03/07/2021
We're going to look closer at
some of the more confusing points in using correct verb tense. This part is with present perfect and
present perfect progressive. Look at these two sentences and
find the verbs. What verb tenses are they? These two sentences have
pretty much the same meaning. A lot of times present perfect and present perfect progressive have
the same meaning and can both be used. Here is some other examples where the two
sentences have about the same meaning. But sometimes,
only one of these verb tenses is correct. In the examples you just saw,
there is only one correct verb tense for each sentence. In the first sentence, the present perfect
is necessary because of this be verb. Be verbs are not usually used as main
verbs in present perfect progressive. In the second sentence, you also have to use present
perfect because of the word before. Before is a time signal that
means this action is finished. So you can't use present
perfect progressive. In the third sentence,
present perfect progressive is used to emphasize that the action
is still going on. When you see for some period of time, you'll know you should use
present perfect progressive. Here are some of the signal words to tell
you which verb tense you should use. There could be some exceptions,
but in general, the words on the left will
signal present perfect, and the expressions on the right will
signal present perfect progressive. These are just some examples. You can probably think of some
other words for these tenses.