one application of the present perfect structure (auxiliary verb have + past participle of a verb) is to talk about experience. these two top ten lists from the late show with david letterman are outstanding examples.
top ten things i, mick jagger, have learned after 50 years in rock and roll
my favorites from mick’s list are #10, #7 & #1. mick doesn’t seem mad about #7, but he might feel like he got ripped off (it was unfair) because he didn’t earn (get paid) a cent from the maroon 5 song moves like jagger. #1 includes examples of the phrasal verbs end up (reach an unexpected condition or situation) and start out.
the rolling stones & u2 when they were starting out
how is start out different from just start? it’s not much different. it would’t really change the idea in mick’s joke if start were substituted for start out, but start out more strongly indicates the very beginning of something.
top ten things u2 has learned over the years
overall, i think this list is funnier. both of larry’s jokes are great, edge’s slam (joke, criticism) on sting at #5 even gets praise (approval) from dave and #2 has a great example of the word phony (fake).
fun english practice 🙂 richyrocks english on youtube
which list do u think is funnier? are any of the jokes confusing? share your opinion under leave a reply
