Taller de Inglés Avanzado día 6

Litsening and reading about: Shopping Centres: 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/2011/08/110825_6min_english_shopping_page.shtml

Writing and Speaking:


- Where is the best shopping center you have ever been? (*)
- Do you buy more than you need at a shopping mall?
- Where do you by food, clothes, beauty products or cleansing products?




Present Perfect

El "present perfect" es un tiempo que sirve para describir acciones que acaban de suceder en el pasado y que guardan alguna relación con el presente. Equivale en castellano al pretérito perfecto:

I have bought a car.

Yo he comprado un coche: nos indica que la acción de comprar el coche acaba de realizarse.

Si por el contrario utilizáramos el "past simple" esta conexión con  el presente se pierde:

I bought a car.

Yo compré un coche: no implica que la acción haya sido reciente, ni que aún siga teniendo ese coche.

En las oraciones con "present perfect" no se suele mencionar el momento en el que se ha desarrollado la acción:

I have read a book.

Yo he leído un libro: la acción acaba de finalizar.

Ya que si se mencionara el momento de su realización, entonces habría que utilizar el "past simple":

I read a book this morning.

Yo leí un libro esta mañana

No obstante, a veces sí se puede mencionar el periodo de tiempo en el que la acción se ha desarrollado, pero únicamente si este periodo de tiempo aún no ha finalizado:

This morning I have drunk three coffees.

Esta mañana me he tomado 3 cafés: utilizo en este caso el "present perfect" si el periodo de la mañana aún no ha terminado.

Ya que si este periodo hubiera finalizado habría que utilizar entonces el "past simple":

This morning I drank three coffees.

Esta mañana me tomé tres cafés: nos indica que la mañana ya finalizó.

Otro uso típico del "present perfect" es para describir acciones que empezaron en el pasado y que aún no han finalizado:

I have lived in this city since 1980.	He vivido en esta ciudad desde 1980: implica que sigo viviendo en la ciudad.
I have played tennis since my childhood.	He jugado al tenis desde mi infancia: y sigo jugando

Si la acción hubiera ya finalizado entonces habría que utilizar el "past simple":

I lived in this city for 10 years.	Yo viví en esta ciudad 10 años: pero ya no vivo ahí.
I played tennis for many years.	Yo jugué al tenis muchos años: pero ya no juego.

El "present perfect" se forma con el auxiliar "to have" en presente del indicativo (simple present), más el participio (past participle) del verbo principal:

I have listened to the news.	Yo he escuchado las noticias
She has watched TV.	Ella ha visto la tele

La forma negativa se forma con la partícula de negación "not" entre el auxiliar y el verbo principal, y la forma interrogativa se construye con el auxiliar al comienzo de la oración, seguido del sujeto y del verbo principal:

I have not done my homework.	Yo no he hecho mis deberes.
Have you been to Seville?	¿ Has estado en Sevilla ?

Simple Past / Present Perfect

Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate tenses, then click the "Check" button to check your answers.

1. A: Did you like the movie "Star Wars?"
B: I don't know. I (see, never)  that movie.

2. Sam (arrive)  in San Diego a week ago.

3. My best friend and I (know)  each other for over fifteen years. We still get together once a week.

4. Stinson is a fantastic writer. He (write)  ten very creative short stories in the last year. One day, he'll be as famous as Hemingway.

5. I (have, not)  this much fun since I (be)  a kid.

6. Things (change)  a great deal at Coltech, Inc. When we first (start)  working here three years ago, the company (have, only)  six employees. Since then, we (expand)  to include more than 2000 full-time workers.

7. I (tell)  him to stay on the path while he was hiking, but he (wander)  off into the forest and (be)  bitten by a snake.

8. Listen Donna, I don't care if you (miss)  the bus this morning. You (be)  late to work too many times. You are fired!

9. Sam is from Colorado, which is hundreds of miles from the coast, so he (see, never)  the ocean. He should come with us to Miami.

10. How sad! George (dream)  of going to California before he died, but he didn't make it. He (see, never)  the ocean.

11. In the last hundred years, traveling (become)  much easier and very comfortable. In the 19th century, it (take) two or three months to cross North America by covered wagon. The trip (be)  very rough and often dangerous. Things (change)  a great deal in the last hundred and fifty years. Now you can fly from New York to Los Angeles in a matter of hours.

12. Jonny, I can't believe how much you (change)  since the last time I (see)  you. You (grow)  at least a foot!

13. This tree (be)  planted by the settlers who (found)  our city over four hundred years ago.

14. This mountain (be, never)  climbed by anyone. Several mountaineers (try)  to reach the top, but nobody (succeed, ever) . The climb is extremely difficult and many people (die)  trying to reach the summit.

15. I (visit, never)  Africa, but I (travel)  to South America several times. The last time I (go)  to South America, I (visit)  Brazil and Peru. I (spend)  two weeks in the Amazon, (hike)  for a week near Machu Picchu, and (fly)  over the Nazca Lines.

Since computers were first introduced to the public in the early 1980's, technology (change)  a great deal. The first computers (be)  simple machines designed for basic tasks. They (have, not)  much memory and they (be, not)  very powerful. Early computers were often quite expensive and customers often (pay)  thousands of dollars for machines which actually (do)  very little. Most computers (be)  separate, individual machines used mostly as expensive typewriters or for playing games.

Times (change) . Computers (become)  powerful machines with very practical applications. Programmers (create)  a large selection of useful programs which do everything from teaching foreign languages to bookkeeping. We are still playing video games, but today's games (become)  faster, more exciting interactive adventures. Many computer users (get, also)  on the Internet and (begin)  communicating with other computer users around the world. We (start)  to create international communities online. In short, the simple, individual machines of the past (evolve)  into an international World Wide Web of knowledge.