1. The Present Perfect denotes a completed action connected with the present.
Stop that car! They have killed a child. (Dreiser)
I am a little frightened for I have lost my way. (Dickens)
The Present Perfect is frequently used with the adverbs just, yet, already and of late.
Mr. Worthing, I suppose, has not returned from town yet! (Wilde)
I have just written to him. (Dickens)
He has done a great deal of work of late. (Locke)
The Present Perfect can be rendered in Russian by the past perfective or imperfective.
How many pages have you translated for today?
?
Have you ever translated technical articles?
- ?
2. The Present Perfect is used in adverbial clauses of time after the conjunctions when, till, until, before, after, as soon as to denote an action completed before a definite moment in the future.
Dont buy any more meat tomorrow until you have spoken to the mistress
about it. (Bennett)
I am not going till you have answered me. (Galsworthy)
N o t e. Verbs of sense perception and motion such as to hear, to see, to
come, to arrive, to return in adverbial clauses of time are generally used in the
Present Indefinite and not in the Present Perfect.
I am sure he will recognize the poem when he hears the first line.
, ,
.
Well ask Mr. Franklin, my dear, if you can wait till Mr. Franklin comes.
(Collins)
When the completion of the action is emphasized, the Present Perfect is used.
He will know the poem by heart when he has heard it twice.
, .
3. The Present Perfect denotes an action which began in the past, has been going on up to the present and is still going on. In this case either the starting point of the action is indicated or the whole period of duration. The preposition for is used to denote the whole period of duration. Since is used to indicate the starting point of the action. If the conjunction since introduces aclause, the verb in this clause is in the Past Indefinite.
Mr. Cowperwood, I have known you now for something like fourteen years.
(Dreiser)
We have been engaged these four years. (Austen)
Where have you been since last Thursday? (Wilde)
Have you been alone, Florence, since I was here last? (Dickens)
This use of the Present Perfect is called the Present Perfect Inclusive.
The Present Perfect Inclusive is used:
(a) with verbs not admitting of the Continuous form.
There is nothing to be done. Shes dead has been dead for hours, said
the doctor. (Eliot)
(b) in negative sentences. (In this case the Present Perfect Continuous is not impossible. See 28.)
I have not slept since that night. (Bennett)
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(c) with non-terminative verbs such as to live, to work, to study, to teach, to travel etc. (In this case the Present Perfect Continuous is possible. See 28.)
I have worked upon the problem for a long time without reaching any
conclusion. (Shaw)
The Present Perfect in this case is translated into Russian by the present or sometimes by the past imperfective.
I have known him for many years.
.
I have always been fond of music.
.
N o t e. In the following cases the Present Perfect is not used:
| 1. ? | What did you say? |
| 2. . | I did not hear your question. |
| 3. ? | Where did you buy the book? |
| 4. . | Now I understand. |
| 5. , . | I hear that Mary is in Moscow (to hear is not a verb of sense perception here, it means the rumour reached me). |
| 6. , . | I am told that Mary is in Moscow. |
| 7. , . | I forget where he lives. |
| 8. . | I forget the title of the book (a certain fact). |
C o m p a r e: I have forgotten to ring her up (a certain action).
