Present Perfect Tense – English Grammar Exercises for A2
You are writing a 5-star review for a hotel on a travel website. Read the sentences carefully and choose the best option (a, b, c, or d) to complete your review.
1 “I love this place! I ______ here three times.”
(a) am staying
(b) have stayed
(c) has stayed
(d) stayed
2 “My husband and I ______ to this hotel every summer since 2018”
(a) came
(b) are coming
(c) have come
(d) has come
3 “The rooms are always clean. We ______ a dirty room here.”
(a) have never seen
(b) haven’t never seen
(c) never saw
(d) have ever seen
4 “We have stayed at the Ocean View Hotel ______ five days, and it is wonderful.”
(a) since
(b) during
(c) in
(d) for
5 “The staff is amazing. The manager ______ us feel welcome every time.”
(a) have made
(b) has made
(c) made
(d) make
6 “I am writing this review because we ______ our stay here so much.”
(a) enjoyed
(b) enjoy
(c) has enjoyed
(d) have enjoyed
7 “This is a 5-star hotel. I ______ in a more comfortable bed.”
(a) have never sleep
(b) never slept
(c) have never slept
(d) have ever slept
8 “We love the restaurant. The chef ______ delicious food for us ______ Monday.”
(a) cooked / for
(b) has cooked / since
(c) has cooked / for
(d) have cooked / since
9 “I highly recommend the spa. I ______ it twice on this trip.”
(a) used
(b) have used
(c) am using
(d) have use
10 “They always improve the facilities. They ______ a new swimming pool recently.”
(a) build
(b) has built
(c) built
(d) have built
11 “I travel a lot for work, but I ______ a hotel with better service.”
(a) hasn’t found
(b) don’t find
(c) haven’t found
(d) didn’t find
12 “Many people ask me: ‘______ at this resort before?’ Yes, many times!”
(a) Have you stay
(b) Have you stayed
(c) Did you stay
(d) Do you stay
13 “We have been guests at this beautiful hotel ______ over ten years.”
(a) for
(b) since
(c) from
(d) during
14 “The location is perfect. We ______ to the beach every morning without any problems.”
(a) walked
(b) have walked
(c) have walk
(d) has walked
15 “This is simply the best hotel I ______!”
(a) have never visited
(b) ever visited
(c) have ever visit
(d) have ever visited
16 “We ______ our booking three times in the past, and the staff is always helpful.”
(a) changed
(b) have change
(c) have changed
(d) are changing
17 “My wife ______ anything to complain about ______ we arrived.”
(a) didn’t find / for
(b) haven’t found / since
(c) hasn’t found / since
(d) hasn’t found / when
18 “I ______ to many countries, but this place feels like my second home.”
(a) have traveled
(b) have travel
(c) traveled
(d) travel
19 “We ______ a bad meal here in all the years we have visited.”
(a) never had
(b) didn’t ever have
(c) have never had
(d) haven’t never had
20 “I ______ this hotel to all my friends, and they all love it too.”
(a) already recommended
(b) have already recommend
(c) haven’t recommended
(d) have already recommended
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Key: (b) have stayed
Explanation: – Why it’s correct: We use the Present Perfect to count the number of times an experience has happened up to now (“three times”).
- Distractor Analysis: (d) is a Common Mistake (Past Simple breaks the connection to the present and future). (c) is a Structural Error (“has” is wrong for “I”). (a) is a Meaning Trap (Present Continuous means you are staying 3 times right now, which is illogical).
2 Key: (c) have come
Explanation: – Why it’s correct: “My husband and I” is plural (we), taking “have”. “Since 2018” requires the Present Perfect.
- Distractor Analysis: (a) is a Common Mistake (Past Simple). (d) is a Structural Error (“has” is singular). (b) is a Meaning Trap (Present Continuous cannot be used with “since 2018”).
3 Key: (a) have never seen
Explanation: – Why it’s correct: Describes a lack of experience from the past up to the present moment.
- Distractor Analysis: (c) is a Common Mistake (Past Simple). (b) is a Structural Error (Double negative: haven’t + never). (d) is a Meaning Trap (“ever” changes the meaning to positive, contradicting the review’s context).
4 Key: (d) for
Explanation: – Why it’s correct: “Five days” is a duration (length of time), so we must use “for”.
- Distractor Analysis: (a) is a Common Mistake (using “since” with a duration). (c) is a Structural Error (wrong preposition). (b) is a Meaning Trap (“during” must be followed by a noun representing an event, not a length of time).
5 Key: (b) has made
Explanation: – Why it’s correct: “The manager” is singular, so it takes “has”. It refers to repeated actions leading up to now.
- Distractor Analysis: (c) is a Common Mistake (Past Simple). (a) is a Structural Error (“have” is plural). (d) is a Meaning Trap (Present Simple is grammatically okay for a habit, but Present Perfect emphasizes the accumulated experience better in this context).
6 Key: (d) have enjoyed
Explanation: – Why it’s correct: Explains the present result (writing the review) caused by the experience up to now.
- Distractor Analysis: (a) is a Common Mistake (Past Simple cuts off the connection to the present review). (c) is a Structural Error (“has” is wrong for “we”). (b) is a Meaning Trap (Present Simple refers to a general fact, not this specific trip’s experience).
7 Key: (c) have never slept
Explanation: – Why it’s correct: Making a strong comparison by stating you lack this experience in your entire life up to now. V3 of sleep is “slept”.
- Distractor Analysis: (b) is a Common Mistake (Past Simple). (a) is a Structural Error (V1 instead of V3). (d) is a Meaning Trap (Positive meaning contradicts the 5-star praise).
8 Key: (b) has cooked / since
Explanation: – Why it’s correct: “The chef” takes “has”. “Monday” is a specific starting point, requiring “since”.
- Distractor Analysis: (a) is a Common Mistake (Past Simple + wrong preposition). (c) is a Meaning Trap (using “for” with a starting point). (d) is a Structural Error (“have” is plural).
9 Key: (b) have used
Explanation: – Why it’s correct: Counting the frequency of an action (“twice”) in an unfinished time period (“on this trip”).
- Distractor Analysis: (a) is a Common Mistake (Past Simple). (d) is a Structural Error (Missing V3 ‘d’). (c) is a Meaning Trap (Present Continuous).
10 Key: (d) have built
Explanation: – Why it’s correct: “Recently” is a strong signal word for Present Perfect, showing a new change that affects the present.
- Distractor Analysis: (c) is a Common Mistake (Past Simple). (b) is a Structural Error (“They” takes “have”, not “has”). (a) is a Meaning Trap (Present Simple).
11 Key: (c) haven’t found
Explanation: – Why it’s correct: “I” takes “have”. Expresses a state that is true up to the present.
- Distractor Analysis: (d) is a Common Mistake (Past Simple). (a) is a Structural Error (“hasn’t” is wrong for “I”). (b) is a Meaning Trap (Present Simple).
12 Key: (b) Have you stayed
Explanation: – Why it’s correct: Asking about life experiences up to now (“before”).
- Distractor Analysis: (c) is a Common Mistake (Past Simple). (a) is a Structural Error (Missing V3 ‘ed’). (d) is a Meaning Trap (Asks about a routine).
13 Key: (a) for
Explanation: – Why it’s correct: “Over ten years” is a duration (length of time).
- Distractor Analysis: (b) is a Common Mistake (using “since” with a duration). (c) is a Structural Error (wrong preposition). (d) is a Meaning Trap (“during” is incorrect for durations in perfect tenses).
14 Key: (b) have walked
Explanation: – Why it’s correct: A repeated action during an unfinished time frame (the current holiday).
- Distractor Analysis: (a) is a Common Mistake (Past Simple implies the holiday is over). (c) is a Structural Error (Missing V3 ‘ed’). (d) is a Structural Error (“has” is wrong for “We”).
15 Key: (d) have ever visited
Explanation: – Why it’s correct: We must use Present Perfect + “ever” after a superlative (“the best”).
- Distractor Analysis: (b) is a Common Mistake (Past Simple). (c) is a Structural Error (V1 instead of V3). (a) is a Meaning Trap (“never” contradicts “This is the best”).
16 Key: (c) have changed
Explanation: – Why it’s correct: Counting repeated past actions (“three times”) that might happen again in the future.
- Distractor Analysis: (a) is a Common Mistake (Past Simple). (b) is a Structural Error (Missing V3 ‘d’). (d) is a Meaning Trap (Present Continuous).
17 Key: (c) hasn’t found / since
Explanation: – Why it’s correct: “My wife” takes “hasn’t”. “We arrived” is a past simple clause acting as a specific starting point, requiring “since”.
- Distractor Analysis: (a) is a Common Mistake (Past simple + wrong preposition). (b) is a Structural Error (“haven’t” is wrong for “wife”). (d) is a Meaning Trap (“when” changes the meaning and grammar rules entirely).
18 Key: (a) have traveled
Explanation: – Why it’s correct: Describing a life experience accumulated up to now.
- Distractor Analysis: (c) is a Common Mistake (Past Simple). (b) is a Structural Error (V1 instead of V3). (d) is a Meaning Trap (Present Simple).
19 Key: (c) have never had
Explanation: – Why it’s correct: “In all the years” shows a time frame from the past up to now. “Never” shows a lack of bad experiences.
- Distractor Analysis: (a) is a Common Mistake (Past Simple). (d) is a Structural Error (Double negative). (b) is a Meaning Trap (Clunky and less natural than Present Perfect).
20 Key: (d) have already recommended
Explanation: – Why it’s correct: “Already” shows the action is completed, and the present result is that the friends love it.
- Distractor Analysis: (a) is a Common Mistake (Past Simple with “already”). (b) is a Structural Error (Missing V3 ‘ed’). (c) is a Meaning Trap (Contradicts the second part of the sentence).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- The Form: Present Perfect uses Have / Has + Past Participle (V3/ed).
- Use has for singular (He/She/It/The manager). Use have for plural (I/You/We/They).
- Reviewing & Recommending:
- We use the Present Perfect to prove we are loyal customers. Saying “I have stayed here three times” shows the action has been repeated and might happen again in the future.
- We use it after superlatives to give high praise: “This is the best hotel I have ever visited!”
- Ever vs. Never:
- Ever: Used in questions (Have you ever stayed here?) and after superlatives.
- Never: Used to emphasize a perfect record (I have never seen a dirty room = The rooms are always clean).
- For vs. Since:
- Use For with a duration of time (for five days, for over ten years).
- Use Since with a specific starting point (since 2018, since Monday, since we arrived).