Author: Gareth

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Structure: ‘Present perfect 3’

Present perfect for ‘news / updates’

In ‘present perfect 1‘ we talked about ‘have you ever….?’ questions.

In ‘present perfect 2‘ we talking about ‘finished time references’ and ‘unfinished time references and how they relate to the present perfect and past simple.

Now we want to add some other situations when the present perfect can be used.

We can use the present perfect when giving new information or updates.

When giving new information or updates to somebody you can use the present perfect. Usually this information is recent and the person listening doesn’t know the new information or the update.

Example: Imagine a controller and pilot speaking in a non-routine situation. The pilot has a medical situation on board and is talking to the controller.

Pilot: We have requested a doctor on board and she has checked the passenger. The passenger has a heart problem and the doctor has given him some medication.

All of these present perfect verb forms give new information or are updates for the controller about the situation.

Another situation when we can use the present perfect is when an action has a connection to now.

If an the action happened in the past, you use the present perfect to indicate that the effect exists in the present. So if you cut (past simple) your finger in the past maybe it’s fine now.

However, if you’ve cut (present perfect) your finger it suggests that maybe you are bleeding or that there is still a present effect of the cut (it could be painful).

These two uses – giving new information or updates and an action has a connection to now – don’t have to be separate. It’s possible for something to be new information and have a connection to now. Indeed, that’s quite common.

Tip: Don’t worry about trying to separate giving new information or updates and an action has a connection to now. If you think you action relates to one or both of these you’ll use the present perfect.

In fact, it’s possible for an action to happen in an ‘unfinished time reference‘ (present perfect 2), to be ‘new information‘ and ‘to have a connection to now‘, but we don’t have to worry about that, we just use the present perfect.

Check out the diagram below for more information and examples. Try to write some examples of your own.

Diagram of how to use the present perfect.
How to use the present perfect 3.

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Video answers: ‘Why aren’t the windows aligned with the seats on planes?’

Here are the answers to last Friday’s video, enjoy!

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. Manufacturers design their planes with the general idea of matching the rows of seats with the location of windows.
  2. The problem is that the final position of the seats is left to each individual airline.
  3. Tracks on the floor allow for maximum flexibility in the positioning of seats.
  4. It’s the distance between a point on a seat and the same point on the seat in front of or behind it.
  5. It has decreased significantly from 34-inches a few decades ago to 31-inches today.
  6. The width of the seat is also changing, decreasing from around 18-inches in the past to as low as 16.7-inches on some flights.
  7. There is no specific limit, but an airline has to be able to evacuate its planes in less than 90 seconds, with only half of the exits available for the evacuation.

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Video: ‘Why aren’t the windows aligned with the seats on planes?’

Fly High English - Video

This week’s video describes why the windows on a plane don’t match up with the position of the rows of seats on board. Watch to find out why.

Try to answer the following questions about the video and come back on Monday for the answers.

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. How do manufacturers design their planes in relation to the rows of seats?
  2. Why is there a problem?
  3. What allows for easy repositioning of the seats on board?
  4. What is seat pitch?
  5. How has seat pitch changed over time?
  6. What other dimensions are changing?
  7. What limit is there to the number of seats on board a plane?

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Have a great weekend!

Why Aren’t the Windows Aligned with the Seats in Aircraft?

→Subscribe for new videos every day! https://www.youtube.com/user/TodayIFoundOut?sub_confirmation=1 →How “Dick” came to be short for ‘Richard’: https://youtu.be/BH1NAwwKtcg?list=PLR0XuDegDqP2Acy6g9Ta7hzC0Rr3RDS6q Never run out of things to say at the water cooler with TodayIFoundOut! Brand new videos 7 days a week! More from TodayIFoundOut Helicopters Won’t Just Drop Like A Rock If The Engine Dies https://youtu.be/pL1-QH7eQAY?list=PLR0XuDegDqP01NqW8KRpOy-_y2m6S2VEF Why Aren’t There Many Female Commercial Pilots?

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Structure: ‘do something vs have something done’

Fly High English - Structure

This time in our structure help we talk about the difference between, ‘do something’ and ‘have something done’. It’s an important difference that tells the listener who performed the action. If you do something; write a report for example, you do the action. On the other hand, if you ‘have something done’; if you ‘have the report written’, you don’t do it yourself, but ask, pay, instruct or perhaps order another person to do it. For more difficult activities, it common to have them done by another person who is more experienced in that activity. So for example, you probably won’t replace the tyre if you’re the pilot, you’ll probably ‘have the tyre replaced’ by a mechanic, a person who is more familiar with that kind of job. In the ‘have something done’ structure the verb ‘have’ determines the time reference, so it’s possible you had something done or that you will have something done. Check out the diagram for more information and read the extra examples below.

Diagram of the difference between 'do something' and 'have something done'.
The difference between ‘do something’ and ‘have something done’.

Extra examples
He irons his shirt.
He has his shirt ironed. (Perhaps the hotel organises this action)

She removed the passenger from the flight.
She had the passenger removed from the flight. (Perhaps the police did this action)

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Have a great day!

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Video answers: ‘Why people say “mayday” in an emergency’

Here are the answers to last Friday’s video, enjoy!

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. It had to be easily understood by all pilots and ground staff.
  2. It wasn’t chosen because it was used in normal conversations which weren’t emergencies.
  3. When selecting the word to use, the English and French languages were thought about.
  4. It should be repeated three times to avoid confusion with somebody relaying a mayday call (but not in an emergency themselves) and confusion with other similar sounding words.
  5. In that case, pilots should use the expression ‘pan-pan’, again repeated three times to avoid confusion.
  6. It doesn’t mean anything, it was chosen due to its unmistakable character.

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Video: ‘Why people say “mayday” in an emergency’

Fly High English - Video

This week’s video describes the use the term ‘mayday’. How did people choose that expression? Watch the video to find out more.

Try to answer the following questions about the video and come back on Monday for the answers.

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. What were the criteria when choosing a word to indicate an emergency?
  2. Why was the word ‘help’ not chosen?
  3. What languages were though about in selecting the word?
  4. How many times should the word ‘mayday’ be used to indicate an emergency, and why?
  5. What expression should be used in a case of urgency, but not emergency?
  6. What does SOS mean?

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Have a great weekend!

Why People On Planes Say “Mayday” in an Emergency?

→Subscribe for new videos every day! https://www.youtube.com/user/TodayIFoundOut?sub_confirmation=1 →How “Dick” came to be short for ‘Richard’: https://youtu.be/BH1NAwwKtcg?list=PLR0XuDegDqP2Acy6g9Ta7hzC0Rr3RDS6q Never run out of things to say at the water cooler with TodayIFoundOut! Brand new videos 7 days a week!