Plain English. Marian Wharton
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      Not, He sees her frequently, but, He has seen her frequently.

      Can you not readily see the difference in the meaning expressed in I work every day, and I have worked every day? In the first sentence you express a general truth, I work every day, a truth which has been true in the past, is true in the present, and the implication is that it will continue to be true in the future. But when you say, I have worked every day, you are saying nothing as to the future, but you are describing an action which is completed at the present time. This is called the present complete or present perfect time.

      122. Perfect means complete, and present perfect describes an action perfected or completed at the present time. So it is possible for us to express a necessary shade of meaning by the present perfect time form.

       123. The present perfect time form describes an action completed at the present time, and is formed by using the present time form of have and the past participle of the verb.

       124. Review in the last lesson how to form the past participle. Remember that it is one of the principal parts of the verb. In regular verbs the past participle is the same form as the past time form. In irregular verbs the past participle is quite often different from the past time form, as for example: go, went, gone; do, did, done, etc.

      Watch closely your irregular verbs and see that you always use the past participle with have or had; never use the past time form with have or had.

      PAST PERFECT

      125. When you desire to express an action complete at some definite past time, you do not say:

      We finished when they came, but, We had finished when they came.

      Not, They went when we arrived, but, They had gone when we arrived.

      Not, I worked six months when he began, but, I had worked six months when he began.

      Can you see a difference in the meaning expressed in these sentences: I worked six months when he began; and I had worked six months when he began? This last sentence describes an action completed or perfected before some definite past time.

       126. Past perfect time denotes an action perfected or completed at some definite past time. It is formed by using had and the past participle of the verb.

      Remember always, with irregular verbs, to use the past participle. Never use the past time form with had.

      Exercise 2

      Correct the following sentences in which the past time form is used instead of the past participle. Look up the word in the list of irregular verbs and use the past participle instead of the past time form.

      1. I have saw it often.

      2. He had shook his fist.

      3. She has sang for us.

      4. The boat has sank here.

      5. He has spoke the truth.

      6. They had stole the books.

      7. He has swore to the truth.

      8. He had took the wrong road.

      9. She has tore her dress.

      10. He had threw the ball away.

      11. The girl had wore the dress.

      12. He had wrote the letters.

      13. He had drank too much.

      14. He had rode the horse.

      15. The sun has rose.

      16. He has bore his part.

      17. They have began already.

      18. The wind has blew all night.

      19. It had broke when it fell.

      20. He has chose the right.

      21. You have did your duty.

      22. He has ate his breakfast.

      23. A heavy rain has fell.

      24. They had gave it to me.

      25. He has became rich.

      26. It has grew rapidly.

      27. He has knew it always.

      28. He has mistook her for another.

      FUTURE PERFECT TIME

      127. We find also that we need a verb phrase to express time before some other future time, to describe an action that will be finished, perfected, or completed, before some other future action. Thus,

      I shall have gone before you arrive.

      You will have earned your money before you get it.

      I shall have worked thirty days when pay-day comes.

      Can you not see a difference in saying, I shall work thirty days when pay-day comes, and I shall have worked thirty days when pay-day comes? The first sentence expresses simple future time, or what you will do when pay-day comes; the second describes an action which will be completed or perfected before pay-day comes. So there is quite a difference in the meaning of the future and the future perfect time.

       128. The future perfect time form expresses or describes an action that will be perfected or completed before some other future time. It is formed by using shall have or will have with the past participle.

      Be careful to use the past participle. Never use the past time form with shall have or will have.

      LET US SUM UP

      129. We have three time forms, present, past, future.

      Each of these three time forms has a perfect form; that is, a time form which expresses an action as completed or perfected at the present time, or before some definite past or future time.

      130. It is wonderful how a knowledge of words and their uses enables us to express so many shades of meaning. It is like our development in observing colors. You know the savage always admires vivid reds and greens and blues. He does not yet see the beautiful shades and gradations of color. We enjoy the delicate pinks and blues and all the varying shades between the primal seven colors of the spectrum. And as we СКАЧАТЬ