The verb be is one of the most common and versatile verbs in English. It can be used as a main verb or an auxiliary verb, and it can express different meanings and tenses. In this blog post, we will focus on how to use be in present and past perfect, which are two important verb forms that show the connection between the past and the present.
WHAT IS PRESENT PERFECT?
The present perfect is a verb form that shows a connection between the past and the present. It is formed by combining has or have with the past participle of a verb. The past participle of be is been, so the present perfect of be is has been or have been. We use has with the third person singular point of view (he, she, it, or a singular noun), and we use have with the first person (I, we), the second person (you), and the third person plural (they) points of view. We use the present perfect of be:
- For something that started in the past and continues in the present:
- They have been married for nearly fifty years. (They are still married now.)
- She has been in Liverpool all her life. (She is still in Liverpool now.)
- For describing states or conditions that have been true at different times up to now:
- He has been very busy lately. (He is still busy now.)
- The weather has been quite unpredictable this year. (It is still unpredictable now.)
- For experiences or changes in state up to the present:
- I have been a teacher for ten years. (I am still a teacher now.)
- They have been friends since childhood. (They are still friends now.)
HOW TO MAKE YES/NO QUESTIONS AND SHORT ANSWERS IN PRESENT PERFECT
To make yes/no questions in present perfect, we invert the subject and the auxiliary verb has or have. For example:
- Have you ever been to Paris?
- Has she finished her homework?
To make short answers in present perfect, we use yes or no followed by the subject and the auxiliary verb. For example:
- Yes, I have.
- No, she hasn’t.
HOW TO MAKE WH-QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS IN PRESENT PERFECT
To make wh-questions in present perfect, we use a wh-word (who, what, where, when, why, how) followed by the auxiliary verb has or have and the subject. For example:
- Where have you been?
- How long has he been working there?
To make answers in present perfect, we use the wh-word followed by the main information. For example:
- I have been to the library.
- He has been working there for a year.
WHAT IS PAST PERFECT?
The past perfect is formed by combining had with the past participle of a verb. The past participle of be is been, so the past perfect of be is had been. We use the past perfect of be:
- For something that was true before another past event:
- They had been married for nearly fifty years before they moved to Spain. (They were married for fifty years up to the point they moved.)
- She had been in Liverpool all her life until she decided to travel the world. (She was in Liverpool all her life up to the point she decided to travel.)
- For describing states or conditions that were true at different times up to a specific point in the past:
- He had been very busy before he retired. (He was busy up to the point he retired.)
- The weather had been quite unpredictable that year before the summer arrived. (The weather was unpredictable up to the point summer arrived.)
- For experiences or changes in state up to a specific point in the past:
- I had been a teacher for ten years before I switched careers. (I was a teacher for ten years up to the point I switched careers.)
- They had been friends since childhood until they had a falling out. (They were friends up to the point they had a falling out.)
HOW TO MAKE YES/NO QUESTIONS AND SHORT ANSWERS IN PAST PERFECT
To make yes/no questions in past perfect, we invert the subject and the auxiliary verb had. For example:
- Had you been to London before?
- Had he seen the movie?
To make short answers in past perfect, we use yes or no followed by the subject and the auxiliary verb. For example:
- Yes, I had.
- No, he hadn’t.
HOW TO MAKE WH-QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS IN PAST PERFECT
To make wh-questions in past perfect, we use a wh-word followed by the auxiliary verb had and the subject. For example:
- What had you been doing?
- When had she been born?
To make answers in past perfect, we use the wh-word followed by the main information. For example:
- I had been studying.
- She had been born in 1990.
CONCLUSION
In this blog post, we have explored the use of be in present and past perfect, two verb forms that show how the past and the present are connected. We have also shown examples of questions and short answers with these verb forms, using the auxiliary verbs has, have, and had. These grammar rules can help you communicate more clearly and accurately in English, and express your thoughts and feelings in different situations.
ACTIVITY 1. DIALOGUE TO PRACTICE THE VERB “TO BE” IN PRESENT AND PAST PERFECT
Alex: Hi Sarah, how have you been lately?
Sarah: Hi Alex! I’ve been really good. The weather has been so nice, and it makes me happy.
Alex: That’s great to hear. Have you been to the new art exhibit at the museum?
Sarah: Yes, I have been there last week. It was amazing!
Alex: I haven’t been there yet, but I have heard it’s fantastic. Were the paintings impressive?
Sarah: They were indeed. Each piece had been carefully curated, and the collection was breathtaking.
Alex: I am looking forward to seeing it. Have you been planning to go again?
Sarah: I haven’t been planning to, but I would be happy to join you if you are going.
Alex: Sounds great! Let’s plan to visit the exhibit together next weekend.
Sarah: Perfect! I am excited. See you then!
Answer the following questions based on the dialogue above.
- Why has Alex been happy?
- Which tense is used in the following sentence? “I’ve been really good.”
- How would you express the following in the past perfect tense? “They were indeed.”
- Where has Sarah been lately?
- Where has Alex not been yet?
