English Lesson 3

I have eaten. I had eaten.
*confused* Which is it?

The first one is PRESENT perfect tense. The second is PAST perfect tense. So which one do you use? Fret not. Miss Yoong is here to teach you. (pushes up thick framed spectacles)

Present perfect tense is used in 2 situations:
1) An action that has already happened but the time of the action is not known.
e.g. I have just closed the window.

2) An action that happened in the past and continued into the present
e.g. I have lived her since 1992. OR I have lived her for 2 years.

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Past perfect tense is used
1) When two actions occurred, but past perfect tense is only used for the first action. Past tense is used for the second action.
e.g. Before I managed to reach school, the bell had rung.

2) In reported or indirect speech.
e.g. He told me that he had pang sai-ed.

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Many more lessons coming your way! Hahah giving tuition to pri sch kids really improves my english. Tra la la. Maybe I should be a teacher.