Iwill complain. (future)Ihave complained ever since we moved farther from town. (present perfect)The last example conforms to the defi nition of the present perfect tense. The com-
plaining started in the past and continues into the present. Look at one more exam-
ple, using the verb prepare:
Iprepare three meals a day. (present)Iprepared three meals a day. (past)Iwill prepare three meals a day. (future)Ihave prepared three meals a day since 2001. (present perfect)Written Practice 1-7
Circle the verb in each sentence. Then identify the tense of the verb. Use the
previous example sentences as your guide.
- I expect a raise in October.
- Last year I received less than the maximum.
- I have expected a larger raise for the past two years.
- You think my larger raise will come this year, don’t you?
- I have read every document in the company.
- My feet slid across the newly polished fl oors.
- Next time I will know when the fl oor is wet.
- We wrote a list of safety instructions.
- We will implement the ideas shortly.
- I avoided a serious injury this time.
Irregular Verbs
If English is your fi rst language, you probably switch from tense to tense with great
ease—that is, with regular verbs. People are much more likely to have problems
CHAPTER 1 Elements of the English Sentence^19