One of the more oft used verb aspects in English is the perfect, which has both a past and present tense form. This is what you're using any time you put some form of "have" in front of another verb - I have been thinking about taking a tropical vacation. I've recently learned that the perfect tenses are falling victim to the laziness of English speakers. Many of us are just using the simple past instead. Want to find out if you're one of these tense-lazy types? See below. For helping verbs, think about forms of "to be" and "have" that we use in front of other verbs -> I was walking to the store when I saw a car accident. I am expecting company. And so forth. I'll post answers soon so you can find out if your perfects are perfect.

Fill in the blanks in the following passages with the appropriate tense of the verb in brackets (). Add any necessary helping verbs.

When I (travel) in Greece, I met a man who worked as the head gardener for the Royal Gardens. He (be) the head gardener for over 10 years and knew all about the native plants of Greece. He told me that olive trees (grow) well in Greece because they can use salt water from the sea. Grass does not grow well there since there (be) too little fresh water. By the time I returned to Vancouver, I (learn) a lot about plants in Greece.

If you want to learn about the native plants of B.C., Stanley Park is a good place to go. I (visit) Stanley Park many times and learned something new every time. Right now near Lost Lagoon, park workers (build) a wetland area using all plants that (be) native to this region. The plants they

(grow) provide food and shelter for ducks and other animals. The cedar trees in the park’s forests are also native to B.C., and some of them (be) there for hundreds of years. The forests (change) since last year’s windstorm but are still a beautiful, peaceful place to take a walk.