Signal Words — English Grammar Exercises

Signal Words for Present Perfect and Past Simple

Certain time expressions reliably indicate which tense to use. While no single word forces a tense in all contexts, the signal-word patterns hold in the vast majority of natural English sentences. The British Council's English Grammar in Use corpus identifies signal-word errors as the second most common present perfect error type at B1–B2 level, after time reference errors.

Present Perfect Signal Words

Just — happened moments ago, result is immediately relevant:

Already — happened earlier than expected (placed between auxiliary and participle):

Yet — used in questions (has it happened up to now?) and negatives (it hasn't happened up to now); always at the end of the clause:

Ever / Never — at any time / at no time in life experience:

Past Simple Signal Words

Yesterday, last night/week/month/year, ago, in [year], at [specific time], when — all refer to a finished moment and require past simple:

Unfinished vs Finished Time Periods

This morning / this week / this year can take present perfect if the period is not yet over: 'He has called three times this morning' (while it is still morning). If the period is finished, use past simple: 'He called three times this morning' (said in the afternoon).

Common Mistakes

Frequently Asked Questions

When do I use present perfect instead of past simple?

Use present perfect (have/has + past participle) when the connection to the present matters: life experience ('Have you ever tried sushi?'), a result relevant now ('I've lost my keys — can you help?'), or an ongoing situation with since/for ('She has lived here since 2015'). Use past simple when you specify a finished time: 'She moved here in 2015', 'I saw him yesterday', 'Did you call last night?'

What is the difference between 'since' and 'for' in the present perfect?

'For' goes with a duration — a length of time: 'for three years', 'for ages', 'for two months'. 'Since' goes with a starting point in time: 'since 2019', 'since Monday', 'since I was a child'. Both appear with present perfect when the situation is still true now: 'I've worked here for three years' (still work there); 'I've worked here since 2019' (same meaning, different framing).

Which words tell me to use present perfect — just, already, yet, ever?

'Just' (= moments ago), 'already' (= earlier than expected), 'yet' (= up to now, used in questions and negatives), and 'ever/never' (= at any time in your life) are all strong signals for present perfect. Contrast these with past simple signals: 'yesterday', 'last week', 'in 2020', 'two hours ago', 'when I was a child' — any expression naming a finished period forces past simple.

What is 'have been to' vs 'have gone to'?

'Have been to' means visited and returned: 'I have been to Paris three times' (I'm not there now). 'Have gone to' means went and has not returned: 'She has gone to Paris' (she is still there). This distinction is one of the highest-frequency errors in learner corpora at B1–B2 level.