USE
1.
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Present Perfect
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Past Simple |
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We describe an action that happened at an unstated time in the past.
Ann has sold her first book.
(When? We don't say when the action happened.)
They have seen "The Chronicles of Narnia" three times.
(When? We don't say when the action happened.)
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We describe an action that happened at a stated time in the past.
Ann sold her first book in 2011.
(When? We say when the action happened. In 2011.)
They saw "The Chronicles of Narnia" yesterday.
(When? We say when the action happened. Yesterday.)
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NOTE!
We cannot use Present Perfect with people who are not alive.
We use Past Simple even if we do not mention when it happened.
E.g. Jane Austen sold the copyright to 'Pride and Prejudice' for £110.
(Not: Jane Austen has sold…)
2.
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Present Perfect
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Past Simple |
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We use Present Perfect to give new information (e.g. about a person's experience).
I have lost my key. I lost it yesterday.
"I have lost" - my experience.
Have you been to Italy?
Yes, I have.
(new information — Present Perfect)
When did you go there?
Last year.
Who did you go with?
I went there with my parents.
(details — Past Simple)
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We use Past Simple to speak about the details of this information.
I have lost my key. I lost it yesterday.
"When did it happen? - Yesterday." - details.
Have you been to Italy?
Yes, I have.
(new information — Present Perfect)
When did you go there?
Last year.
Who did you go with?
I went there with my parents.
(details — Past Simple)
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NOTE!
In spoken English we often give details (When? Where? etc) in the first answer. So Past Simple can be used in the answer to a Present Perfect question. We use one sentence instead of two.
Compare the following two dialogues:
Dialogue 1.
Have you been to Italy?
Yes, I have. I went there last year.
Dialogue 2.
Have you been to Italy?
Yes, I went there last year.
Both dialogues are correct. But in the second dialogue, we omit the part of the short answer "I have." to make the answer shorter.
Yes, (I have.) I went there last year.
