Cool Hot Pink Pointer Nadia Safira's Blog: Present Perfect Tense + Use to/Used to

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Sunday, 27 November 2016

Present Perfect Tense + Use to/Used to


5.1.          Present Perfect Tense with yet, just, (+still), already, for, & since
1)      Just

Just’ is usually used only with the present perfect tense and it means ‘a short time ago’.
·         I’ve just seen Susan coming out of the cinema.
·         Mike’s just called. Can you ring him back please?
·         Have you just taken my pen? Where has it gone?
In the present perfect, ‘just’ comes between the auxiliary verb (‘have’) and the past participle.
2)      Yet

Yet’ is used to talk about something which is expected to happen. It means ‘at any time up to now’. It is used in questions and negatives.
·         Have you finished your homework yet? The speaker expects that the homework will be finished.
·         I haven’t finished it yet. I’ll do it after dinner.
Yet’ usually comes at the end of the sentence.

3)      Still

Still’ is used to talk about something that hasn’t finished – especially when we expected it to finish earlier.
·         I’ve been waiting for over an hour and the bus still hasn’t come.
·         You promised to give me that report yesterday and you still haven’t finished it.
Still’ usually comes in ‘mid-position’

Still is often used with other tenses as well as the present perfect.
·         I’ve still got all those letters you sent me.
·         Are you still working in the bookshop?

4)      Already

Already’ is used to say that something has happened early – or earlier than it might have happened.
·         I’ve already spent my salary and it’s two weeks before pay day.
·         The train’s already left! What are we going to do?
Already’ usually comes in mid-position.




5)      For
FOR + A PERIOD OF TIME
for six years, for a week, for a month, for hours, for two hours
I have worked here for five years.

6)      Since
SINCE + A POINT IN TIME
since this morning, since last week, since yesterday
since I was a child, since Wednesday, since 2 o'clock

I have worked here since 1990.


5.2.         Use to/Used to
There is a little confusion on how to use the words use to and used to. One reason for the confusion is that it is sometimes used as a verb, and sometimes used as an adjective. The other reason is because it seems like the tense changes. It's really quite simple when you look at it.
Used as an adjective. Use to be + used to. This means to be accustomed to. For example- I can study with the TV on. I am used to it. It means I am accustomed, adjusted, or don't mind having the TV play while I'm studying.
Or another example- Tim had a hard time living in Tokyo. He wasn't used to so many people. Tim didn't have experience being with big crowds of people before.
Used as a verb. Use to + verb is a regular verb and means something that happened but doesn't happen any more. It uses -ed to show past tense. But since it always means something that happened in the past, it should always use past tense. For example- used to go to school in Paris.(I went to school there before, but now I don't.) Or, When Joshua was a child, he used to climb trees. (Now he doesn't climb trees.)
Remember, we always use this word when talking about the past. So when do you use use towithout the d at the end? When the base form of the verb is used. Look at these examples- She didn't use to swim before noon. (Now she does swim before noon.) Or Did your father use to ride a horse? In these cases the past tense is shown with the did and didn't.

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