The Present Perfect Case Of The Missing Necklace

 

As you read or listen, pay attention to how the present perfect is used to describe what people have done, seen or experienced - and how this affects the investigation.

The Case of the Missing Necklace: Part 1

Detective Clara Parker arrived at the mansion just as the rain began to pour. Mrs. Devereaux had called in a panic—her priceless diamond necklace was missing.

TED Talks For Better English

 

TED Talks are a great way to improve your English and learn something new. These 5 tips will help you learn more and learn faster:

1 Watch without subtitles 

Listen for the main ideas.

2 Watch with subtitles

Click on “Subtitles”, select “English”. Listen for more details.

3 Read the transcript

Click on “Interactive transcript”. Read the text, highlight new vocabulary and interesting points.

4 Work on vocabulary

Check new words (8-10 per talk) and write a sentence using each word. Write the words on sticky notes or use a flashcard app like Quizlet to study them. Remember to use the new words in conversations, in your class, in meetings, etc.

5 Learning by teaching

Share your knowledge. In English, summarize the talk for a friend, discuss the topic with a colleague or your teacher.

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If you are new to TED Talks, you need to know this:

a) Click on “interactive transcript” to see the full Talk in English. You can click on any word to go directly to that part of the video and hear it. Helpful!

b) If the TED Talk is difficult to understand, you can usually find subtitles in Portuguese to help you.

c) You can search by subject, or you can search by “rating” and select ratings like “fascinating,” “informative” or “inspiring. If you want a short video, you can search for talks that are less than three or five minutes.

Links

• How to sound smart in your TED Talk
• Find the perfect TED Talk

Indirect Questions

 

Have a look at this conversation.

Me: Excuse me. Could you tell me where the nearest station is?
Person in the street: Certainly. It's along that road on the right.
Me: Thank you. And do you know if there's a supermarket near here?
Person in the street: Yes, there's one next to the station.
Me: Thank you very much for your help.

I use indirect questions when I'm asking for help in the street, because they are very polite. Indirect questions start with a phrase like 'could you tell me...' or 'do you know...'. For example:

Direct question: Where is the bank?
Indirect question: Could you tell me where the bank is?

Notice that in the indirect question I put the verb ('is') after the subject ('the bank'), in the same way as I do with a normal positive sentence ('the bank is over there'), but in the direct question I put the verb 'is' before the subject 'the bank'. This is called inversion, and it is used to make direct questions in many verb tenses in English, but we don't use inversion in indirect questions. This is very similar to the grammar of reported questions. However, we use indirect questions in a different way from reported questions. Indirect questions are a way of being polite. They are very, very common in English, especially when you're talking to someone you don't know.

'Yes / No' Questions

To make an indirect 'yes / no' question, we use 'if' and the word order of a normal positive sentence. This is the same as for reported 'yes / no' questions. On the other hand, we don't usually need to 'backshift' (change the tense of the verb) as we do with reported questions.

Of course, most tenses make questions by using 'inversion' (changing the word order). To change from a direct 'yes / no' question with inversion to an indirect question, you add 'if' and change the word order back to a normal positive sentence. You don't need to use inversion.

'Yes / no' questions for tenses with inversion:

Verb Tense	Direct Question	Indirect Question
Present simple with 'be'	Is he Spanish?	Can you tell me if he is Spanish?
Present continuous	Is the restaurant closing now?	Can you tell me if the restaurant is closing now?
Past simple with 'be'	Was he late for the meeting?	Can you tell me if he was late for the meeting?
Past continuous	Were you watching TV at 3pm?	Can you tell me if you were watching TV at 3pm?
Present perfect	Has Lucy been to Mexico?	Can you tell me if Lucy has been to Mexico?
Present perfect continuous	Has she been living here long?	Can you tell me if she has been living here long?
Past perfect	Had she found this job when she moved here?	Can you tell me if she had found this job when she moved here?
Past perfect continuous	Had she been living here long when she met you?	Can you tell me if she had been living here long when she met you?
Future simple with 'will'	Will she start her new job next week?	Can you tell me if she will start her new job next week?
Future simple with 'going to'	Is it going to rain later?	Can you tell me if it is going to rain later?
Future continuous	Will Lisa be meeting the boss later?	Can you tell me if Lisa will be meeting the boss later?
Future perfect	Will he have finished the report by tonight?	Can you tell me if he will have finished the report by tonight?
Future perfect continuous	Will he have been studying French for twenty years when he retires?	Can you tell me if he will have been studying French for twenty years when he retires?
Modal verbs	Should we start now?	Can you tell me if we should start now?

'Yes / no' questions with tenses that use 'do / does / did':

Sometimes you want to make an indirect question using the present simple of any verb except 'be' or the past simple of any verb except 'be'. These tense make direct questions by using 'do / does / did'. When we want to make indirect 'yes / no' questions using these tenses, we need 'if' and we don't need 'do / does / did'.

Verb Tense	Direct Question	Indirect Question
Present simple with any verb except 'be'	Does David live in London?	Can you tell me if David lives in London?
Past simple with any verb except 'be'	Did Amanda call John yesterday?	Can you tell me if Amanda called John yesterday?

'Wh' Questions

In the same way as with reported 'wh' questions, we use the question word and the word order of a normal positive sentence to make indirect 'wh' questions. We don't need to use inversion. Again, we also don't usually need to 'backshift' (change the tense of the verb) as we do with reported questions.

To change a direct question to an indirect question for tenses that make questions using inversion, you just add 'if' and change the word order back to a normal positive sentence.

'Wh' questions for tenses with inversion:

Verb Tense	Direct Question	Indirect Question
Present simple with 'be'	Why is he unhappy?	Can you tell me why he is unhappy?
Present continuous	When is the restaurant closing?	Can you tell me when the restaurant is closing?
Past simple with 'be'	Why was he late for the meeting?	Can you tell me why he was late for the meeting?
Past continuous	What were you doing at 3pm?	Can you tell me what you were doing at 3pm?
Present perfect	Where has Lucy been?	Can you tell me where Lucy has been?
Present perfect continuous	How long has she been living here?	Can you tell me how long she has been living here?
Past perfect	Why had she quit her job before she moved here?	Can you tell me why she had quit her job before she moved here?
Past perfect continuous	How long had she been living here when she met you?	Can you tell me how long she had been living here when she met you?
Future simple with 'will'	When will she start her new job?	Can you tell me when she will start her new job?
Future simple with 'going to'	When is it going to rain?	Can you tell me when it is going to rain?
Future continuous	What time will Lisa be meeting the boss?	Can you tell me what time Lisa will be meeting the boss?
Future perfect	When will he have finished the report?	Can you tell me when he will have finished the report?
Future perfect continuous	How long will he have been studying French when he retires?	Can you tell me how long he will have been studying French when he retires?
Modal verbs	What should we do now?	Can you tell me what we should do now?

'Wh' questions for tenses with 'do / does / did':

Sometimes you want to make an indirect 'wh' question using the present simple of any verb except 'be' or the past simple of any verb except 'be'. Usually these tenses make questions by using 'do / does / did'. However, when we want to make indirect 'wh' questions using these tenses, we don't need 'do / does / did'. Instead, we use a question word and then normal positive sentence word order.

Verb Tense	Direct Question	Indirect Question
Present simple with any verb except 'be'	Where does David live?	Can you tell me where David lives?
Past simple with any verb except 'be'	Why did Amanda call John yesterday?	Can you tell me why Amanda called John yesterday?

Common Problems

It can be difficult to remember to put the verb after the subject, especially when the indirect question is in the present simple tense of 'be'. For example, we need to say:

Could you tell me where the station is?

NOT:

Could you tell me where is the station?

Adapted from www.perfectenglishgrammar.com

🇬🇧 Critical English Prepositions 🇧🇷

1. AT

🧠 Tip: Use for specific points in time or space.

• ✅ at 5pm

• ✅ at the door

• ✅ at night

• ✅ at school / at work

• ❌ in night → ✅ at night

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2. IN

🧠 Tip: Use for inside something, or months/years/longer periods.

• ✅ in the room

• ✅ in July / in 1995

• ✅ in Brazil

• ❌ on Brazil → ✅ in Brazil

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3. ON

🧠 Tip: Use for surfaces and specific days/dates.

• ✅ on the table

• ✅ on Monday / on July 4th

• ✅ on TV / on the phone

• ❌ in Monday → ✅ on Monday

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4. TO

🧠 Tip: Use for direction and movement toward a target.

• ✅ go to work / to the bank

• ✅ give it to me

• ❌ arrived to the airport → ✅ arrived at the airport

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5. FOR

🧠 Tip: Use for purpose, benefit, or duration.

• ✅ This gift is for you.

• ✅ I worked there for 3 years.

• ✅ It’s good for your health.

• ❌ good to your health → ✅ good for your health

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6. BY

🧠 Tip: Use for who did something, how, or deadlines.

• ✅ a book by Paulo Coelho

• ✅ travel by car / by plane

• ✅ finish it by Friday

• ❌ finish until Friday → ✅ finish by Friday

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7. ABOUT

🧠 Tip: Use to talk about subjects or topics.

• ✅ talk about the movie

• ✅ a book about history

• ❌ speak of politics → ✅ speak about politics

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8. FROM

🧠 Tip: Use for origin, distance, or difference.

• ✅ I’m from Brazil.

• ✅ 2 km from here

• ✅ different from you

• ❌ different of you → ✅ different from you

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9. OVER / ABOVE

🧠 Tip:

• Use “over” for movement or covering.

• Use “above” for position or level.

• ✅ The plane flew over the city.

• ✅ The shelf is above the bed.

• ✅ The blanket is over the bed.

• ❌ the shelf is over the bed → “above” is clearer

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10. UNDER / BELOW

🧠 Tip:

• Use “under” for direct physical position.

• Use “below” more for measurement, rank, or abstract level.

• ✅ The pen is under the table.

• ✅ The temperature is below zero.

• ✅ He ranked below average.

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🎯 Expanded: Bonus Confusing Pairs

🇵🇹 Common Mistake (Translation)	🇬🇧 Correct Preposition	💬 Explanation
depend of	depend on	Depender de = depend on
married with	married to	“Casado com” = married to
similar with	similar to	“Semelhante a” = similar to
listen music	listen to music	“Ouvir música” needs to in English
think in you	think about you	“Pensar em” = think about
arrive in the airport	arrive at the airport	Use at for points like airports, stations
good to your health	good for your health	“Bom para” = good for
explain me this	explain this to me	“Explicar algo para alguém” → explain something to someone
ask to someone	ask someone	No preposition needed: “ask her a question”
answer to the question	answer the question	No “to” needed with “answer”

Duolingo fluency practice

These are typical Duolingo exam questions. In this type of question, you talk for 30-90 seconds about the topic. It is excellent fluency practice for anyone.

1.Describe a performance you have watched. Please say
– Where was it?
– What kind of performance was it?
– What did you like the most about it?

2.Talk about a challenge you encountered. Please say
– What was the challenge?
– When and where was the challenge?
– How did you overcome it?
– What made it unforgettable?

3.Talk about a special, memorable moment. Please say
– When it was
– What happened
– Why it was special
– How you felt at the time.

4.Talk about a time when you have visited a crowded place. Please say
– What the place was
– Why you went there
– With whom you went there
– And whether or not you enjoyed your visit.

5.Talk about an article you read online that was about healthy living. Please say
– When you read it
– What in particular it was about
– What you learnt from it

6. Talk about an occasion when you couldn’t use your mobile phone. Please say
– when it happened
– what happened to your phone
– how it made you feel

 7. Talk about an occasion when you were forced to change your plans because of the weather. Please say
– When did this happen?
– Where were you?
– What kind of weather was?
– Explain why you had to change your plans

8. Talk about something you bought that was difficult to use at first. Please say
– What is it?
– When did you buy it?
– What does it do?
– Why was it difficult to use for the first time?

9.Talk about something that you borrowed from a person you know. Please say:
– What you borrowed
– When you borrowed it
– Why you borrowed it
– And when you returned it.

10. Talk about a situation when you were late. Please say
– What you were late for
– Why you were late
– What happened because you were late
– How you felt about it

11. Talk about a time when you felt happy. Please say
– What made you happy
– Where you were
– Who was there with you
– And why you felt happy about this.

12.Talk about a place that is full of color. Please say
– What place this is
– Where it is located
– What people do there
– How you learned about this place.

13. Describe an incident where someone apologized to you. You should say:
– Who was it?
– When was it?
– What did the person say?
– Why was this incident memorable to you?

14. Talk about a dream home you would like to live in. Please say
– What kind of home would it be?
– Why would you like to live in it?
– Who would you like to live with?

15. Talk about a place where you go to read or write (except for your home). Please say
– What place this is
– Where it is located
– With whom you go there
– How often you visit this place.

16. Talk about a movie you watched that you liked. Please say
– What was the movie?
– Why did you like it?
– Would you recommend it to a friend?

17. Talk about different kinds of local food available in your country. Please say
– What are they?
– Do you buy or make these kinds of food?
– Can you find these dishes in other countries?

18. Talk about a goal that you set up for yourself and how you achieved it. Please say
– What was the goal?
– What did you do to achieve it?
– What was the hardest part for you?

19. Describe a situation where you helped or offered help to somebody. Please say
– When and where was it?
– What kind of help did you offer?
– Who was the person you offered it to?

20. Describe an incident where someone apologized to you. You should say:
– Who was it?
– When was it?
– What did the person say?
– Why was this incident memorable to you?

21. Describe an incident when you were delayed or late. Please say
– What was it?
– What did you do?
– How did you get there?

22. Talk about a uniform that you wore in the past. Please say
– Describe it.
– Where and when was it?
– How did you feel about wearing a uniform?

23. Describe a sports or work team where you participate. Please say
– What is it?
– When and why did you join it?
– Can you give a brief description of the team members?

24. Talk about an interesting thing that your friend has done, that influenced you and made you want to do the same. Please say
– What was it?
– When and where would you like to do it?
– Why would you like to do it?

25. Talk about a celebrity that you know. Please say
– Who is the celebrity?
– Where do you usually see him/her?
– What does he/she do?

26. Describe a book that you read. Please say
– What kind of book it is
– Why you read this book
– When you read it

27. Talk about a teenager that you know well. Please say
– Who is he/she?
– How did you meet him/her?
– Can you describe him/her?

28. Describe a city in your country that you would like to visit. Please say
– What and where is it?
– What can people do there?
– Why do you want to go there?

29. Talk about your favorite website. Please say
– What is it?
– What is it about?
– How often do you use it? Why?

30. Talk about an old building in your home town that you like to visit. Please say
– What and where is it?
– Why do you like to go there?
– Describe what it looks like.

31. Describe a street that you visited to buy something. Please say:
– Where the street is
– When you visited it
– What you bought, and
– How you felt after that.

32. Talk about someone whom you helped with your studies.
Please say
– Who was he/she?
– Why did you help him/her?
– How did you feel after that?

33. Describe a decision that you had made with the help of another
person. Please say
– What decision was it?
– When was it and who helped you?
– How did you feel after making the decision?

34. Talk about a sport that you really want to try in the future. Please
say
– Why you like it
– When you first watched it
– When you want to play it.

35. Talk about a thing that you would like to replace. Please say
– What is it?
– Why do you want to replace it?
– What will you replace it with?

36. Talk about your childhood friend with whom you are still in touch today.
Please say
– Who is he/she?
– How and when did you both meet?
– Is he/she your best friend?

37. Talk about something that you wear only for special occasions.
Please say
– What is it?
– Where and when did you buy it?
– How do you feel when you wear it?

38. Talk about a complaint that you made to a company recently, and were pleased with the result. Please say
– What was the complaint?
– What did you ask them to do about it?
– Why were you pleased with the result?

39. Talk about your favorite comedy actor/actress. Please say
– Who is he/she?
– What do you like about him/her?
– Is he/she the same in real life?

40. Describe a time when you received money as a gift. Please say
– When did you receive it?
– What did you do with it?
– How did you feel about it?

41. Describe an interesting person that you would like to meet in the future. Please say
– Who is the person?
– What do you like about him/her?
– What is the interesting thing about that person?

42. Talk about an exercise or a trick that helps you concentrate at home or at work. Please say
– What do you do?
– When and where do you do it?
– Why is it important for you to concentrate?

43. Talk about a language that you would like to learn apart from English. Please say
– What is it?
– Why do you want to learn it?
– What benefits will you have from learning it?

44. Talk about a popular place in your country and say
– What and where is this place?
– What can people do or see there?
– Why is it popular?

45. Talk about a comic actor/actress who is popular in your country. Please say
– Who is he/she?
– Why is he/she popular?
– How did you know about him/her?

46. Talk about an event you have celebrated recently. Please say
– What was the event?
– Who was there with you?
– How did you feel about it later?

47. Describe a job you would be interested to do. Please say
– What job is it?
– What skills do you need for this job?
– What makes it interesting?

48. Tell a story that you know well. Please say
– Who told you this story?
– What is the story about?
– Why do you still remember it?

49. Talk about a person who talks too much. Please say
– Who is that person?
– What is his/her relationship to you?
– What does he/she usually talk about?

50. Talk about an animal that you like. Please say
– What is it?
– When and where did you see it for the first time?
– Why do you like it?

51. Talk about a small successful company you know, you should say
– How do you know about this company?
– How long do you know them?
– Why do you think they are successful?

52. Talk about a goal you have achieved in your life. Please say
– What was the goal?
– When did you set it?
– How was it achieved?
– How did you feel about it later