3 Present Perfect Negative
Advertising
Introduction
The present perfect is a tense used to express completed actions which have occurred in the past, are connected to the present and still have effects on it.
When expressed in its negative form, the verb denies something about the subject.
Form
The present perfect, in its negative form, has this structure:
Subject + have/has + not + past participle + …
- Have/has: the third person singular changes from have to has;
- Short forms of the negative form are: I haven’t – you haven’t – she hasn’t…
- Regular past participles are formed by adding -d or -ed to the base form of verbs. Irregular past participles have to be learned by heart.
| Subject | have/has + not | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| I/You | have not | worked |
| He/She/It | has not | worked |
| We/You/They | have not | worked |
{Check the topic Past Participle to learn irregular verbs}.
Example
- Past situations with results in the present
- I haven’t lost my car keys!
- He hasn’t put on weight.
- We haven’t finished our homework!
- Finished actions referring to life experience up to now
- I haven’t talked to her four times.
- She hasn’t visited this castle.
- They haven’t travelled without their computer.
Use
We use the present perfect, in its negative form, to deny something about:
- Past situations with results in the present;
- Finished actions referring to life experience up to now.
Summary
We use the present perfect, in the negative form, to deny completed actions which have occurred in the past, are connected to the present and still have effects on it.
The structure is:
Subject + have/has + not + past participle + … (has for the third person singular)
For example:
— “It hasn’t rained the whole month.” = We use the present perfect because the past action still has effects on the present (for example, the water levels are low).
♦ “It didn’t rain last month.” = We use the past simple because the past action is finished and there’s no need to emphasise its effects on the present.
NOTE: The past participle is usually used to form the perfect tenses, and it indicates past or completed actions. It is formed by adding -d or -ed to the base form of regular verbs, whereas irregular verbs have different fixed forms which need to be studied off by heart.
Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context.
Exercises
The exercises are not created yet. If you would like to get involve with their creation, be a contributor.
Ambassadors
Open TextBooks are collaborative projects, with people from all over the world bringing their skills and interests to join in the compilation and dissemination of knowledge to everyone and everywhere.
Become an Ambassador and write your textbooks.
Online Teaching
Become a Books4Languages Online tutor & teacher.
More information here about how to be a tutor.
