Present perfect simple and past simple: ERROR CORRECTION
Hello,
In unit 2 we will study the difference between the present perfect simple and the past simple. Here is a link with information on both tenses and exercises.
In addition, I would like to share with you one of the activities we did in class related to these two tenses where we had to correct mistakes and that it was partially corrected (1-15). I encourage you to continue correcting sentences from 16 to 25 through a comment under this post. Do not forget to include the number of the sentence you want to correct.
SENTENCES CORRECTED IN CLASS
1.- Matt has been to Liverpool last summer. Matt went to Liverpool last summer (or Matt has been to Liverpool recently)
Do not forget the difference betweeen «have gone to + a place» (you are still there) and «have been to+ a place» (you went to that place and you came back)
2.- Didn’t you do your homework yet? Haven´t you done your homework yet?
3.- Susan’s been to the shops. She’ll be back soon. She went to the shops. She´ll be back soon
4.- Did you ever eat snails? > Have you ever eaten snails?
5.- We’re here since ten o’clock. >We have been here since ten o’clock.
6.- No one’s seen Lucy since three weeks. >No one’s seen Lucy for three weeks.
7.- I had a headache since I woke up this morning. >I have had a headache since I woke up…..
8.- Have you called John yesterday? >Did you call John yesterday?
9.- A plane just crashed over the Alps. More details follow later. >A plane has just crashed over the Alps……
10.- When I was a child, I have ridden my bike to school. >When I was a child, I rode my bike to school.
11.- I have never met my grandmother. She died before I was born. > I never met my grandmnother……
12.- I’m here since last week. > I have been here since last week
13.- Fernando has his new job for a week – he loves it. >Fernando has had his new job for a week….
14.- Maria knows Joseph for five years. >Maria has known Joseph for five years.
15.- I have studied German in 2002. > I studied German in 2002
SENTENCES TO BE CORRECTED ON THE BLOG
Remember that there can be more than one possible correction (tense, time expression)
16.- How long do you have your computer?
17.- They have known my cousins since three days.
18.- How long are you in this country?
19.- I’m sorry. The manager just left.
20.- My parents haven’t arrived yet. Their car has broken down
about an hour ago.
21.- We have lived in this house when I was a child.
22.- Have you studied German when you were at school?
23.- I had this computer for many years and it works really well.
24.- When have you got your puppy?
25.- Did you already read the newspaper?
26.- It has been a very cold winter last year.
27.- We have lived here for 2007.
28.- My cousin has worked here for September.
29.- Maria hasn’t seen John yesterday evening.
30.- He played football since he was five .
31.- My brother was happier since he changed his job.
32.- I’ve had an argument with my wife at the weekend.
33.- He didn’t learn the irregular past participles yet
34.- My father didn’t smoke since he suffered a heart attack.
35.- I haven’t been on holiday last Christmas.
25- Have you already read the newspaper?
25 > correct
Sorry, I didn’t write my name. Jose Angel.
Hello.
22.- Did you study German when you were at school?
23.- I have had this computer for many years and it works really well.
22 > correct
23 > correct
16- We can say » How long did you have your computer?» or «How long have you had your computer» depending if the computer’s broken or it still works.
17- They had known my cousins for three days».
18- How long have you been in this country?»
19- «I’m sorry. The manager has just left».
34- My father hasn’t smoked since he suffered a heart attack».
35- I wasn’t on holiday last Christmas.
16. Good. We can use a past simple or a present perfect with «How long?». If the computer doesn´t work anymore, we would use a past simple with «how long?». If the computer still works, we would use a present perfect simple. Anyway, the most coherent correction would be «How long have you had your computer?» Why? because of the tense used in the sentence given, present simple, which is the tense we use wrongly instead of the present perfect simple.
17 > wrong The activity is to use either the present perfect simple or the past simple, not the past perfect simple.
18 > correct
19 > correct
34 > correct
35 > correct
17- They have known my cousins for three days.
Sorry. My mind knew the right answer but my hands didn’t write it
No worries!
(It seems to me that there are two ways to write the 21st sentence. Each of them has a different meaning.)
21. -We have lived in this house since I was a child.
-We lived in this house when I was a child.
Both corrections are possible and exact!
First correction «present perfect +since» > action happening since that moment up to now.
Second correction «past simple +when…» > at a precise time in the past.
31.-My brother has been happier since he changed his job
32.-I had an argument with my wife at the weekend
33.-He hasn’t learned the irregular past participle yet
31 >correct
32 >correct
33 >correct (The past participle of «learn» can also be «learnt»)
16. How long have you had your computer?
17. They have known my cousin for three days.
19. I’m sorry. The manager has just left.
16 >correct
17 >correct
19 >correct
16. How long did you have your computer?
17. They knew my cousins since three days.
20. My parents haven’t arrived yet. Their car broke down about an hour ago.
16 > wrong correction or correct depending on what we want to express. We can ask «How long have you had your computer?» whose answer could be «I have had my computer for two years=desde hace 2 años/since September= desde septiembre» but we can also use a past simple «How long did you have your computer?» whose answer would be «I had my computer for 2 years= durante 2 años».
17 > wrong correction. What is the tense in English when we use «since….»?
20 > correct
Hello, I´m going to correct 2 sentences:
29. Maria didn´t see John yesterday evening.
30. he has been playing football since he was five.
Hello,
29 >correct
30 >correct (We can also say «He has played football since he was five)
Here is the difference between » present perfect simple»: emphasis on the result of the action and «present perfect continuous»: emphasis on the duration or continuity of the action. We are obliged to use a present perfect due to the time expression «since he was five», then the use of the present perfect simple or continuous will depend on what the speaker wants to put emphasis on, either action result or action duration. By the way, one of the typical translations into Spanish of the present perfect continuous is «llevar haciendo algo desde /desde hace..
» (e.g. They have been learning English since they were young= llevan aprendiendo inglés desde…)
18. how long have you been in this country?
26. it was a very cold wuinter last year
27. we lived here for 2007
34. my father has not smoked since he suffered a heart attack
35. i was not on holidays last Christmas
Hello,
26 >correct the spelling «wuinter»
27 >wrong correction.
35 >we say «be/on holiday» (not «on holidays») Go on the link to learn the difference between «holiday»/» holidays».
Hello.
28. My cousin has worked here since September.
27. We have lived here since 2007.
31. My brother has been happier since he changed his job.
28 > correct
27 > correct
31 > correct