How to Solve the Toefl test Question : - Incomplete Sentences

Question Example:

01. Violence on American campuses has abated ______ .
A. after 1970
B. in 1970
C. for 1970
D. since 1970

The answer of question is D ( Since 1970). The explanation is as follows:

In answering the incomplete sentence question, we must be able to identify the clue. In question 01, the clue is the verb has abated . This verb is used in present perfect tense. This tense requires the adverb of time using for and since. For is used with a duration of time such as three weeks, two years, five days, two hours, while since is used with a particular time such as yesterday, three weeks ago, I was a child, 1970, last week.


since + a particular time
Examples: since yesterday, since two weeks ago, since 1980, since last week, since I was a child.

for + a duration of time
Examples: for two weeks, for three days, for three years, for one month

Look at the examples of sentences below:

01. I have known him since I was a child.

02. She has lived her for two years.

03. They have come since yesterday.

- Online English courses: - Present Perfect Tense

Pattern :
(Pola : )
S + HAVE/HAS + V. III (PAST PARTICIPLE)

S (he, she, it, singular/uncountable noun) + has + V. III (past participle)
S ( they, we, I, you, plural noun) + have + V. III (past participle)

Presen Perfect Tense is used to express something which is perfectly completed now. The exact time when it happened is not important. when the specific past time is mentioned, past tense is used.
(present perfect digunakan untuk menyatakan sesuatu yang sekarang telah selesai dilakukan. Kapan waktu sesuatu itu telah selesai dilakukan tidaklah penting, yang penting sekarang sudah. Kalau ada keterangan waktu lampau disebutkan, maka Past Tense lah yang digunakan.)

Examples:
Contoh:

- She has gone. (dia telah/sudah pergi)
- I have moved into a new house. (Saya telah pindah ke rumah baru)
- He has finished teaching (Dia telah selesai mengajar)

But

- She went last night. (Dia pergi tadi malam)
- I moved to a new apartment yesterday. (Saya pindah ke rumah baru kemarin)
- He finished teaching three hours ago. (Dia selesai mengajar tiga jam yang lalu)

Present Perfect is also used to express a situation that began in the past and continues to the present. In this case the adverb of time using since and for is used.
(Prsent Perfect juga digunakan untuk menyatakan situasi yang dimulai diwaktu lampau dan berlanjut sampai sekarang. Di sini keterangan waktu yang menggunakan since dan for digunakan.)

Examples:
(Contoh:)

• She has been here since seven o’clock. (Dia telah disini sejak jam tujuh)
• I have known him for many years. (Saya telah kenal dia selama bertahun-tahun)

since + a particular time (sine + titik waktu)
for + a duration of time (for + lamanya waktu/durasi waktu)

Exercise: Use simple past Tense or present perfect Tense.
(Latihan: Gunakan Simple Past Tense atau Present Perfect Tense.)


1. Claudio (go) ……………. to a party at Susi’s apartment last Saturday night.
2. Ahmad (arrive) ………………. here three days ago.
3. Jono (be) ……………. here since last week.
4. Last January, I (see) …………. snow for the first time in my life.
5. In her whole lifetime, Salma (never, see) ……………… snow.
6. I (know) …………… Sharly for ten years.
7. I (be) ……….. in Jakarta last year.
8. Fatimah’s hair (be) ……. dirty two hours ago. Now it is clean. She (wash) …… her hair.

Key: 1. went, 2. arrived, 3. has been, 4. saw, 5. has never seen, 6. have known, 7. was, 8. was, has washed