Unit 13. Present perfect and past (1)

The present perfect is a present tense. It always tells us something about now.

'Tom has lost his key' = he doen't have his key now.

 

The past simple tells us only about the past.

'Tom lost his key' = whe don't know whether he has it now or not.

 

We only know that he lost it at some time in the past.

• Jack grew a beard but but now he has shaved it off. ( so he doesn't have a beard now )
• They went out after lunch and they've just come back. ( so they are back now )

Do not use the present perfect if there is no connection with the present.

• The Chinese invented priniting. ( not 'have invented' )
• How many plays did Shakespeare write? ( not 'has Shakespeare written' )

Compare

• Shakespeare wrote many plays.
• My sister is a writer. She has written many books. ( she still writes books )

We use the present perfect to give new information

A : Ow! I've burnt myself.
B : How did you do that?
A : I picked up a hot dish.