Progressive tenses show actions that are or were ongoing. Present progressive: I am reading. Past progressive: I was reading when the phone rang. Future progressive: I will be reading.
The present perfect uses have or has with the past participle: I have finished; she has written three books. It links the past to now.
Many past participles are irregular: write, written; take, taken; be, been; begin, begun.
Worked example
Complete: “She ___ (eat) her lunch already.”
- Already links the past to now: use the present perfect.
- She takes has; the past participle of eat is eaten.
Answer:She has eaten her lunch already.
Key words
- progressive
- a tense showing an ongoing action
- present perfect
- have or has + past participle
- past participle
- the verb form after have, like eaten or gone
Practise this
New questions every time.
Common Core-referenced: L.4.1b