Perfect Tenses

The three perfect tenses in English are the three verb tenses which show action
already completed. (The word perfect literally means "made complete" or
"completely done.")

They are formed by the appropriate tense of the verb to have plus the past
participle of the verb.

Present Perfect: I have seen it.

(Present tense of to have plus participle. Action is completed with respect to the
present.)

Past Perfect: I had seen it.

(Past tense of to have plus participle. Action is completed with respect to the past.)

Future Perfect: I will have seen it.

(Future tense of to have plus participle. Action is completed with respect to the
future.)

Some authorities consider the passive voice of certain verbs that are always
intransitive to be the perfect tense also.

Example: They are gone.

Example: He is risen.

The Perfect Tense Examples

The Perfect Tense

Remember that the tense of a verb refers to the time of the action or state of
being.
The perfect tenses expresses action that is already completed.
The present perfect tense expresses a present action that began in the past
and is now completed in the present.
The past perfect tense expresses an action that began in the past, was
completed in the past before something else occurred.
The future perfect tense expresses an action that will be completed by some
point in the future.
Examples of The Perfect Tense:
To form the perfect tenses, you must use auxiliary verbs.
Present Perfect-Present tense of have + past participle
Past Perfect-Past tense of have + past participle
Future Perfect-Will or shall + have + past participle
It is easier to understand the perfect tenses by looking at some examples:
1) I have put the money in the machine. (present perfect)
2) I had finished my homework before mom called me for dinner. (past perfect)
3) By the time the show is over, Marie will have danced for 40 minutes. (future
perfect)
4) The class has been outside for recess. (present perfect)
5) Jeff tried to hide the vase because he had broken it. (past perfect)
6) By the time I am 18, I will have saved over $2,000. (future perfect)
7) My sister has taken martial arts lessons for six years. (present perfect)
8) I had watched almost all of the show before the power went off. (past
perfect)
9) Do you think the lunchroom will have cooked enough pizza for all of us?
(future perfect)
10) Will had won the race every year until this year. (past perfect)
A figure of speech is a word or phrase that has a meaning other than the literal meaning. It can be
a metaphor or simile that's designed to further explain a concept. Or it can be the repetition
of alliteration or exaggeration of hyperbole to give further emphasis or effect. There are many
different types of figures of speech in the English language. We will give you examples of some of
the most commonly used types here.

Examples of Figures of Speech

Using Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the beginning sounds of neighboring words. Examples are:
 She sells seashells.
 Walter wondered where Winnie was.
 Blue baby bonnets
 Nick needed new notebooks.
 Fred fried frogs.
Using Anaphora
Anaphora is a technique where several phrases (or verses in a poem) begin with the same word or
words. Examples are:
 I came, I saw, I conquered - Julius Caesar
 Mad world! Mad kings! Mad composition! - King John II, William Shakespeare
 It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of
foolishness - A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
 With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right - Abraham Lincoln
 We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end... we shall never surrender - Winston
Churchill
Using Assonance
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in words that are close together. Examples are:
 A - For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore (Poe)
 E - Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee (Coleridge)
 I - From what I’ve tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire (Frost)
 O - Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn (Wordsworth)
 U - Uncertain rustling of each purple curtain (Poe)
Using a Euphemism
Euphemism is a mild, indirect, or vague term substituting for a harsh, blunt, or offensive term.
Examples are:
 'A little thin on top' instead of 'going bald'
 'Homeless' instead of 'bum'
 'Letting him go' instead of 'firing him'
 'Passed away' instead of 'died'
 'Economical with the truth' instead of 'liar'
Using Hyperbole
Hyperbole uses exaggeration for emphasis or effect. Examples are:
 I’ve told you a hundred times
 It cost a billion dollars
 I could do this forever
 She is older than dirt
 Everybody knows that
Using Irony
Irony is when there is a contrast between what is said and what is meant, or between appearance and
reality. Examples are:
 “How nice!” she said, when I told her I had to work all weekend. (Verbal irony)
 A traffic cop gets suspended for not paying his parking tickets. (Situational irony)
 The Titanic was said to be unsinkable but sank on its first voyage. (Situational irony)
 Naming a Chihuahua Brutus (Verbal irony)
 The audience knows the killer is hiding in a closet in a scary movie but the actors do not.
(Dramatic irony)
Using Metaphor
Metaphor compares two unlike things or ideas. Examples are:
 Heart of stone
 Time is money
 The world is a stage
 She is a night owl
 He is an ogre
Using Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like what it is describing. Examples are:
 Whoosh
 Splat
 Buzz
 Click
 Oink
Using Oxymoron
Oxymoron is two contradictory terms used together. Examples are:
 Peace force
 Kosher ham
 Jumbo shrimp
 Small crowd
 Free market
Using Personification
Personification is giving human qualities to non-living things or ideas. Examples are:
 The flowers nodded
 Snowflakes danced
 Thunder grumbled
 Fog crept in
 The wind howled
Using Simile
Simile is a comparison between two unlike things using the words "like" or "as." Examples are:
 As slippery as an eel
 Like peas in a pod
 As blind as a bat
 Eats like a pig
 As wise as an owl
Using Synecdoche
Synecdoche is when a part represents the whole or the whole is represented by a part. Examples are:
 Wheels - a car
 The police - one policeman
 Plastic - credit cards
 Coke - any cola drink
 Army - a soldier
Using Understatement
Understatement is when something is said to make something appear less important or less serious.
Examples are:
 It's just a scratch - referring to a large dent
 It's a litttle dry and sandy - referring to the driest desert in the world
 The weather is a little cooler today - referring to sub-zero temperatures
 It was interesting - referring to a bad or difficult experience
 It stings a bit - referring to a serious wound or injury
These examples of figures of speech were selected to show a variety of stylistic and rhetorical
devices that make the English language more creative, more expressive, and more interesting.
 LINK/CITE