Lesson video

Hi, I'm Mr. Buckingham, and I'm so glad you decided to join me today for a lesson on perfect tenses.

I'm really looking forward to it, and I think we're going to get a lot done.

So let's make a start.

Today's lesson is called perfect tense revision, and it comes from our unit called review, including word class, sentence types, tense, commas, and colons.

By the end of today's lesson we'll be able to practise perfect tense test questions.

So today, we're going to look in detail at how we write sentences in the perfect tenses before we go on to compare all the different types of tenses that we need to know and practise test questions that relate to them.

We've got lots to do, so let's get to work.

Here are our keywords for today's lesson.

My turn, your turn.

Tense, simple tense, progressive tense, auxiliary verb, and perfect tense.

Well done.

So as I'm sure you know, the tense tells the reader when something happens.

A simple tense is a tense that doesn't make use of an auxiliary verb in addition to the main verb in the present and the past.

And a progressive tense is a tense that denotes or shows ongoing action and uses an auxiliary verb based on to be.

An auxiliary verb is the helping verb that's paired with a main verb, and a perfect tense is made using an auxiliary verb based on the infinitive, the to form to have, and a past tense form of the main verb.

So let's look at our lesson outline.

We're going to start off by looking at the perfect tenses and then we'll move on to converting between different types of tense.

So as I'm sure you know, tense shows us when action is happening.

The perfect tenses are a type of tense that use forms of the infinitive, the to form of the verb to have, as their auxiliary verbs followed by a past tense form of the main verb.

And you might remember that auxiliary verbs are verbs that are paired with a main verb in order to change the meaning or the tense.

So let's look at some perfect tense sentences.

You have interfered too often.

She had embarrassed me for years.

They will have made some great suggestions.

It had been the government's idea.

These are all in a perfect tense.

Let's just see how it's formed.

Perfect tenses are formed using an auxiliary verb based on to have.

So we've got have, had, will have, and had.

So these are some of the verbs we might see.

I have, she has, we had, they will have, you haven't, he hasn't.

These are all verbs based on the infinitive to have.

And we can take those verbs, have, has, had, will have, haven't, hasn't, and use them as auxiliary verbs in the perfect tenses.

But we also need a past tense form of the main verb we're using.

So we've got interfered, embarrassed, made, and been, which are a past tense form of the verb we need in the perfect tense.

So we've got two things.

Our auxiliary verb based on to have and our past tense form of a main verb.

Have interfered, had embarrassed, will have made, had been.

Together, those two things can make the perfect tense.

So which of these sentences are written in a perfect tense? Look for those two features.

Pause the video and have a go.

Well done.

Great checking.

Hopefully you spotted that a is written in a perfect tense because we have has given, an auxiliary verb based on to have and a past tense form of our main verb.

b is not a perfect tense because we just have the main verb with no auxiliary verb.

In c, it is a perfect tense because we have our auxiliary verb had and our past tense form of the verb, queued.

And d is not a perfect tense because we just have one verb, explained.

So this is actually a simple past tense.

We have one verb, no auxiliary verb.

Really well done if you spotted all those.

So let's try another one.

Which option for each sentence completes the sentence using a perfect tense? Remembering that a perfect tense will have an auxiliary verb based on to have and a past tense form of the main verb.

Pause the video and see which option works best in each sentence to create a perfect tense.

Have a go.

Well done.

Great effort.

Hopefully you spotted in the first one we need b.

That's the only option there which has an auxiliary verb based on to have.

So the sentence would say, "The author, who had finished her latest book, relaxed at last." In the second one, we need a.

That's the only option there which has an auxiliary verb based on to have and a past tense form of that verb to eat.

So we would say, "When Mr. Martinez has eaten his lunch, we'll ask him." Really well done if you spotted those two.

So we can tell which perfect tense a sentence is using by looking at the auxiliary verb and not the main verb.

Let me show you.

We could say, "We had gathered sufficient food." That auxiliary verb had is in the past, so this is the perfect past tense.

We could say, "She has interrupted too often." That auxiliary verb has is in the present tense, so that is the perfect present tense.

And we could say, "You will have committed a crime." Will have is in the future as our auxiliary verb, so this is the perfect future, but notice that the main verb stays the same.

In the perfect tenses, it's the auxiliary verb that changes, not the main verb when we change between perfect past, perfect present, and perfect future.

So we can convert a sentence to a perfect tense by choosing the right auxiliary verb and the right past tense form of the main verb.

So here's a simple past tense sentence.

He saw the soldier approach.

So to make it into the perfect past, we'd have to say, "He had seen the soldier approach." So we've added that auxiliary verb based on to have, had, and we've changed from saw to seen because that's the past tense form of the verb which makes sense after had, so had seen the soldier approach is the perfect past tense.

If we start off with this simple present sentence, it says, "She takes the time to help me." So let's take that verb takes, and we need to change it to the perfect present.

So we need our auxiliary verb based on to have, we'll go for has, and then we need a past tense form of it.

So instead of takes, it will be taken.

So we say, "She has taken the time to help me." So can you decide whether each sentence is written in the perfect past, the perfect present, or the perfect future tense by looking at those auxiliary verbs? Pause the video and have a go.

Well done.

Great effort there.

So in a, I can see has given.

So that's the perfect present tense.

Has is an auxiliary verb in the present tense.

In b, we've got had persuaded.

Had is in the past tense, so this is the perfect past.

c says will have finished, so that is the perfect future.

And d says has asked.

Has is in the present tense, so this is the perfect present.

But notice how each of these auxiliary verbs I've highlighted is paired with that main verb in its past tense form, has given, had persuaded, will have finished, has asked, and that's what makes it a perfect tense.

Really well done if you've got those.

Let's try another one.

In these sentences, which option completes each sentence using the given perfect tense? So in the one on the left, I've asked for a perfect present, and the one on the right, I've asked for a perfect past.

Remember it's the auxiliary verb that's going to tell you whether you're looking at the perfect past, perfect present, or perfect future.

So pause the video and see if you can choose the right option.

Have a go.

Well done.

Let's have a look together.

So for the first one, we need the perfect present, so I'm looking for a present auxiliary verb that will work here, and we want c.

We would say, "My cousin, who has lived here for years, knows everyone." Notice how lived is in the past tense, but has is in the present, so it's the perfect present.

In the second one, we want the perfect past, so I'm looking for an auxiliary verb in the past, and we need b.

Since January, we had learned a lot about how to keep our friendships.

Had is an auxiliary verb in the past, and learned is our past tense form of our verb, so together they make the perfect past tense.

Good job.

Let's try one more.

I'd like you to complete each sentence with the perfect present form of the verb in brackets.

So you're looking for an auxiliary verb based on to have in the present tense, and then a past tense form of the main verb I've given you in brackets.

And notice how I've given you the infinitive form, the to form of the verb, to rehearse, to learn, and to take.

So let's see if you can make those into a perfect present form.

Have a go.

Well done.

A great effort.

So in a, we would say, "Everyone has rehearsed incredibly hard for the performance." Has is in the present tense and then rehearsed as our past tense form, so this makes a perfect present.

For b, I would say, "Since June, I have learned how to speak some Portuguese," and for c, "Once you have taken your piano test, you can relax." So here we can see we've got auxiliary verbs that show the present has and have, and then the past tense forms of our main verbs, rehearsed, learned, and taken.

Amazing work if you've managed to get those right.

Well done.

So let's try our first task for this lesson.

I'm going to show you some sentences with a verb highlighted and I want you to change that highlighted verb to an appropriate perfect tense, one that will maintain the sense of the sentence to keep it making sense.

Here are your sentences, and the verbs that I want you to change are highlighted.

Remember, you need an auxiliary verb based on to have and a past tense form of the main verb.

And you might have to think carefully about what that past tense form should be by thinking about what sounds right in this sentence.

So pause the video and change these verbs to the perfect tense.

Have a go.

Well done.

I'm really impressed with the effort in that task.

Well done.

So for the first one, I would say, "Since Tuesday, we have played football every break time." That's the perfect present.

For b, I would say, "Alex has taken his time getting to the party." Again, I've got the perfect present.

For c, I would say, "Every day this term, I have tried my best to be on time to school," and for d, "Soon, he will have eaten the whole packet." That's the perfect future, isn't it? For e, I would say, "They had hoped to be on time, but it was not to be." That's the perfect past.

And for f, "By the time she arrives, we will have been here for hours." So that's the perfect future.

So we've had to use different tenses within the perfect tense, but every time we've used an auxiliary verb based on to have and a past tense form of our main verb.

Great job for getting those.

Well done.

So we've talked about the perfect tenses, we're now going to convert between different types of tense.

So we can distinguish, or tell apart, between simple, progressive, and perfect tenses by looking both at the auxiliary verbs and the main verbs that we use.

Let me show you.

In the simple tenses we would say I took, I take, and I will take.

I took in the past, I take in the present, I will take in the future.

In the progressive tenses we would say I was taking, I am taking, I will be taking.

Was, am, and will be are auxiliary verbs showing us the past, present, and future.

And in the perfect tenses, we would say I had taken, I have taken, and I will have taken.

Now look at the differences between these different types of tense.

We can see that all types of tense use will as an auxiliary verb to show the future, I will take, I will be taking, I will have taken, but progressive tenses use auxiliary verbs based on to be.

Was, am, and be in these cases.

And then perfect tenses use auxiliary verbs based on to have.

We've got had, have, and have.

And if you look at the main verbs, we can see the progressive tenses all use I-N-G forms of the main verb, and the perfect tenses all use the past tense form of that verb that works after had, or have, or the auxiliary verb based on to have.

So there's lots of ways we can tell apart these different types of tense.

So what type of tense being shown by the highlighted verb in each sentence, simple, perfect, or progressive? Pause the video and see if you can tell by looking at the auxiliary verb and the main verb.

Have a go.

Well done.

Brilliant effort there.

So in a, I've got has made.

I've got an auxiliary verb based on to have, and I've got a past tense form of my verb, so it's the perfect tense.

In b, we've just got one verb, took, so this must be a simple tense.

In c, we've got is giving.

An auxiliary verb based on to be, and an I-N-G form of that main verb.

That's a progressive tense.

And in d, we've got will be having.

Will be is our.

And in d, we've got will be having.

Will be shows us an auxiliary verb based on to be, which is be, and then our I-N-G form of the verb is having, so this is another progressive tense.

Amazing job if you've got those.

So let's try another one.

Let's see if we can tick a box in each row to show which of these tenses has been used.

Is it the simple past, the progressive past, or the perfect past? Remember to look, is there an auxiliary verb? And if there is, what is it, and what's the main verb form that we've used? Pause the video and see if you can work these out.

Great job.

Let's take a look.

So in the first one, we've got had appreciated.

We've got our auxiliary verb based on to have and a past tense verb.

This must be the perfect past.

In the second one, we've got we really appreciated.

Now, really is not an auxiliary verb, is it? So we've just got one verb, appreciated, so this must be the simple past.

In the third one, we've got were appreciating.

We've got an auxiliary verb based on to be, and we've got appreciating in its I-N-G form.

It's a progressive past.

Well done.

Let's try one more.

Here I'd like you to tick one box to show which of these tenses has been used.

Is it simple present, progressive present, or perfect present? Pause the video and have a go.

Good effort.

Well done.

So in the first one, we've just got I love.

Love is just one verb, so it must be the simple present.

The second one has has loved.

So we've got our auxiliary verb based on the have and a past tense form of the verb.

It must be the? Well done, perfect present.

And the third one says are loving.

Our auxiliary verb is based on to be, and we've got loving in its I-N-G form.

It's the progressive present.

Fantastic job.

So when we change the type of tense, we might have to change both the auxiliary verb and the main verb.

Let me show you.

If I start with the simple past tense, I've got I joined the queue.

Then the progressive past tense would be I was joining the queue, with our auxiliary verb and our I-N-G form.

Then for the perfect past, I would say, "I had joined the queue." So I've got auxiliary verb based on to have and our past tense main verb.

If I start with a simple present, I would say, "I joined the queue." The progressive present, I am joining the queue.

And the perfect present, I have joined the queue.

So here we've kept the main verb the same in the perfect tense, joined and joined, but we've changed the auxiliary verb from a had to have.

If I look at the simple future, I would say, "I will join the queue." The progressive future would be I will be joining the queue, with that I-N-G form, and we've got be as our auxiliary verb now, as well as will, which is always there in the future tenses.

And in the perfect future, I would say, "I will have joined the queue." And look how always in the future we kept the main verb the same.

It's the auxiliary verbs that are changing.

And that's also true in the progressive tenses.

We've always got that I-N-G form of the main verb.

It's the auxiliary verbs that are changing.

And remember, in the progressive tense, the auxiliary verb is always based on to be, and the perfect tense, it's always based on to have.

So I wonder if you can fill in a table in the same way? I'd like you to just say the verb forms to complete the table using the different tenses shown.

I've done the first one for you.

So I want you to take that sentence, she made her fortune, and fill in all the other gaps in the table by saying the sentence out loud in these different tenses.

Have a go.

Well done.

Let's share these together.

So if we do the past tenses first.

In the simple past, it'll be she made her fortune.

Progressive past, she was making her fortune.

And the perfect past, well done, she had made her fortune.

In the present tenses we'd have she makes her fortune, she is making her fortune, and she has made her fortune.

In the future we'd say she will make her fortune, she will be making her fortune, and she will have made her fortune.

So look at those progressive tenses, they all have that I-N-G form and those auxiliary verbs based on to be, and in the perfect tense, they all have that past tense form of the main verb and those auxiliary verbs based on to have.

Hopefully you managed to say something similar.

Well done.

So let's do our final task for this lesson.

I've given you a new sentence this time, but the same table as we just saw.

I'd like you to complete the table for each tense starting with this sentence, he took his time.

So take your time with this, and see if you can get the right verb form for each of these tenses.

Pause the video and have a go.

Well done.

Fantastic effort with that, well done.

So let's see if we can fill it in together.

We've got he took his time, he was taking his time, he had taken his time.

In the present tenses, we've got he takes his time, he is taking his time, and he has taken his time.

And in the future, we'd say he will take his time, he will be taking his time, and he will have taken his time.

So notice how we've had to think carefully about what auxiliary verbs we need to use and what the form of the main verb is in each case.

Fantastic job if you've managed to have a go at that.

And you could take any sentence and try and practise this at home to see if you can change it from simple to progressive to perfect.

It will be a great way of practising your skills.

Good job.

So let's summarise our learning for this lesson.

We said that there are three important types of tense.

Simple tenses, progressive tenses, and perfect tenses.

And we know that we can tell the type of tense by looking at the auxiliary verbs and at the main verb.

We've said that the perfect tenses are a type of tense that use auxiliary verbs based on to have with a past tense main verb.

And we've said that that progressive tenses use auxiliary verbs based on to be and the I-N-G form of the main verb.

And we've said that the simple tenses don't use auxiliary verbs apart from will in the simple future tense.

You've done a brilliant job this session dealing with lots of grammatical terminology that we need to know, and I love how well you've converted between these different tenses.

Fantastic effort, and I hope to see you again in a future lesson.

Goodbye.