SKILL 34: USE HAVE AND HAD CORRECTLY
The present perfect is formed by using ‘has’ or ‘have’ and the past participle of the
verb. For example, “I have watched the movie” or “She has watched the movies.”
HAVE / HAS + past participle
So when do you use the present perfect? That is a great question. We use the present
perfect when we are talking about an event that started in the past and the event still
has some influence in the present. This influence could be something that you have
experienced in your life that still has an impact on your life. It could also be used for
things that have changed over a time, or a task that was unfinished in the past and will
be completed in the future.
For example:
An experience: “I have been to India.”
He had finished his homework.
Past perfect is formed by combining ‘had’ with the past participle of the verb.
HAD + past participle
The past perfect is very similar to the present perfect because the event also started in
the past. However, the difference between the events is that the past perfect event
also ended in the past. This can be used with a specified time. For example, “I had
studied in China last year”. This also implies the event happened a long time ago.
She had traveled all her life.
Ariel had lived many years there.