PAST TENSE VS PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

Objectives

Understand the distinctions between simple past and present perfect

Learn about it!

Welcome to study English, in this series we will study about Present Perfect Tense. Lets watch the video!

Link video camping

Miss Carol	:	OK everyone, this is your biggest challenge yet.
Jess	:	A day when we mustn't argue?
Miss Carol	:	No, no. The challenge will take longer than a day. A day and a night in fact. You're going to go camping.
Debbie	:	Camping!
Pete	:	Wicked! Are you coming too, Miss?
Miss Carol	:	No. You have to plan the trip yourselves, and go on it yourselves, too. You're going to be on your own.
Jess	:	Right, I've written out everything we need for the camping trip. I've listed the things you need for yourself and then some stuff for you to bring for all of us.
Debbie	:	Baked beans? I hate those.
Pete	:	Never mind, Debbie, I love them. You're bringing them for me!
Joel	:	There's loads of stuff here. Do we really need it all, Jess? I've got hardly any money at the moment.
Pete	:	OK, then, you can sell your guitar! No, seriously, you can borrow some money from me. But I want it back, though.
Jess	:	It's really important to be prepared. We don't want anything to go wrong.
Jess	:	Joel, Joel, hi! Have you got everything on your list yet?
Joel	:	Not yet. Give me a chance!
Jess	:	How are you getting on with the camping list, Debbie?
Debbie	:	Um, OK. What about you?
Jess	:	Oh, I've finished mine. All done!
Jess	:	Pete! Have you got everything on your list?
Pete	:	List? What list?
Jess	:	Pete!
Pete	:	No, only joking. Don't worry. I'm going to get everything together tonight.
Miss Carol	:	I'm going to take you all to the campsite and then leave you. You'll be on your own, OK?
Jess	:	Let's just check we've got everything before we go.
Joel	:	No. Not again, Jess.
Debbie	:	Eurgh, my feet are all wet.
Joel	:	Put your boots on.
Debbie	:	I didn't bring any.
Jess	:	hey were on your list.
Debbie	:	I forgot them, OK.
Jess	:	I said let's check everything, but no one wanted to.
Debbie	:	Oh be quiet, Jess. Ouch!
Jess	:	Oi! Help me get this back up. Can you guys light the fire?
Pete	:	No problem. Have you got the matches?
Joel	:	Jess, have you got the matches?
Jess	:	No but they were on someone's list.
Debbie	:	I didn't bring any.
Pete	:	I didn't either.
Joel	:	Nor me.
Jess	:	I don't believe it!
Pete	:	Oh come on, Jess. Calm down. I know things are going wrong, but we can still have fun.
Joel	:	Yeah, let's ask the farmer for some matches.
Pete	:	I'm on my way!
Pete	:	It's a good thing the farmer had some matches.
Debbie	:	And some milk!
Joel	:	And a tin opener! We're really bad campers, aren't we?
Jess	:	No, you're not.
Debbie	:	That's right, we're not. We're still here, aren't we?

“To be continue”  

Right, I've written out everything we need for the camping trip. I've listed the things you need for yourself and then some stuff for you to bring for all of us.

The above sentences (*red color) are use Present Perfect Tense

Present Perfect Tense is used to express an event that started in the past and the impact of the event is now continuing (or a long-running event that started in the past and is still going on). This tense is used to express actions completed recent past. In this tense, it is important whether the event occured or not. ( or the result of the event is important, not the time of the event )

The Present Perfect Tense is formed by putting “to have  ( have or has )” before the past participle of the verb.

POSITIVE FORM (+) :  Subject ( I, YOU, WE, YOU, THEY ) + HAVE + V3 ( third form of main verb – past participle )

Subject ( HE, SHE, IT ) + HAS + V3 ( third form of main verb – past participle )

NEGATIVE FORM (-) : Subject ( I, YOU, WE, YOU, THEY ) + HAVE  + NOT + V3 ( third form of main verb – past participle )

Subject ( HE, SHE, IT ) + HAS + NOT + V3 ( third form of main verb – past participle )

QUESTION FORM (?) : HAVE  + Subject ( I, YOU, WE, YOU, THEY ) + V3 ( third form of main verb – past participle )

HAS + Subject ( HE, SHE, IT ) + V3 ( third form of main verb – past participle )

USE OF PRESENT PERFECT TENSE:

1. Present Perfect Tense is used to express an action that happened at an unspecified time in the past and the impact of the event is now continuing.

( Finished Actions —-Past Event & Present Result )

Examples:

She has lost her wallet ( She can’t find it )

We can’t reach Paul by phone. Have you seen him?

Tom isn’t at school. I think he has gone to the theater.

My sister has broken her arm. Her arm is still broken.

2. Present Perfect Tense is used to express an action that ended recently. We often use words like “just” or “recently” for the events taking place a very short time before now.

( Recent Completed Actions )

Examples:

I have just finished my project.

My mother has just cleaned the house.

We have recently eaten dinner.

3. Present Perfect Tense is used to talk about unfinished actions or states or habits that started in the past and continue to the present. In such sentences, it is emphasized that how long the action has continued. So we usually use ‘since’ or ‘for’ to express “how long”.  We often use stative verbs / non-continuous verbs / mixed verbs in such sentences).

( Unfinished Actions / Duration from Past until Now )

Examples:

The student has studied maths for three months.

I have lived in Paris for five years.

My son has been sick since Monday.

He has worked in Berlin since he graduated from the university.

She haven’t been calm since the accident.

Teachers have thought this subject for hours.

They have had many cars since I can remember.

4. Present Perfect Tense is used to express repeated actions in an unspecified time between the past and now. 

( Repeated or Multiple Actions at Different Times )

Examples:

We have watched that movie three times.

I have seen David several times.

She have had six exams so far this semester.

They have called him four times this month.

5. Present Perfect Tense is used when we talk about life experiences.

( Life Experiences )

Examples:

I have been to England in my life. 

Have you ever eaten Sushi before?

We have never tried to invent something new. 

6. Present Perfect Tense is used when we talk about accomplishments.

( Accomplishments )

Examples:

My father has spoken five languages.

Scientists have found a new way to get cancer cells to self-destruct.

Man has walked on the Moon. 

7. Present Perfect Tense is used when we talk about changes that has occurred over periods of time.

( Changes Over Time )

Examples:

Our english has improved a lot when we moved to England.

Her behavior and attitudes have changed a lot since you last saw her.

I have become more interested in medical issues.

For Differences Between Present Perfect Tense and Simple Past Tense click here

For Differences Between Present Perfect Tense and Present Perfect Continuous Tense click here

Attention 1:

1. “Present Perfect Tense” is used with “an unfinished time word ( this week, today, etc. )“. The period of time is still continuing. 

Examples:

We haven’t called him this week. 

I have eaten lots of plumps today.

They have had several tests this month.

2.“Present Perfect Tense” is not used with “a finished time word ( yesterday, last week, etc. )“. In such sentences, we use “Simple Past Tense”

Examples:

I haven’t seen you yesterday. ( wrong )                         * I didn’t see you yesterday. ( correct )

We have finished the project last week. ( wrong )      *  We finished the project last week. ( correct )

He has bought a new house last year. ( wrong )          * They bought a new house last year. ( correct )

Attention 2:

We often use the present perfect with some time adverbials ( adverbs of time ). Some of them are mentioned here. 

1. “Since”  is used with a point ( previous point ) in time in the past.

Examples:

  Since last week / month / year / summer, etc.

  Since one o’clock / two o’clock / six o’clock, etc. 

  Since  Sunday, Monday, Friday, etc.

  Since April, June, January, etc. 

  Since 1950, 1999, 2017, etc

  Since they moved / we talked to him, etc.

2. “For” is used with a period of time in the past, present or future.

Examples:

  For one minute / ten minutes, etc.

  For  two hours / five hours, etc.

  For a day, four days, six days, etc.

  For three weeks, seven weeks, etc.

  For two months, three months, etc.

  For five years, ten years, etc.

  For hours, more than a week, ages, a couple of months, etc.

3. “Already” is used to emphasise that something was completed before something else happened. It is also used to show surprise about things that have happened or will have happened earlier than we expected. It usually comes between the auxiliary verb ( have or has ) and the main verb.

( We use “already” in affirmative ( positive ) sentences and questions but not usually in negative sentences )

Examples:

  She has already come.

  The plane has already landed.

  I have already done it.

  Have you already written to John?

  Has the train already left?

4. “Yet” is used to refer to a time which starts in the past and continues up to the present. It usually comes at the end of a sentence.

( We use “yet” mostly in negative sentences and questions but not usually in positive sentences )

Examples:

   It hasn’t stopped snowing yet.

   They haven’t opened it yet.

   Have they arrived yet?

   Has she driven her new car yet?

5. “Just” is used to refer to a short time before the moment of speaking.  It usually comes between the auxiliary verb ( have or has ) and the main verb.

(We use “just” in affirmative ( positive ) sentences and questions)

Examples:

   We have just decided to sell our car.

   The plane has just arrived.

   Have they just left?

6. “Ever” is used to refer to at any time. It usually comes between the auxiliary verb ( have or has ) and the main verb.

(We use “ever” mostly in questions)

Examples:

   Have you ever met her?

   Have you ever cooked cheesecake?

   Have you ever heard this sound?

7. “Never” is used to refer to not at any time. It usually comes between the auxiliary verb ( have or has ) and the main verb.

(We use “never” in negative sentences ( negative meaningful ))

Examples:

   I have never been to America.

   We have never heard anything so stupid.

   She has never flown in a plane before

PAST TENSE

In the previous lesson, you have learned about simple past tense and past continuous tense. Now in this lesson, you will learn how to use those tenses in a conversation. However, before that let’s review what you have learned. Do you still remember when do we use simple past tense or past continuous tense in English?

Simple past tense is used to tell an event that happened in the past. For example: “My mother made a cake.” Past continuous is also used to tell an event that happened in the past, but it happened at a particular time. For instance: “I was doing my homework.” It means that I was doing my homework at a particular time in the past or in a specific time in the past I was doing my homework. That was how you say a statement in past tense.

Now, when you want to say the interrogative sentence, how do you use the tenses? How do you ask people using the past tense? In order to answer those questions, you need to listen to the following dialogue between Silva and Hera. They talk about their holiday experience.

Pay attention to how Silva asked Hera about her holiday. Silva asked Hera “what did you do during your holiday?, Did you go somewhere?, What did you do there?”

When asking someone about their past experience, you use ‘did’ and the verb is not in its past form, but it comes back to its present form. For instance, in the example above the verb is ‘do’ and ‘go’. How so?

Because the interrogative sentence (the sentence that you use to ask the question) in past tense requires the auxiliary verb ‘did’ in order to indicate past tense. So, if there is an auxiliary verb ‘did’, you do not have to use the past form of a verb, you use ‘did’ and present form of a verb instead. Here are other examples for you:

Where did you go?

What did you bring?

How did you get there?

Now let’s pay attention to the response said by Hera to Silva. In order to respond to Silva’s question, Hera said “Yes, actually I went to Bandung with my family.” Since Silva asked her using simple past tense, the answer must be in simple past tense as well.

To answer a question using past tense, the pattern is more or less the same with the pattern of simple past tense that we have already learnt before. ‘Went’ is the past form of ‘go’. This sentence indicates that Hera told Silva about the event that happened in the past.

Silva: Did you go somewhere? (did + Verb1)

Hera: Yes, actually I went to Bandung with my family. (Verb2)

Now, listen again to another conversation.

In the dialogue, the teacher asks Lili about her holiday by asking “So, did you go somewhere on your last holiday?” This phrase can be used when you want to ask people about their holiday experience. You can also use “How was your holiday? / “Where did you go last holiday?” or else.

From the dialogue, we can also find out Lili’s response to the teacher’s question about her holiday. In order to response to the question about her holiday experience, Lili says “it was fun”. This sentence can be used to tell people about your experience. You can also use the following expressions as your choice.

It was great.

Not so bad/good.

It was wonderful/amazing/good.

Now, can you tell find out what type(s) of tense(s) are used in the dialogue? What are they?

Here is the transcript of the previous dialogue. Try to identify which sentences that use past tense.

Short Instructions and Procedures

Objectives

Basic Competence: Understanding and responding the meanings as well as the rhetorical steps in a text using accurate, fluent and acceptable expressions in social and academic contexts in form of: short instruction and procedures.

Learn about it!

You will learn about the kinds of texts, specifically short instruction and procedures, and how to comprehend the meaning through reading.

Short Instructions

Short instructions is the type of functional texts containing sets of orders, directions, or instructions; something that has to be or not to be done.A short instruction can be a prohibition, invitation, short message, shopping list, notice, announcement, et cetera. Here, we are going to focus on discussing about short instructions.

According to its definition, an instruction is something that someone tells you to do; it contains some advice and information about how to do or use something. Often, short and clear instructions are more preferable in order to make the person who is given the instructions understand it clearly.

You may often encounter short instructions in your daily life. For instance, your teacher may give short instructions in class such as “should you have any questions, raise your hand”, or your parents say “tidy up your room” at home. But, have you ever heard about ‘Scavenger Hunt’?

A scavenger hunt is an outside game in which the participants will get a list of instructions—sometimes in riddles, and usually to collect or to find some items, often specific and unusual items.

The participants can be either individuals or teams, and the ones who finish and collect all the instructions given will get a prize. Look at the set of instructions below to complete your scavenger hunt!

Short Instructions

As you have studied earlier, a procedure text explains how to do, how to make, or how to use something. The diversity of ideas being presented in the texts ranges from simple procedures such as ‘how to make pancakes’ to complex procedures such as ‘how to defuse a bomb’. The aim of this text is to inform the readers on how to do or how to make something. The order is commonly divided into several steps.
The structure of a procedure text

·         There is a clear aim about what to make or to produce, it is usually stated in the title of the text;

·         There is a list of required ingredients, tools, or material needed to have the aim accomplished;

·         The steps are presented in an orderly clear explanation.

The language features of a procedure text

·         The present tense is used

·         Action verbs are used to make the clear idea of the necessary steps

·         Adverbs are often used in to make the steps clearer, such as “slowly”, “gently”, etc.

*Connectives are also used to make the sequence understood better.
Look at an example of a procedure text below.

Keypoints

So, we can conclude that a procedure text can be a set of instructions or directions to show steps or stages. The procedure begins with an aim or goal then followed be materials needed, and the steps of how to do such activity.

Understanding songs (theme: Movie Soundtrack)

Objectives

Understand the message that is conveyed through the song

Learn about it!

People say that music is a universal language.

No matter where you come from or what your native language is, music is something that we can always relate to with people from all over the world. It is also a good and fun way to learn a language. This time you are going to learn English from the movie soundtrack.

Movie Soundtrack or Original Soundtrack (OST)

Movie and soundtrack are inseparable. When we watch a movie, music, and songs are always there. Usually, a movie will have its own music and songs called soundtrack to accompany and synchronize with the story.

Up to this point, some of you may be asking “How can listen to songs help us to improve our English?” The following explanation might help you to answer the question.

Emotional Experience make your learning enjoyable.

The songs can evoke our emotions and make us enjoy the story more. Sometimes, you feel that a certain song is made for you because it describes what happens to your life or it reflects your feeling and emotion. This is because most of the songs are written based on real experience.

Many people could have the same experience and that is why we can relate to a certain song. When you can relate the learning material with your experience or the things that you like, you will enjoy it more; and your brain will work way better when you enjoy the learning process.

Try to listen to this song and feel it. See what kind of emotion that is expressed through the song and how does it make you feel?

Do you know what soundtrack is it?

Get Acquainted with English Pronunciation.

Listening to English songs will help you to be familiar with English words and tone. You can learn how native English speakers say the word, so you will not have any difficulties when listening to people speaking in English. Also, try to sing along when you listen to a song. Listen carefully to what the singer says and try to say the words the same way. Without realizing it, you learn how to pronounce English words correctly.

Learn New Vocabularies and Everyday Language.

Have you ever had a song that always plays over and over again in your mind even without you realizing it? Songs often contain repetitive words and phrases. This will simply make them get stuck in your head. It is really an effective way to memorize new English vocabulary and phrases. Since English songs are intended for English native speakers, many English songs also contain up-to-date everyday language. There are a lot of useful words and expressions that you can use for daily conversation.

The Lyric Helps You Understand English.

Understanding the lyrics will help you to understand the message in that song. If you already watched the movie, maybe it will be easier for you to understand the meaning of the song. If you have not watched the movie, you could still get the gist of what the movie is about through the song.

When you find English songs that you like, try to catch what the singer says. If it is difficult, you can look for the lyrics on the internet. If you do not understand the words, open your dictionary. You can also learn language patterns or grammar from the lyrics. When you understand the grammar of the language pattern, it will help you to have a better understanding of the lyric. In that way, not only can you enjoy the music, you can also sing wholeheartedly because you understand the meaning.

Try it!

Here is the lyric of the song above.

Song title: A Thousand Years
By: Christina Perri

Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave?
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?
But watching you stand alone,
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow.

One step closer

[Chorus:]
I have died every day waiting for you
Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more 

Keypoints

There are many benefits from learning English through songs, such as:

1. Emotional Experience Make Your Learning Enjoyable
2. Get Acquainted with English Pronunciation
3. Learn New Vocabularies and Everyday Language
4. The Lyric Helps You Understand English

Evaluation

SOAL 1

This song is for question 1 and question 2

Listen to the song and fill the blanks.

It's been a ... without you, my friend
And I'll ... you all about it when I see you again
We've come a ... from where we began
Oh, I'll ... you all about it when I see you again
When I see you again

A. long way, tell, long way, tell
B. long wail, sell, long day, tell
C. long may, tell, long day, sell
D long day, tell, long way, tell
E. long day, tell, long wail, tell

---

 PETUNJUK

The last blank is ‘tell’

---

 PEMBAHASAN

It's been a long day without you, my friend
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
We've come a long way from where we began
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
When I see you again. D

 

SOAL 2

This song is for question 1 and question 2

When listening to the song, you feel....

 PILIHAN TUNGGAL

A. nostalgic
B. excited
C. angry
D. thrilled
E. horrified

---

 PETUNJUK

Feel the music. Pay attention to the lyrics. How does it make you feel?

---

 PEMBAHASAN

The music makes you feel sad and happy at the same time. The lyric is about friends that have not met for a long time and want to tell stories when they meet again. It evokes nostalgic feeling that makes you feel happy but also a bit sad remembering the things that happened in the past. A

 

SOAL 3

Listen to the song and answer the question.

When listening to the song, you feel….

 PILIHAN TUNGGAL

A. excited
B. sad
C. romantic
D. angry
E. nostalgic

---

 PETUNJUK

Listen to the beat! Enjoy the music.

---

 PEMBAHASAN

The music makes you feel happy and excited at the same time. It makes you want to clap along and jump around.A

SOAL 4

Listen to the song and answer the question.

The singer mentioned the word ‘happiness’ … time(s)

A. one
B. two
C. three
D. four
E. five

---

 PETUNJUK

Be careful, the singer mentioned the word ‘happy’ and ‘happiness’ in the song.

---

 PEMBAHASAN

It might seem crazy what I'm about to say
Sunshine she's here, you can take a break
I'm a hot air balloon that could go to space
With the air, like I don't care baby by the way

Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do B

 

 

Explanation Text about Natural Phenomena

Objectives

Basic Competence: Responding to the meanings and rhetorical ways in an essay by using an accurate, fluent, and acceptable writing style in daily social contexts in forms of: narrative, spoof, and hortatory exposition.

Learn about it!

You will learn more about the explanation text, especially the ones related with natural phenomena in this lesson. Moreover, you will learn to comprehend the messages conveyed in the text.

EXPLANATION TEXT ABOUT NATURAL PHENOMENA

     As you have probably learned earlier, an explanation text is a kind of text that aims to describe how something happens or why it is made. An explanation text actually is almost the same as procedure text; but there are essential differences between those two. For starters, the purpose of those kinds of text: the explanation text tends to explain, while the procedure text is intended to show the way of how to make something.

Moreover, an explanation text provides you the information about some issues that are interesting or important for people to know about. In general, the aim of an explanation text is to explain how something forms or why that happens; it explains the sequence, cause, or theoretical understanding of a phenomenon or an event. Thus, the text will cover the answer of "how" or "why" relating to the topic being discussed. An explanation text is organized with the generic structure of a general statement and a sequence of explanations, alongside the closing.
There are diverse topics that an explanation text can cover. Usually, it covers the topics related to science, phenomena, and also social, for instance about why certain social phenomena happen, how to conduct an experiment, or how natural phenomena occur.

Here are some common elaborations in an explanation text:

• Sequential explanation: This describes the stages of an event such as the sequence from cocoon to butterfly.
• Causal explanation: This describes what causes the change from one stage to the next such as why earthquakes occur.
• Theoretical explanation: This describes the possible phenomena behind a natural or created process.

Keypoints

As shown above, an explanation text, particularly the ones that explain natural phenomena, is the kind of text that tells the reader about the reasons and the process of something natural happening. The generic structure is the same as other kinds of explanation text, which are general statements, sequenced explanation, and also closing.

How to Write News Texts

Objectives

• Learners are able to comprehend the information given on the text.
• Learners are able to understand the aim of the news items.
• Learners are able to make news item text.

Learn about it!

What is a news item text?

News item is a text which informs readers/listeners about particular important events of the day.

What is the purpose of news item text?

To inform the readers/listeners about current and important issues.

How to make news item text?

The following are needed to be known if you want to make news item text.

1. Generic Structure.

• Main Event(s) / Newsworthy Event(s): Recounts the event(s) in summary form.
• Elaboration / Background Events: Elaborating what happened, to whom, in what conditions/circumstances.
• Source: Comments by witnesses to/participants or authorities experts in the event(s).

2. Linguistic Features.

• Focusing on current circumstances.
• Generally using material processes/action vocabularies to retell the event(s). Example: go, move, strike, open, etc.

To enhance your knowledge, pay attention to the following news item below.

Car Accident at Setiabudhi Street Bandung

Four people were killed and 5 people got injured in a collision between a minibus and a sedan at 2.30 A.M at Setiabudhi Street near UPI campus. The people killed in the accident were all passengers in the sedan and all the people who got injured were the passengers in the minibus. The accident happened due to human error. The sedan’s driver did not give a sign when he wants to turn left, at the same time a minibus coming from behind struck the sedan. A collision could not be avoided. The driver of the minibus said that he did not see any sign from the sedan so he did not know that the sedan would turn left.

Based on the information gotten from the police, it was clear that the fault was with the sedan. It should have given signs if the sedan wanted to change its direction.

The text entitled Car Accident at Setiabudhi Street Bandung belongs to news item because this text fulfill the three generic structures of news items. The following is the explanation:

Keypoints

A news item text is a factual text to inform readers of daily events.
The structure of a news item text consists of three parts:

1. Newsworthy events: Recounts the events in summary form.
2. Background events: Elaborates of what happened, to whom, and in what circumstances.
3. Source: Comments by participants. It can be a witness or an expert.

The language feature of a news item text focuses on the circumstances. So there is no exact use of tenses in this text.
You may read a lot of passive form sentences and reported speech in a news item text.