Present Perfect Simple

Present Perfect Simple

Present Perfect Tense can be used in three situations:

1. To indicate something that has happened at an indefinite time in the past :

    - I have seen that movie already.

    - She has left for California.

    - They have not eaten their dinner yet.

2. To indicate something which started in the past and continues until now :

    - I have lived in New York for nine years.

    - We have been here since Friday.

    - He has played football since he was a child.

3. To indicate something which occurred recently :

    - I have been sick lately.

    - She hasn’t slept much recently.

Notes:

When speaking about a specific time, use past tense.

A: I have seen that movie already.	(Non-specific time)
B: Oh really? When did you see it?
A: I saw it last week with Bob.	(Specific time)

Some words should not be used in situation 2 (above)

I have met John for five years.	(INCORRECT)
I have known John for five years.	(CORRECT)
I met John five years ago.	(CORRECT)
I have met John already.	(CORRECT)

Sometimes, but not always, present perfect continuous can be used instead of present perfect.

I have lived there for ten years.	(Okay)
I have been living there for ten years.	(Okay)
I have exercised a lot recently.	(Okay)
I have been exercising a lot recently.	(Okay)
I have seen that movie ten times.	(Okay)
I have been seeing that movie ten times.	(NOT Okay)

Present Progressive / Continuous

Present Progressive / Continuous

The present progressive tense takes the form be + V ing. The form of “be” is determined by the subject of the sentence : - He is singing. - She is listening. - They are sleeping. - I am going home. In English, the present progressive is used to indicate actions happening at the time of speaking, or right now : - Jake is speaking to his mother right now. - Please keep quiet. The baby is sleeping.

Simple Present Tense

PRESENT TENSE
What is the present tense?
A tense is a specific form of a verb that shows WHEN the action implied by the verb takes place. There are two tenses in English: the PRESENT and the PAST (note: WILL, which denotes the FUTURE, is not a tense by a MODAL). When a verb is at the present tense, it shows that the action implied by the verb is  : 
a) taking place NOW or 
b) is a valid and eternal truth. Examples ; I work today, The United States of America believes in free speech.
For most verbs in the simple present tense, you must add an "s" to the end of the verb for he/she/it, as in, "Devan hates the holidays." However, for some verbs, you have to add es for he/she/it, as in, "She watches a lot of TV," or, "He misses his mom."
So how do you know when es is necessary? One rule to remember is that any verb ending in ch, sh or ss needs an es, not s, for he/she/it.

WH - Questions

Wh- Questions allow a speaker to find out more information about topics. They are as follows:

When? Where? Who? Why? How? What?

Time Place Person Reason Manner Object/Idea/Action

Other words can also be used to inquire about specific information:

Which (one)? Whose? Whom? How much? How many? How long? How often? How far? What kind (of)?

Choice of alternatives Possession Person (objective formal) Price, amount (non-count) Quantity (count) Duration Frequency Distance Description