Your task
Fill in the gap in each sentence with the correct word or phrase.
0 / 15 answered
Your score
0 / 150%
Keep practising! Focus on the explanations below.
Quick rule
Use the present perfect when a past action explains a situation that is true now. The speaker cares about the result and not the time of the action.
Oh noLook!so, becausefinally
See full explanation ↓About this exercise
This B1 gap-fill set has 15 sentences, and each one describes a problem or a scene that you can see or feel now: a lost key, a broken window, a messy kitchen, an empty party. The cause happened earlier, but the result is in front of you, so the present perfect is the best fit. You type the whole verb phrase, for example has gone or have lost, and the short forms 've and 's are accepted. Read the second half of each sentence first. That half names the present result. Then choose have or has by checking the subject, and decide on the participle.
The rule in 30 seconds
Use the present perfect when a past action explains a situation that is true now. The speaker cares about the result and not the time of the action.
subject + have or has + past participle, followed by the present resultOh nointroduces a problem you notice now
Look!points to a visible result
so, becauselink the result to its cause
finallymarks a result after a long wait
Learn from the errors
Common mistakes this set targets
- Base verb as participle. Oh no, I have lose my keys, so I can't get into the flat. → Oh no, I have lost my keys, so I can't get into the flat.The present perfect needs the participle lost, and lose is the base verb.
- Have after someone. Look! Someone have broken the window. → Look! Someone has broken the window.Someone means one person, so the auxiliary is has.
- Been for gone. The doctor isn't here, because she has been to the hospital. → The doctor isn't here, because she has gone to the hospital.Has gone means she is not back yet, and has been means she went and returned.
- Wrong participle of fall. The shop is closed because the owner has fell ill. → The shop is closed because the owner has fallen ill.Fell is the past simple, and fallen is the participle.
- Missing the auxiliary. The party is over, and everyone gone home. → The party is over, and everyone has gone home.A participle on its own is not a full verb, so add has.
Frequently asked questions
Why not use the past simple in these sentences?
The past simple tells about a finished event. The present perfect also tells you that the result matters now. The words after the comma show that result.
What is the difference between "has gone" and "has been"?
"She has gone to the hospital" means she is not back yet. "She has been to the hospital" means she went and came back.
Can I write "'ve" and "'s" instead of the full forms?
Yes. This quiz accepts the short forms, so "I've lost" and "she's gone" are marked correct, and so are the full forms.
Is "everyone" singular?
Yes. Everyone takes a singular verb, so write "everyone has gone", not "everyone have gone".