Present Perfect Tense

Uses of Present Perfect Tense

Use Case 1: Completed activities

We use Present Perfect to indicate completed activities in the immediate past (i.e. recently finished)

Here we also use some adverbs like, just, recently etc.

She has come to Canada recently.

He has just finished it.

Use Case 2

We use Present Perfect to denote an action beginning at some time in the past and continuing up to the present moment.

Here we often use since-phrases and for-phrases (prepositional phrases working as adverb phrases).

I have known her for a long time.

She has been ill since last week.

Use Case 3

We use Present Perfect to express past actions whose time is not given and not definite (because the action is important and not the time of action).

India has developed a lot. (Here, action of development is important not the time of development)

My uncle has been to Berlin. (been - main verb)

Have you read ‘Fountainhead’?

Use Case 4: Give new information

We often use Present Perfect to give new information or to announce a recent happening.

Don’t go further. There has been a landslide.

Detectives have arrested two suspects involved in recent terrorist attacks.

Use Case 5

Present Perfect suggests some kind of connection between the past and the present time. It helps us showcase how something that happened in the past affects the situation that exists now (i.e. we get to know the consequences).

I have completed my homework so that I can watch the match.

We can’t go ahead with the proposal, because very few members have supported it.

I have seen a snake under the carpet. Come quickly!

Different Sentence structures of the Present Perfect tense

We use the following helping verbs in present perfect tense (depending on person and number of subject):

Structure of Declarative sentences

Affirmative Declarative Sentences

Pattern: Subject + has/have + $V_3$ + Object

Aanya has gone to college.
They have gone to college.  

Negative Declarative Sentences

Pattern: Subject + has/have + not + $V_3$ + Object

Aanya has not gone to college.
They have not gone to college.

Structure of Interrogative sentences

Affirmative Interrogative Sentences

Pattern 1: Has/Have + Subject + $V_3$ + Object?

Has Aanya gone to college?
Have they gone to college?

Pattern 2: Wh. family + has/have + Subject + $V_3$ + Object?

Why has Aanya gone to college?
Why have they gone to college? 

Negative Interrogative Sentences

Pattern 1a: Has/Have + Subject + not + $V_3$ + Object?
Pattern 1b: Hasn’t/Haven’t + Subject + $V_3$ + Object?

Has Aanya not gone to college?
Haven’t they gone to college?

Pattern 2a: Wh. family + has/have + Subject + not + $V_3$ + Object?
Pattern 2b: Wh. family + hasn’t/haven’t + Subject + $V_3$ + Object?

Why has Aanya not gone to college?
Why haven’t they gone to college? 

Extra Books and Tools

If you prefer to learn via books, or want some good English Grammar books for reference purposes, you may read this article which enlists some of the books recommended by us.