A Journey with the Present Perfect, Part One

 

Imagine that verbs, nouns², and other parts of language are competing with each other. One verb form or noun¹ might beat a competing verb form or noun. Much like in the World Cup, the winners go to the next round and the losers no longer play.

Keep that comparison³ in mind as we explore today's subject: the present perfect.

What is the present perfect?

Imagine you hear English speakers say the following words:

Do you want to get some dinner?

No thanks, I've already eaten dinner.

The second speaker said I've already eaten, short for I have already eaten. This is the present perfect.

It suggests that the action of eating has been completed.

In other words, the speaker ate at some point in the past. But the speaker is not eating now. Note that the word already suggests that the event took place before the present point in time.

Betty Azar's Understanding and Using English Grammar describes the present perfect in terms of form and meaning. The form is have + past participle. The meaning, notes Azar, is that "the perfect tenses all give the idea that one thing happens before another time or event."

Other grammar experts have explored the present perfect in a slightly different way.

In Understanding English Grammar, Martha Kolln and Robert Funk note that the present perfect can suggest a connection with the present.

Here is an example of what they mean:

Joe has lived in Washington DC since 1973.

In this example, the present perfect suggests that Joe began living in Washington DC in the past and continues to live there in the present. The word since followed by the year 1973 gives you a clue about the meaning.

These examples show you general ways in which the present perfect is used today. But the present perfect had different uses in the past. And it is also playing a part in a kind of language competition, as we will see.

History

Xinyue Yao is a language expert. In 2014, she explored the English present perfect in the Journal⁴ of English Linguistics⁵.

Yao wrote that the modern present perfect came from the transitive have + past participle structure in Old English. In Old English, the structure often suggested a kind of possession.

Yao notes, a statement such as I have finished my work in Old English would be different in modern English. It would mean something closer to "I possess or have my work in a finished condition."

But the possessive meaning was lost over time, Yao adds.

In the past, English speakers used a competing be + past participle structure to suggest completed actions. But that structure declined⁶ in use over time. In other words, the have + past participle structure won out.

Present of the present perfect

A 2018 paper in ORTESOL noted⁷ the difficulties in teaching⁸ the present perfect to English learners - especially learners of American English. One reason is that the present perfect is used much less often in American English.

Mina Gavell, the writer of the paper, noted the present perfect is being replaced "by its main competitor, the simple past" in American English.

She adds that the perfects, and especially the present perfect, "make up only 5 to 10 percent of spoken American English verb use, and are even less prevalent⁹ in speaking than writing."

Prevalent is a term that means common or widespread.

Think back to the words you heard at the beginning of this report.

Do you want to get some dinner?

No thanks, I've already eaten dinner.

The second speaker used the present perfect. But, a speaker of American English might also use the simple past, as in:

Do you want to get some dinner?

No thanks, I already ate.

Closing thoughts

Today, we explored how the present perfect has competed – and does compete – for use.

In American English, the present perfect has been losing out to the simple past for some time. But, the present perfect is still in the game.

In other kinds of English, such as British English, the present perfect is more commonly used. And in Australian English, the present perfect can have a very interesting, unusual meaning. But that is a subject for a future report.

The next time you are reading a book, watching a film, or listening to the news, pay careful attention to the present perfect.

Keep notes about the times you hear or read it. Over time, you will begin to use it with great ease¹⁰.

Words in This Story

past participle – n. grammar: the form of the verb that is used with "have" in perfect tenses and with "be" in passive¹¹ constructions

clue – n. a piece of information or sign that helps a person find something or someone

transitive – adj. grammar, of a verb : having or taking a direct object

1 noun   

n.名词

参考例句：

• What kind of noun is this?这是哪类名词？
• This word is a collective noun.这个词是个集体名词。

2 nouns   

n.名词；名词( noun的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns. 法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Nouns join to form compounds. 名词和名词结合构成复合词。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 comparison   

n.比较，对照；比拟，比喻

参考例句：

• They make a comparison of New York to a beehive.他们把纽约比作一个蜂巢。
• This dress is really cheaper by comparison.比较起来，这件衣服确实便宜。

4 journal   

n.日志，日记；议事录；日记帐；杂志，定期刊物

参考例句：

• He kept a journal during his visit to Japan.他在访问日本期间坚持记日记。
• He got a job as editor of a trade journal.他找到了一份当商业杂志编辑的工作。

5 linguistics   

n.语言学

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• Linguistics is a scientific study of the property of language.语言学是指对语言的性质所作的系统研究。

6 declined   

v.辞谢，谢绝（邀请等）( decline的过去式和过去分词 )；（道路、物体等）下倾；（太阳）落下；（在品格、价值上）降低

参考例句：

• We asked her to come to our party, but she declined. 我们请她来参加我们的晚会，但是她谢绝了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He declined to charge his memory with so many details. 他不愿在脑中记这么多细枝末节。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

9 prevalent   

adj.流行的，普遍的

参考例句：

• The habit of travelling by aeroplane is becoming more prevalent.乘飞机旅行的习惯变得越来越盛行了。
• Colds are prevalent in the winter.伤风在冬季很普遍。

10 ease   

n. 安乐,安逸,悠闲; v. 使...安乐,使...安心,减轻,放松

参考例句：

• His mind was at ease and he felt confident in the future. 他心情舒畅,对前途很有信心。
• You should ease up on the child and stop scolding her. 你应该对那个孩子宽松些,不要再骂她了。

11 passive   

adj.被动的；消极的

参考例句：

• He has a passive expression on his face.他脸上有一种漠然的表情。
• It lands the manager in a passive position.它使经理处于被动地位。