A Tom（visiting Philip for the first time）：I didn’t know you lived in a houseboat．

汤姆（第一次走访菲利普）：我原来不知道你住在船屋里。

Philip：I’ve always lived in a houseboat．I was born in one．

菲利普：我一直住在船屋里。我出生在船上。

—I thought you were still on holiday．When did you get back？

—I came back last week．

—Has your term started yet？

—Yes，it started on Monday．

—我以为你还在休假。你是什么时候回来的？

—我是上周回来的。

—学校开学了吗？

—是的，是星期一开学的。

B 注意：关于过去的动作的对话常常用现在完成时的问答开始，但是通常会以一般过去时继续下去，即使没有指明时间。这是因为在开头一句中提到的动作这时在说话人的脑子里已经确定了：

—Where have you been？

—I’ve been to the cinema．

—What did you see？／What was the film？

—（I saw）‘ Amadeus’．

—Did you like it？

—你去哪儿了？

—我看电影去了。

—看的什么电影？／电影的内容是什么？

—《莫扎特传》。

—你喜欢这电影吗？

Husband：Where have you been？

丈夫：你去哪儿了？

Wife：I’ve been at the sales．

妻子：商店大减价，我去买东西去了。

Husband：What have you bought？／What did you buy？丈夫：你买了什么东西？

Wife：I have bought／I bought you some yellow pyjamas¹．

妻子：我给你买了一套黄色的睡衣睡裤。

Husband：Why did you buy yellow？I hate yellow．

丈夫：你为什么买黄色的？我讨厌黄颜色。

C 现在完成时常常用于报纸和广播中，用于开头，说起某项活动，接着就用一般过去时进行描述。事情发生的时间常常在第二句里点出来：

Thirty thousand pounds’worth of jewellery² has been stolen from Jonathan Wild and，Company，the jewellers．The thieves broke into the flat above some time during Sunday night and entered the shop by cutting a hole in the ceiling³．

珠宝商店乔纳森·威尔德公司价值三万英镑的珠宝被盗。窃贼约在星期日夜间某时潜入楼上的一套房子，然后在商店的天花板上挖洞进入商店。

即使未指明动作的时间，在第二句里也通常用一般过去时：

Two prisoners⁴ have escaped from Dartmoor．They used a ladder which had been left behind by some workmen，climbed a twenty-foot wall and got away in a stolen car．

两个囚犯从达特姆尔监狱逃走。他们用了工人丢下的梯子，爬上20英尺高的围墙，然后乘偷来的汽车逃走了。

D 现在完成时常用于书信中：

I am sorry I haven’t written before but I’ve been very busy lately as Tom has been away．

很抱歉，在这之前没给你写信。因为汤姆外出了，我最近一直很忙。

We have carefully considered the report which you sent us on 26 April，and have decided⁵ to take the following action．

我们已经仔细地考虑了你于4月26日寄来的报告，并已决定采取以下行动。