A Journey with the Present Perfect, Part Two

 

In a recent report, we explored how the present perfect was playing in a kind of language competition.

In today's report, we will continue our journey with the present perfect. But this time, instead of talking about history, we will travel around the world. You will learn how the present perfect has different uses in different kinds of English.

Let's begin with a few important terms and ideas.

What is the present perfect?

You can think about English verbs in terms of tense, aspect, and mood. Tense means time – present, past, or future. Aspect can suggest whether an action has been completed or not.

Mood is complex - do not worry too much about it today.

When we talk about the present perfect, we are talking about tense (the present) and we are talking about aspect (the term perfect).

The basic idea is that the present perfect suggests an action has been completed and has a connection to the present point in time in some way.

In a recent report, we talked about how Betty Azar, an English grammar expert, defines¹ the present perfect. In her book Understanding and Using English Grammar, Azar describes the present perfect in terms of form and meaning. The form is have + past participle. The meaning is that "the perfect tenses all give the idea that one thing happens before another time or event."

Here is an example:

I have already eaten.

"Have ... eaten" suggests that the speaker ate at some point in the past. It also suggests the action of eating has some connection to the present moment in time. For example, perhaps another person asked if the speaker wanted to eat food.

This example shows you a general way in which the present perfect is used. But the present perfect has different uses in different kinds of English, as we will see.

Different kinds of English

In recent Everyday Grammar stories, we explored the present perfect in British English. We also explored how Americans have been using the simple past more often than the present perfect.

But there is another kind of English that uses the present perfect in an interesting way: Australian English.

A study in Linguistics³ looked at the use of the present perfect in a number of Australian radio broadcasts.

The lead writer, Marie-Eve Ritz, notes that speakers of Australian English often use the present perfect as a way to make stories seem more real. The researchers call this the "narrative⁴ use of the present perfect."

The examples came from call-in radio shows where people described stories in a natural or everyday way.

The basic idea is that the speakers often used the present perfect in place of the simple past.

Here is an example from the research, a short part of a radio broadcast on Triple⁵ J radio Sydney. Note that an American voice is reading these words:

I looked over my shoulder, he's standing² right behind me. He's WALKED in, y'know the doors that separate the classrooms, he's COME in the one behind me, they all started laughing.

Note that the speaker began in the simple past with the words I looked over...

But then the speaker used short forms of "he has walked in" and "he has come" - the present perfect.

The study also gives an example of how speakers of Australian English sometimes change from the simple past to the present perfect after using the word then.

Consider this example, once again from Triple J radio Sydney.

...I just wanted to get out of the building as soon as possible. And THEN, about four of them HAVE COME UP to me and one guy's on crutches⁷ ...

American English

In general, you will not hear this "narrative use of the present perfect" in American English.

Speakers of American English use something else to make past experiences seem more real - the so-called⁸ "historic⁹ present," which you can read about in our previous Everyday Grammar story.

The basic idea is that Americans sometimes change from the past to the present when reporting speech or describing a past event.

The idea is that the change in verb tense makes the story seem more real and present to the listener or reader.

Closing thoughts

In today's report, you learned¹⁰ about how some speakers of Australian English use the present perfect in an interesting way.

You also learned that Americans use a different kind of verb form to tell stories.

The next time you are watching films or news broadcasts in English, pay careful attention to the present perfect. Try to watch news broadcasts from different kinds of English – American, Australian, and so on. Over time, you will develop a deep understanding of the present perfect and how different English speakers use it.

Words in This Story

aspect – n. grammar : the characteristic of a verb that expresses the way an action happens. A verb's aspect shows whether an action happens one time and stops quickly, happens repeatedly¹¹, or happens continuously.

mood – n. grammar : a set of forms of a verb that show whether the action or state expressed by the verb is thought of as a fact, a command, or a wish or possibility

past participle – n. grammar: the form of the verb that is used with "have" in perfect tenses and with "be" in passive¹² constructions

narrative – adj. having the form of a story; of or relating to the process of telling a story

crutch⁶ – n. a long stick with a padded piece at the top that fits under a person's arm — usually plural

1 defines   

规定( define的第三人称单数 )； 使明确； 精确地解释； 画出…的线条

参考例句：

• This name defines us all. 这个名字造就了我们。 来自演讲部分
• The range of incomes over which this happens defines the 'poverty trap'. 发生在这种情况的收入范围，称为“贫困陷阱。”

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 linguistics   

n.语言学

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• Linguistics is a scientific study of the property of language.语言学是指对语言的性质所作的系统研究。

4 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

5 triple   

n.三倍之数，三个一组；adj.三倍的

参考例句：

• Twelve is the triple of four.十二是四的三倍数。
• He received triple wages for all his extra work.由于额外的工作他领取了三倍的工资。

6 crutch   

n.T字形拐杖；支持，依靠，精神支柱

参考例句：

• Her religion was a crutch to her when John died.约翰死后，她在精神上依靠宗教信仰支撑住自己。
• He uses his wife as a kind of crutch because of his lack of confidence.他缺乏自信心，总把妻子当作主心骨。

7 crutches   

n.拐杖, 支柱 v.支撑

参考例句：

• After the accident I spent six months on crutches . 事故后我用了六个月的腋杖。
• When he broke his leg he had to walk on crutches. 他腿摔断了以后，不得不靠拐杖走路。

8 so-called   

adj.所谓的，号称的

参考例句：

• These were the so-called mainframe machines.它们被称为主机。
• Let's see what this so-called button does.让我们来看看为什么这个按钮叫这个名字。

9 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

10 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

11 repeatedly   

adv.重复地，再三地

参考例句：

• The loudspeakers blared the speech repeatedly.扬声器里反复大声地播送那篇演讲。
• He repeatedly beat his foot upon the floor.他反复用脚敲着地板。

12 passive   

adj.被动的；消极的

参考例句：

• He has a passive expression on his face.他脸上有一种漠然的表情。
• It lands the manager in a passive position.它使经理处于被动地位。