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Have your students already studied these time markers?
When we use the present perfect tense to describe a finished action at an unspecified time in the past, there are three common adverbs that serve as time markers. These adverbs can be tough for students to remember because they follow different sentence patterns. Presenting them all at once allows students to see and understand the differences.
Already
Already is the easiest of the three time markers because this adverb follows a normal adverb sentence pattern.
| Meaning: | Already emphasizes that an action has been accomplished in the past. |
|---|---|
| Pattern: | have/has + already + past participle |
| Examples: |
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Yet
Yet has an unusual sentence pattern and always includes a negative verb.
| Meaning: | Yet signifies the intention to do something. |
|---|---|
| Pattern: | have/has + not + past participle + (object) + yet |
| Examples: |
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| *Note: | Not yet is pretty common as a short answer. |
Still
Still can be tricky for students because there are two separate uses of this term. It is helpful to point out that with the present perfect tense, the verb must be negative, and with the present progressive, the verb is usually positive.
1. Present Perfect
| Meaning: | Like yet, still signifies the intention to do something. |
|---|---|
| Pattern: | still + have/has + not + past participle |
| Examples: |
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2. Present Progressive
| Meaning: | Still emphasizes an ongoing action. |
|---|---|
| Pattern: | be + still + -ing verb |
| Examples: |
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Related
Are your students still having trouble with these time markers? Try our related materials:
Comments (2)
Alexandre A.(Teacher)
February 23, 2016 at 3:31 am
Esther Q.(Member)
May 21, 2025 at 9:15 pm
Tanya Trusler(Author)
May 23, 2025 at 12:28 am