The present perfect tense

Two sentences from the story: "That man's (man has) got sense" and "Can't you see that it has stopped raining?" Both use the present perfect tense.

Its pattern is simple: has / have + V3 (the past participle, the third form of the verb). has stopped, have brought, has written, has become.

• has with he, she, it, and one person or thing
• have with I, you, we, they, and more than one

We use the present perfect for three things:

1. An action just finished. "It has stopped raining": it stopped a moment ago, which is why the dog can go out now.

2. Something that started in the past and still matters now. "That man has got sense": he got it at some point, and he still has it.

**3. A past action where what happened matters, not when. "Doctor Dolittle has written** books about his adventures." When? The sentence doesn't say, and doesn't care!

Compare with the simple past: "He wrote a book about cats" puts the action in the past and leaves it there. "He has written a book about cats" brings it into now: the book exists, you could read it today.

Practise: "Since becoming an animal doctor, Doctor Dolittle has learnt to talk to all animals. He has treated countless farm animals. Polynesia has taught him bird language, and he has written books about his adventures. Many people have brought their sick animals to his door. He has become famous worldwide."