“Parking Tickets”
You’re late for an important meeting, but you’re still looking for a place to park your car. There’s an empty parking spot, but it says that parking in that zone is regulated, and you’re not supposed to park there now. What do you do? If you keep driving, you will be even later. But if you park there, you will probably get a parking ticket.
Parking tickets are very common. Almost every US driver has had at least one parking ticket. Parking enforcement can make one feel very frustrated. In fact, some people simply cannot stand it and fight tooth and nail against their parking tickets in court. However, they don’t usually win, and they still must pay because they parked in the wrong place.
Jessica just got her first parking ticket. She and Andy have strong opinions about parking enforcement. Listen to today’s English lesson to learn these opinions.
Jessica: I just got my very first parking ticket.
Andy_H: Oh no!
Jessica: I know! It’s awful! I was so surprised. Apparently, I was parked in a very specific zone that was…
Andy_H: Of course, you were.
Jessica: … heavily regulated because of events. And it wasn’t that much money. It was only $30…
Andy_H: That’s still $30 that you should not have to pay because you put your car somewhere for 20 minutes.
Jessica: Exactly! I know! I’m a little frustrated.
Andy_H: I have to tell you… I cannot stand parking enforcement. First of all, I know that a portion of what I’m paying in that parking ticket is going to pay for the salary of the person who is going to give me a parking ticket.
Jessica: Exactly! And they’re intense. I see them going around, and looking at the clock, and watching for passengers to leave their vehicle, and then they slap a ticket on the dashboard.
Andy_H: I have gone to court twice now to fight a parking ticket, and I’ve lost both times. But I will not be silenced! I will fight it tooth and nail until parking laws are gone.
Jessica recently received her first parking ticket. She accidentally parked her car in a zone that did not allow parking on that day, and she got a $30 ticket. She tells Andy about her experience, and he shares his very strong opinions about parking enforcement. In his opinion, there should be no parking enforcement.
Andy is frustrated because he knows that parking tickets help to pay the salaries of parking enforcement officers. In other words, these officers have a good reason to give many parking tickets. Jessica agrees. She has seen officers watching and waiting to give parking tickets. She and Andy would both be happier if there were no parking rules.
Did you ever get a parking ticket? Do you think parking enforcement is a good idea?
Present Perfect Tense
Andy is talking about his parking tickets. He says, “I have gone to court twice now to fight a parking ticket, and I’ve lost both times.” He uses the present perfect tense.
The present perfect tense is formed with have/has + a past participle. There are several situations in which we use this tense:
To talk about something that was true in the past and is still true in the present, as in, “I have been married for five years.”
To talk about something that happened at an unspecified time in the past, as in, “Becky has visited China several times already.”
To talk about something that happened during a period of time that has not yet ended, as in, “I have gone to three parties so far this month.”
When used with “just,” to talk about something that happened very recently, as in, “My mother has just arrived.”
To ask someone if they have gone somewhere and returned or if they have done something, as in, “Have you been to the new restaurant?” In this case, it is formed with have/has + subject + a past participle.
When Andy says he has gone to court twice, and he has lost both times, he uses the present perfect tense to talk about something that happened at an unspecified time in the past.
When you see words like for, since, ever, already, and so far in a sentence, it often means that you need to use the present perfect tense.
Which example uses the present perfect tense, “They had seen Batman vs. Superman five times,” or, “They have seen Batman vs. Superman five times”?