GMAT Verbs: The Perfect Tense

Hi .. can somebody please tell me regarding the past perfect continous, present perfect continous comparisons with past perfect and present perfect respectively??\

Thanks in Advance

Hi GMATNinja daagh AjiteshArun

After going through Usage of Past perfect from MGMAT SC, I came across this post and got more clarity.

However, I got one doubt: I read a NYT Ed today, and could'nt clearly understand the exact meaning of below sentence:

* The bonding process was never going to be easy, but now they had to speed it up.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/06/pare ... india.html

Here my doubt is with "now" which seems to refer to present and past perfect is used. is it similar to the below tricky example? In such case how to look at usage of past perfect with "but" in the sentence? Please help.

* The band U2 WAS just one of many new groups on the rock music scene in the
early 1980's, but less than ten years later, U2 HAD fully ECLIPSED its early rivals in
the pantheon of popular music.

Thanks in advance.

Hi fauji,

A couple of points that may help:
1. Now can be used in many ways. One of the meanings of now is ~"immediately" (or ~"just after the immediate moment"), but the meaning that I think they are going for here is actually ~"as a result of some recent change(s)". The "recent" is relative to the time that the sentence references. For example:

(a) He wanted to take the exam, but now he found that he could not. ← In this sentence, the now is not really being used to mean "immediately". It's more like "something changed (maybe a lockdown was ordered?), and in this situation, he could not do something that he wanted to do".

Check whether the article mentions that the situation changed (something that would necessitate speeding up the "bonding process").

2. The had in that sentence is actually past tense, not past perfect.

(b) I have to take the exam before the deadline. ← Here have (simple present) is the verb. To take is an infinitive.
(c) I had to take the exam before the deadline. ← Here had is the verb (simple past). To take remains an infinitive.

Thanks AjiteshArun

Yes, [From Article] there was a sudden situation change, lockdown announced during their Adoption and bonding process, and they had to go back to their native country before the start of country wide lockdown.

Now i got the clarity about it in terms of whole situation. Thanks.

the first use of present perfect is to show an action which began in the past and continue to present. this use is easy

but the second use of present perfect is to show an action finish in the past but is relevant to present. this use is also popular and hard to use. most mistakes we can not realize is in this use.
to understand this use, we need to know simple past. it is used to show anchor an action to a point of time or period in the past. this point or period must be specific. present perfect showing past action dose not show specific point or period in the past. we say the action finished and dont say the point or period in the past . in so doing, we means the past action relevant to present.
concept of relevance to present time is simple. if we dont say the specific point or period of the past, we mean the past action is relevant to present time. this is all about "relevance to present time". dont think too much about "relevance" here. we want to say at present that the action finished in the past. this means the past action is relevant to the past.

we can say that if there is no specific point or period in the past, we use present perfect. correct.

some writings on "relevance to present time" are made in grammar books. but this is simple as I have just explained.

the second use of present perfect is used correctly and naturally by my native speakers . but for non native , it is hard.

understanding this second use helps us understand simple past and present simple. simple past, simple present and present perfect are 3 most basic and hardest tenses in english and is not explained fully in most grammar books.

we should review these 3 tenses to master english tenses. gmat is very hard and basic and certainly will test these tenses frequently on SC section

for simple present.
1, show a condition which exist indefinitely, meaning it exist before, in , and after the moment of speaking
the whether here is nice.

2, show an action which exist at moment of speaking.
I push the door now

3. show an habitual action. action happen frequently before and after the moment of speaking. this use is similar to 1 st use.
so, in fact, there are onlyy 2 uses of simple present.

some use of present are used to talk about past action of advertisement is not basic to know

Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.