Tieng anh

PAST SIMPLE & PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE
PAST SIMPLE
Usage
The past simple may be used for single events or habitual events or states in the past.
• Single events
Ex: And then she went out and she phoned my brother.
• Habitual events
Ex: He visited the opera regularly and mostly hung out in local cafés.
• States
Ex: She looked a bit upset.
Where were you?
Time expressions
a year/two weeks/five minutes ago
last night/week/month/year
at two o’clock/half past three
on Monday/Wednesday
earlier today/this month
the other day/week in the spring/summer
yesterday
The past simple without time markers
Often there is no explicit time marker, but definite past time may be implied either by the situation of speaking or writing, or by general knowledge.
Ex:
Charles Dickens wrote ‘Great Expectations’ in installments.
(we know that Dickens lived and died a long time ago, separated from the present)
PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE
The present perfect simple is used to refer to events which takes place in the past and continue to the present
Ex: My mobile phone has started working again.
Structure
S + have/ has + p.p + O
Time expressions
before
in my life
lately
over the last x months/years
recently
so far
this week/month/year/century
up to/till/until now
With no time expressions
Ex: Have you phoned your sister?
(From the point when you said you were going to do it up to this moment in time)
Note
The expression “this is the first time” … is normally used with the present perfect
Ex: Is this the first time you’ve flown on British Airways?
“For” and “since”
“For” refers to periods of time
“Since” refers to a previous point in time
Ex:
We’ve had that TV set for fifteen years.
I’ve been awake since half past four this morning.
The present perfect or the past simple
Some time expressions can be used with either the present perfect or the past simple, depending upon the speaker’s or writer’s perspective.
Already
once
this morning/week/etc.
before
recently
today
If the events are considered to happen at a definite point in the past, then the past simple is used
Ex: Did you see everybody you wanted to see today?
(speaker considers ‘today’ finished as a work day)
If the events are seen as connected to the moment of speaking or writing, then the present perfect is used
Ex: I haven’t seen her today.
(speaker considers ‘today’ to be still current)