Present Perfect and Comparatives in English
The present perfect tense is used to describe actions that started in the past and continue to the present or have relevance to the present moment. Comparatives and superlatives are used to compare two or more things, highlighting differences or extremes.
Present Perfect Formation and Usage
Formation
The present perfect is formed using the auxiliary verb 'have' or 'has' followed by the past participle of the main verb.
Example: She has worked forregularverbs, I have been forirregularverbs
For negative sentences, 'not' is added after 'have' or 'has':
Example: She hasn't worked, I haven't been
Questions are formed by inverting the subject and auxiliary verb:
Example: Has she worked? Have you been?
Usage
The present perfect is used in several contexts:
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For recent actions:
Example: I have taken my mask
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With specific time markers:
Example: I have just had dinner
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For actions without a specific time indicator:
Example: He has worked here for 1 year
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To express duration:
Example: I have known Pietro since 2019
Highlight: The present perfect continuous been+−ing is used for ongoing actions, while 'gone' indicates someone has left and not yet returned.
Comparatives and Superlatives
Comparative Forms
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Equality: 'as ... as'
Example: Tokyo is as big as London
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Superiority: '-er' or 'more'
Example: China is bigger than Italy, This building is more modern than that
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Inferiority: 'less ... than'
Example: This book is less interesting than that one
Superlative Forms
Superlatives express the highest degree and are formed with 'the' + '-est' or 'the most':
Example: This is the cheapest pair of shoes in the world
Irregular Forms
Some adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms:
Vocabulary: Good - better - the best, Bad - worse - the worst, Far - farther/further - the farthest/furthest
Spelling Rules
- For short adjectives ending in -y, change -y to -ier/-iest
- For longer adjectives, use 'more' and 'most'
Highlight: Understanding these rules helps in forming correct comparatives and superlatives in English.