Perfect tense and modal verbs
Perfect tenses
The Latin word perfectum means complete, not perfect in the sense of having no flaws. The perfect tenses are “perfect” because they describe completed actions that took place before the speaker’s present moment and that are important now.
Example:
I have turned off the oven.
This sentence, indicating a past completed action, tells the reader or listener that there is no need to worry that the food will burn.
As you just saw, perfect tense verbs are formed by placing have, has, or had before the participle form of the verb. For regular verbs, form the participle by adding -ed to the infinitive of the verb. The participles of irregular verbs are in the third column of the irregular verbs chart.
Present perfect tense
The present perfect tense is formed by adding -ed to the end of a regular verb and placing the present tense form of to have (has or have) in front of it.
Present perfect tense
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| I have bargained | we have bargained |
| you have bargained | you have bargained |
| he/she/it/one has bargained | they have bargained |
We use the present perfect to identify an action that began in the past and continues in the present:
I have run five miles a day for three years.
The words since, for, over, and during often indicate that the present perfect may be required.
Example:
Erica has been playing violin since she was five years old.
The sentence implies that Erica continues to play the violin today.
The present perfect is also used to refer to events that have occurred recently:
Those styles have come back into style lately.
Practice question
Newscasters report that a new storm _____ in the Caribbean and is expected to become a category three hurricane by early next week.
Choose the best answer:
a. Develops
b. Developed
c. Has developed
d. Had developed
e. Have developed
Correct answer:
The correct answer is c.
Has developed is correct because it indicates that the storm began recently and continues to grow.
a. Develops is incorrect because it is present tense and suggests a single moment in time rather than a growth process.
b. Developed is incorrect because it indicates an action that is completed instead of one that is ongoing.
d. Had developed is incorrect because it indicates that the action began in the past and was interrupted, not an action that is ongoing in the present.
e. Have developed is incorrect because it is plural, as in “New storms have developed.”
Past perfect tense
The past perfect tense is used to organize two actions sequentially when they both began and ended in the past.
Past perfect tense
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| I had studied | we had studied |
| you had studied | you had studied |
| he/she/it/one had studied | they had studied |
Context clues that indicate that the past perfect is needed include words that organize time:
- Already
- By the time
- Instead
- By
- Before
- After
- When
Example:
We had planned to bike to the park for a picnic, but since it rained, we went out for pizza and a movie instead.
This sentence describes a change of plans sequentially: Plan A is ruined, so Plan B is enacted as a substitute.
Practice question
Maurice _____ to run his first marathon last Saturday, but a severe case of shin splints convinced him to watch a Star Wars marathon instead.
Choose the best answer:
a. Had planned
b. Plans
c. Planned
d. Has planned
e. Has plans
Correct answer:
The correct answer is a.
Had planned is correct. The context clue last Saturday indicates that the past perfect is needed to organize the events in the right order.
b. Plans is incorrect because it is a present tense verb and cannot be used to describe actions in the past.
c. Planned is incorrect because it is simple past tense and cannot be used sequentially with another simple past tense verb.
d. Has planned is incorrect because the present perfect cannot be used to describe actions that ended in the past.
e. Has plans is incorrect because it turns plans into a noun. It is also ungrammatical.
The past perfect is also for conditional or possible actions that either did or did not take place in the past.
Common conditional words
- If
- Could
- Would
- Should
- Might
- Maybe
Example:
If Ishani had not spent so much time on the phone, she might have passed her physics midterm.
Here, Ishani’s past action of talking on the phone a lot is listed as a possible cause of her physics failure. The negative conditional, if … had not, sets up a sentence structure that organizes a negative causal relationship between Ishani’s two actions.
Practice question
If Jayden had not practiced the violin so much, he _____ won that competition.
Choose the best answer:
a. Might have
b. Should have
c. Could have
d. Might not have
e. Cannot have
Correct answer:
The correct answer is d.
Might not have is correct. It expresses the negative causal relationship between not practicing and not winning. If the sentence were reworded in positive language, it would say something like, “Jayden practiced the violin so much that he won that competition.”
a. Might have is incorrect because it does not make sense: not practicing does not usually lead to winning.
b. Should have is incorrect because it is illogical: not practicing does not merit winning.
c. Could have is incorrect because it is illogical. If Jayden had practiced more, he might have won, not if he had not practiced.
e. Cannot have is incorrect because it is an indicative verb in a conditional or hypothetical sentence.
The conditional is also used in some set phrases and expressions:
- Be that as it may, …
- If need be, …
- Come what may, …
- If it be true, …
- God bless America!
- Heaven forbid!
Future perfect tense
The future perfect is used to express past tense events in the future. Instead of breaking your brain trying to understand that sentence, look at this example:
Example:
By the time I am forty, I will have taught for twelve years.
The speaker of the sentence anticipates being forty, which is, at the moment of speaking, a future possibility. In that future, the speaker anticipates being able to look back on over a decade of teaching experience.
To form the future perfect tense, put will have in front of the participle form of the verb.
Practice question
Malcolm _____ completed his homework by seven, so he should have time to help clean up from dinner after that.
Choose the best answer:
a. Will have
b. Will not have
c. Would have
d. Won’t have
e. Would not have
Correct answer:
The correct answer is a.
Will have is correct. The speaker is anticipating the seven o’clock moment when Malcolm, having completed his assignments, will be free to wash the dinner dishes.
b. Will not have is incorrect because it is illogical. If Malcolm’s homework is not done, how could he have time to help clean up?
c. Would have is incorrect because it expresses a conditional future, one that might or might not happen.
d. Won’t have is incorrect. It is a contraction of will not have, which makes the sentence illogical.
e. Would not have is incorrect because it is a negative conditional and cannot be used to express a completed future action.
Modal verbs
The modal verbs are a unique subset of verbs that express possibilities and wishes. They are not conjugated and do not have infinitive or past tense forms.
- Can
- Could
- Should
- Would
- Might
- Maybe
- Must/mustn’t
- Shall/shan’t
- Ought/oughtn’t
- Will/won’t
Modal verbs are used with the infinitive form of another verb to express an entire thought:
Example:
The world should be at peace.
Practice question
If we are late for the performance, the ushers _____ let us in until the end of the first act.
Choose the best answer:
a. Won’t
b. Mustn’t
c. Oughtn’t
d. Shouldn’t
e. Couldn’t
Correct answer:
The correct answer is a.
Won’t is correct. It is the contraction of will not, a modal form that follows a conditional clause.
b. Mustn’t is incorrect because it does not make sense that the speaker of the sentence would agree with the claim.
c. Oughtn’t is incorrect because it means “should not” or “is not allowed to” and does not make sense from the speaker’s point of view.
d. Shouldn’t is incorrect because it means “is not allowed to” and does not make sense from the speaker’s point of view.
e. Couldn’t is incorrect because it means “could not” or “were not able to,” and does not make sense.