AccelePrep for the ACT Test 2nd Edition Student Text

C HAPTER 2 | H YPER P REP E NGLISH • 35

Use the present perfect for an action begun in the past and extended to the present. WHEN TO USE THE PERFECT TENSES

I am glad you are here at last to keep me company; I have waited an hour already and the plane is not due to land for another 45 minutes. 9 8. Žƒ‹‡ ‹• –Š‡ ˆƒ˜‘”‹–‡ –‘ ™‹ –Š‡ ϐ‹ƒŽ ‡˜‡– „‡…ƒ—•‡ she had always run well at the 100-meter distance. F. NO CHANGE G. has always run H. always ran J. will always run Use the past perfect for an action begun and completed in the past before some other past action. Stacy had biked twelve miles before she realized her tire was going ϐŽƒ–Ǥ 9 In this case, both actions are completed in the past, but “biked” is completed before “realized,” so “biked” must be expressed as the past perfect “had biked.” Use the future perfect for an action begun at any time and completed in –Š‡ ˆ—–—”‡Ǥ Š‡ –Š‡”‡ ƒ”‡ –™‘ ˆ—–—”‡ ƒ…–‹‘•ǡ –Š‡ ƒ…–‹‘…‘’Ž‡–‡† ϐ‹”•– ‹• expressed in the future perfect tense. By the time I reach Chicago tonight, the Cubs will have played –Š‡‹” ϐ‹”•– game of the season. 9 The action “will have played” is going to take place before the action “reach,” although both actions will occur in the future. Example: The action “have waited” (present perfect) began in the past and extended to the present. Example:

STRATEGY ALERT Trust your ear to help you eliminate incorrect answers that have to do with tense. Read the sentence in your head. If it sounds wrong, it probably is wrong.

Example:

Example:

REVIEW 1. Present Tense: talk, write 2. Past Tense: talked, wrote 3. Future Tense : will talk, will write 4. Present Perfect Tense: have talked, has written 5. Future Perfect Tense: will have talked, will have written 6. Past Perfect Tense: had talked, had written

SUM IT UP - VERB TENSE

1. Avoid unnecessary shifts in verb tense. 2. Use the correct verb tense.