On this show we talked about the past tense and some of the differences between ‘past’ and ‘present perfect’. Here are some points:
Point 1: Past only talks about actions and events that have finished. e.g., I lived in London (= I don’t live there now).
Point 2: Time phrases are generally only used with the past simple tense. e.g., I crashed my bicycle this morning.
Point 3: We often use the present perfect to talk about actions or events that started in the past and have continued up to the present. e.g., I have lived in London for 20 years (= and I still live there now).
Point 4: American English often uses past simple to give news. e.g., Did you hear? America declared war on Iraq. In Britain, people use present perfect to give news. e.g., Have you heard? America has declared war on Iraq.
Other language: Cheesy = of poor quality, or poor humor.
Present Perfect Tense/Past Simple Tense
Both sides of the pond (US) attorney/ (UK) solicitor (US) day off / holiday/ (UK) bank holiday (US) liquor store / (UK) off licence.