Present Perfect - common mistakes

1. Forgetting about the past participle.

WRONG: I have make a mistake.

RIGHT: I have made a mistake.

SOLUTION: Learn them by heart! For God's sake!

2. Wrong form of the auxiliary verb.

WRONG: She have made a mistake.

RIGHT: She has made a mistake.

SOLUTION: Painful death.

3. Forgetting about the auxiliary verb in questions.

WRONG: How long | | you been married?

RIGHT: How long have you been married?

SOLUTION: Slow down, read your answers again.

4. Taking irregular verbs for regular verbs.

WRONG: He has goed to Africa.

RIGHT: He has gone to Africa.

SOLUTION: See point 1.

5. Wrong position of such words as: just, already, yet.

WRONG: He just has ordered his meal.

I already have had dinner.

They haven't yet arrived.

RIGHT: He has just ordered his meal.

I have already had dinner.

They haven't arrived yet.

SOLUTION: Remember - "just" and "already" always between the auxiliary verb and the past participle, "yet" always at the end of questions and negative sentences.

6. Confusing "since" and "for".

WRONG: I have lived in Poznan for 1988.

She has worked at school since 4 years.

RIGHT: I have lived in Poznan since 1988.

She has worked at school for 4 years.

SOLUTION: Remember two rules: 1) since = a point in time (1990, last week, 8 o'clock, last spring, August, 2) for = a period of time (six minutes, one day, two weeks, four months, two decades).