A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.-George S. Patton
Key:
Present Perfect tense: This tense is formed with Present tense of the verb have and the past participle of a verb.
Present Perfect Continuous tense : This tense is formed with has/have been and the -ing form of the verb.
Rule:
- In case of 1st Person- (I/We)- have(present perfect tense)/have been(present perfect continuous)
- In case of 2nd Person- (You)- have(present perfect tense)/have been(present perfect continuous)
- In case of third person
- Singular(He/She/It) – has(present perfect tense)/has been(present perfect continuous)
- Plural (They)-have(present perfect tense)/have been(present perfect continuous)
- The Past participle form of the verb i.e the third form of the verb is used in all types of Present Perfect Tense.
Use: Present perfect is used in the following situation:
1. For something that started in the past and continues in the present-
- She has worked in the bank for nearly 5 years.-Present perfect tense
- She has been working in the bank for 5 years-Present Perfect Continuous tense.
Note: We normally use the present perfect continuous for these type of tenses.
2. For something that we have done several times and continues to do in the present-
- I have played the Guitar ever since i was a kid.-Present perfect tense.
- She has been watching the show ever since it was started.- Present Perfect Continuous tense
3. When the time referred to has not finished-
- It has rained a lot this month.-Present perfect tense.
- She has been running since morning.- Present Perfect Continuous tense
4. Things repeated in between the past and the present-
- We have seen Titanic six times.-Present Perfect Continuous tense
- She has visited the doctor frequently.-Present perfect tense.
5. Actions completed with the very recent past– (with the use of just)
- I have just finished cooking.
- She has just joined the classes.
6. When some activities remain unknown-
- Someone has eaten my cookie !
- She has not come to class for 3 weeks.