Cambridge Grammar of English Hardback with cd-rom a comprehensive Guide

THE PRESENT PERFECT AS A FRAME FOR PAST TIME EVENTS 

354

The present perfect is often used initially to provide an overall frame for the

reporting of past events, in spoken and written narratives and reports. The present

perfect verb often provides a headline or statement of a newsworthy event,

followed by a series of verbs in the past tense reporting the details:

Poisonous black widow spiders

have invaded Britain by plane. They stowed

away in crates of ammunition flown from America to RAF Welford, Berks. A

US airman at the base near Newbury 

captured one of the spiders in a jar after it

crawled out of a crate. 

618 | Past time

Cambridge Grammar of English

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I

’ve been going to the weight-watchers but, wait till you hear this, I went first

time and I’d lost three and a half pounds, and I 

went last week and I’d lost half

a pound, so I 

went down to the fish shop and got fish and chips. I was so

disgusted!