PRESENT PERFECT We use the present
perfect tense when there is a connection between the past and the
present. It has two
main uses:
a)It
is used when we are interested in the present result of
something that happened at an unspecified time in the past:
-
He's decided to look for a new job. -
I'mafraid I've forgotten your
name.
b) It
is used to talk about an action or situation which started in the past
and is still continuing:
-
How long have you worked here? -
She's been away
on business since last week. -
I haven't seen him for several years
With the
present perfect we
use
How long...? in questions about duration and for or since
in the answer.
-
How long have you worked for Harper & Grant?
Notice that we use for to show the duration of an action, and
since to show when it began.
- I've
worked here for twelve months (for twenty years, etc).
- I've worked here since January (since 1990,
since Christmas, etc).
The
present perfect is often used with adverbs such as
just, yet, still, already, ever, never, recently, lately, so far, up
to
now.
-
They 'vejust signed an important contract. -
She
hasn't received an answer yet. -
Have you ever used this type of machine? -
We've had good results so far.
PAST SIMPLE
We use the past simple tense to talk about something which happened in
the past and which has no connection with the present. It refers to a
finished period of time:
-
Pasteur made important medical discoveries. -
Did
you go to the meeting yesterday? -
She
worked in Paris for five years before moving to Rome.
With the
past
simple we
use When...?
and How long...? to ask questions about the timing and
duration of events in the past:
-
Whendid you
come to the States? (TIMING)
- How longdid you
live in Holland? (DURATION)
We can answer
the first question by giving the exact time in the past or by giving the
total number of units of time that separate the event from the present:
- I
camein 1995. -
I cameten
years ago.
STEP 5
Grammar: Activity
with Answer
Complete the following article with either
the present perfect or past simple tense choosing the best alternative
from the menu.
ANSWERS
MUCH MORE THAN ORAL HEALTH
William
Colgate
the Colgate Company in 1806
as a starch, soap and candle business in New York City.
For the
first one hundred years, the company
all its
business in the
United States. However, in the early 1900s, the
company
an aggressive expansion
programme
that
to the establishment of
Colgate operations in countries
throughout Europe, Latin America and the Far East.
Recently it
operations in Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and
China.
Their main sector of business is Oral Care and, in
this area, Colgate-Palmolive is
the world leader in toothpaste. Since 1980, the
company
its
share of this market by more than 12% to over 40%
today.
Oral care revenues
significantly in recent
years and in 1991
they
$ 1.3 billion.
The company
close attention to the
environment. In 1990
the American Council on Economic Priorities
them as one of
the four most socially responsible companies in the
United States.
