Perfect tenses show completion or continuity from "summary" of Basic English Grammar For Dummies - UK by Geraldine Woods
Perfect tenses show completion or continuity. The completion aspect of the perfect tense indicates that an action has finished before another action takes place. For example, "I have finished my homework" shows that the action of finishing the homework happened before the speaking point in time. The continuity aspect of the perfect tense indicates that an action started in the past and is still continuing. For example, "I have lived in this city for five years" shows that the action of living in the city started in the past and is still ongoing. The present perfect tense is formed with the auxiliary verb "have" or "has" followed by the past participle of the main verb. It is used to show actions or events that have taken place at an unspecified time in the past or are still relevant at the present moment. For example, "She has visited Paris many times" indicates that the action of visiting Paris has occurred multiple times in the past. The past perfect tense is formed with the auxiliary verb "had" followed by the past participle of the main verb. It is used to show actions that were completed before a specific point in the past. For example, "He had already eaten dinner when I arrived" indicates that the action of eating dinner was completed before the speaker's arrival. The future perfect tense is formed with the auxiliary verb "will have" followed by the past participle of the main verb. It is used to show actions that will be completed before a specific point in the future. For example, "By the time you arrive, I will have finished my presentation" indicates that the action of finishing the presentation will be completed before the arrival of the listener. In summary, perfect tenses are used to show completion or continuity of actions in relation to specific points in time. They help clarify the sequence of events and convey information about the timing of actions in the past, present, or future.
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