said “when we talk about a period of time that continues from the past until now, we use the present perfect”.
25
From those statements above, the writer concludes several usage of present perfect tense as follows:
a. To express past action whose time is not given and not definite.
Examples: I have read the newspaper but I don’t understand them.
Ana has never gone to Africa. b.
To express that an action or event has been repeated. Examples:
We have watched that movie three times She has visited Bandung several times
23
A. J. Thomson and A. V. Martinet, Opcit, p. 166
24
Ruth Pierson and Susan Vik, Making Sense in English Grammar in Context, Boston: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc., 1987, p. 152
25
Raymond Murphy, Opcit, p. 16
c. To express the action finished in the past and still progressing now.
Examples: I have lived in Indonesia since 1983 I still live in Indonesia now
He has been in the army for two years he is still in the army d.
To refer to the present result of an activity or experience in the past. Examples:
I have come to school without my glasses so now I can’t see to read She has finished her works so now she can sit back and rest
Some adverbs that often used in present perfect tense. 1.
Just: to indicate completed activities in the immediate past.
26
Examples: George has just gone out he went out a moment ago
We have just finished breakfast we finished breakfast a few minutes ago 2.
Already: to say something happened sooner than expected.
27
Examples: ‘Don’t forget to post the letter, will you?’
‘I’ve already posted it’ ‘What time is Mark leaving?’
‘He’s already gone’
26
A. S. Hornby, Guide to Patterns and Usages in English, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1975, 2
nd
ed., p. 90
27
Raymond Murphy, Loc.cit.
3. Yet: to show that speaker is expecting something to happen.
28
Use yet only in questions and negative sentences. Examples:
Has it stopped raining yet? I’ve written the letter but I haven’t posted it yet.
4. Lately
Examples: I’ve been very busy lately
She hasn’t been well lately. 5.
Recently Examples:
I’ve seen Mark recently. There have been a lot of changes recently.
28
Ibid.
CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND FINDINGS
A. Research Methodology
1. Method of the Research
In this research, the writer did both the library research and field research. In the library research the writer reads some books, papers, internet, and
other references concerning with the topic he discussed. He also visited some libraries such as UIN library, AMINEF library, and ATMAJAYA library.
In the field research, to make the writer easier in analyzing the data he did the observation and gave the test to the third year students of SMK YAPIA
Pondok Aren.
2. Objective of the Research
To find out what difficulty do they have in learning present perfect tense in terms of the form or the usage.
3. Place and Time
The writer did his research at SMK YAPIA that is located in Jl. K.H. Wahid Hasyim no. 18 Pondok Aren Tangerang. SMK YAPIA has nine classes;
four classes for first year, three classes for second year, and two classes for third year.
