Perfect Gerunds and Infinitives: Talking about the Past in the Present (having done / to have done)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use perfect gerunds and infinitives to emphasize that one action happened before another, specifically when looking back from the present.
- Use 'having + past participle' for gerunds to show completion: 'He denies having stolen it.'
- Use 'to have + past participle' for infinitives after certain verbs: 'She seems to have forgotten.'
- Negative forms place 'not' before the whole structure: 'Not having seen the movie, I can't comment.'
Overview
These words show time. One thing happened first. Now it is finished. This is for very good English.
These help you talk about the past. They make your sentences short and clear.
How This Grammar Works
Formation Pattern
When To Use It
I regret having wasted so much time.(The time-wasting is complete and in the past; the regret is present.)He denied having seen the message.(The denial is current, but the alleged seeing is prior.)She was proud of having completed the marathon.(Her pride is present, stemming from a past, finished accomplishment.)
The company is believed to have made significant profits last quarter.(The belief is current; the profit-making occurred in the past.)She appears to have forgotten her keys.(Her current state suggests a past act of forgetting.)The ancient city is said to have been built by a lost civilisation.(The saying is current, the building was a long-past event.)
You should have told me about the meeting.(You didn't tell me, and now there are consequences or regret.)I could have helped, but I wasn't asked.(Helping was a past possibility that didn't happen.)They would have arrived earlier, but the flight was delayed.(Their earlier arrival was conditional and did not materialise.)
Having finished her presentation, she welcomed questions.(This compactly replaces:After she had finished her presentation, ...)Having studied the market thoroughly, the team presented their findings.(The thorough study preceded the presentation.)
To have achieved so much in such a short time is truly remarkable.(The focus is on the culmination of continuous achievement.)
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect:
She is proud of getting first place last year.(Implies pride in the act of getting, perhaps as if it's ongoing or a general trait. The past context 'last year' clashes with the simple gerund's usual temporal implication.) - Correct:
She is proud of having gotten first place last year.(Clearly states her pride is for a completed, past achievement.)
- Incorrect:
He seems to live a modest life.(Implies he currently lives modestly.) - Correct:
He seems to have lived a modest life.(Implies that his past life was modest, based on current appearance or knowledge.)
- Incorrect:
She claims to has seen the ghost. - Incorrect:
He appears to had left before dawn. - Correct:
She claims to have seen the ghost. - Correct:
He appears to have left before dawn.
not for Negation:- Incorrect:
He regretted having not called her. - Correct:
He regretted not having called her.
- Incorrect:
They decided to not have started the project. - Correct:
They decided not to have started the project.
Having studied all night, I was exhausted.(Perfect gerund: The studying was completed before the exhaustion.)I have been studying all night, so I'm exhausted.(Present perfect continuous: The studying continued up to the present, causing current exhaustion.)
- Less natural in casual speech (but grammatically correct):
After having eaten lunch, we went to the park. - More natural in casual speech:
After eating lunch, we went to the park.(The sequence is clear withouthaving.)
Real Conversations
Perfect gerunds and infinitives are not confined to academic texts; they are integral to expressing complex ideas and temporal relationships in various real-world scenarios, from formal reporting to nuanced social interactions.
1. Professional Correspondence (Email):
In professional settings, these forms add politeness and precision when referring to completed actions.
- `Subject: Following up on meeting notes
Dear Team,
Thank you for having attended yesterday's session. I appreciate you all having provided your valuable insights.`
2. News Reporting and Public Statements:
Journalists and spokespeople often use these structures to report on past events or allegations, especially with impersonal passive constructions.
- The CEO is believed to have resigned following months of speculation.
- The suspect is thought to have fled the country a week ago, leaving no trace.
3. Academic Discussions and Debates:
In intellectual discourse, these forms allow for precise attribution of ideas or critical analysis of past research.
- Professor Davies' earlier work appears to have influenced this current theory significantly.
- The study fails to have considered the long-term socio-economic impacts.
4. Everyday Reflections and Gossip:
In casual conversation, you might use these forms when reflecting on past mistakes, expressing regrets, or speculating about others' actions.
- `Friend 1:
Formation of Perfect Non-Finite Forms
| Type | Active Form | Passive Form | Negative Active |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Gerund
|
having + V3 (having done)
|
having been + V3 (having been done)
|
not having + V3
|
|
Infinitive
|
to have + V3 (to have done)
|
to have been + V3 (to have been done)
|
not to have + V3
|
|
Continuous
|
to have been + V-ing
|
N/A
|
not to have been + V-ing
|
Contractions in Speech
| Full Form | Spoken Contraction | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
to have done
|
to've done /təv/
|
He seems to've left.
|
|
would have liked to have
|
would've liked to've
|
I'd've liked to've seen it.
|
Meanings
These structures allow a speaker to refer to a completed action in the past while using a non-finite verb form (gerund or infinitive) that is governed by a main verb in the present or past.
Retrospective Gerund
Used after verbs like 'deny', 'admit', 'regret', or 'mention' to emphasize that the action is fully completed and preceded the main verb.
“He admitted having lied to the committee.”
“She regrets not having taken the job offer last year.”
Retrospective Infinitive
Used after verbs of belief or appearance (seem, appear, believe, claim) to indicate a past state or action.
“The dinosaurs are thought to have died out 66 million years ago.”
“She claims to have met the president twice.”
Conditional/Modal Perfect Infinitive
Used after modal verbs or 'would like/prefer' to talk about unfulfilled past intentions.
“I would like to have seen her face when she opened the gift.”
“He was to have been promoted, but the company went bankrupt.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative Gerund
|
Having + Past Participle
|
Having finished, he left.
|
|
Negative Gerund
|
Not + Having + Past Participle
|
Not having heard the news, I was shocked.
|
|
Affirmative Infinitive
|
To have + Past Participle
|
She claims to have seen a ghost.
|
|
Negative Infinitive
|
Not + To have + Past Participle
|
I'm sorry not to have called you.
|
|
Passive Gerund
|
Having been + Past Participle
|
Having been told the truth, she cried.
|
|
Passive Infinitive
|
To have been + Past Participle
|
The car is said to have been stolen.
|
|
Continuous Infinitive
|
To have been + V-ing
|
He seems to have been working all night.
|
Formality Spectrum
I apologize for having forgotten your birthday. (Apology)
I'm sorry for having forgotten your birthday. (Apology)
Sorry for forgetting your birthday. (Apology)
My bad for missing your b-day. (Apology)
The Perfect Non-Finite Bridge
Gerunds
- Having done After doing
- Having been done After being done
Infinitives
- To have done To did (earlier)
- To have been done To was done (earlier)
Simple vs. Perfect
Examples by Level
I am happy to have a dog.
Thank you for helping me.
He is sorry for being late.
I want to see the movie.
I am sorry for having been late.
He seems to have a cold.
She is happy to have finished her homework.
After having lunch, we went out.
He admitted having broken the window.
I regret not having studied harder.
They seem to have forgotten our meeting.
She was proud of having won the race.
The company is reported to have lost millions.
Having been warned before, he was careful.
I would like to have met your grandfather.
He denied having been involved in the scandal.
Not having been to Paris before, I was quite lost.
The poem is thought to have been written by Keats.
I'd rather have stayed at home than gone to that party.
Having finally secured the funding, the project began.
To have been passed over for promotion was a bitter pill to swallow.
The senator is alleged to have been receiving kickbacks for years.
Having been seen to be impartial was vital for the judge.
He was to have been the guest of honor, had he not fallen ill.
Easily Confused
Learners often think they MUST use the perfect form for any past action.
Confusing 'He must have gone' with 'He seems to have gone'.
Forgetting the 'been' in passive structures.
Common Mistakes
I am happy to having a dog.
I am happy to have a dog.
He seems to has finished.
He seems to have finished.
I regret having not told him.
I regret not having told him.
I had hoped to have seen the show.
I had hoped to see the show.
Sentence Patterns
Having ___, the ___ ___.
Subject is thought to have ___.
I regret not having ___.
To have ___ would have been ___.
Real World Usage
I am proud of having exceeded my sales targets for three years running.
The author is considered to have influenced the entire Romantic movement.
The defendant denies having ever met the victim.
Not having been to the gym in a week, I feel terrible.
The hackers are thought to have accessed thousands of accounts.
I regret not having spent more time with my grandmother.
The 'After' Shortcut
Avoid Double Past
Seem and Appear
Softening Accusations
Smart Tips
Use 'Thank you for having [past participle]' instead of 'Thank you for [verb-ing]'.
Use 'is said to have' to avoid sounding like you are the one making the claim.
Try removing 'After' and using 'Having' instead for a more literary feel.
Use a perfect infinitive to combine two clauses into one.
Pronunciation
The 'to have' reduction
In natural speech, 'to have' is often reduced to /təv/.
Stress on 'Having'
In participle clauses, the first syllable of 'Having' is usually stressed to signal the start of the clause.
Falling intonation on the participle
Having finished ↘, he left.
Conveys completion of the first action.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
HAVE + V3 = History. If you use 'Having' or 'To have', you are looking at the history of the action.
Visual Association
Imagine a person standing on a bridge. The bridge is the 'Perfect' form. They are looking back at a finished house (the past participle) while talking to someone on the present side of the river.
Rhyme
To have or having, it's all the same / It puts the past inside the frame.
Story
A detective enters a room. He says, 'The thief seems to have entered through the window.' He notices the broken glass. 'Having broken the glass, he then opened the safe.' The detective uses perfect forms to reconstruct the past from present clues.
Word Web
Challenge
Write three sentences about your life 5 years ago using 'I regret having...' or 'I am happy to have...'
Cultural Notes
Perfect infinitives are extremely common in British academic writing to distance the author from historical claims.
In US legal contexts, 'having been' is used extensively in jury instructions to define past conditions.
News outlets use 'is believed to have' to avoid libel suits when the facts aren't 100% proven.
The perfect aspect in English developed from the Old English 'habban' (to have) combined with a past participle, originally used to show possession of a completed state.
Conversation Starters
What is something you regret not having done in your 20s?
Which historical figure is said to have been the most influential?
Have you ever been accused of having done something you didn't do?
What would you like to have achieved by this time next year?
Journal Prompts
Common Mistakes
Test Yourself
He denied ___ (steal) the documents from the office.
Which of these is correct for a formal report?
Find and fix the mistake:
Not to have been invited to the party, she felt very sad.
She seems ___.
The negative 'not' always comes before 'having' or 'to have'.
A: Why is he so happy? B: He's proud of ___ the first prize.
Select the correct structure.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Score: /8
Practice Exercises
8 exercisesHe denied ___ (steal) the documents from the office.
Which of these is correct for a formal report?
Find and fix the mistake:
Not to have been invited to the party, she felt very sad.
She seems ___.
The negative 'not' always comes before 'having' or 'to have'.
A: Why is he so happy? B: He's proud of ___ the first prize.
Select the correct structure.
1. Regret for the past. 2. Rumor about the past. 3. Sequence of events.
Score: /8
Practice Bank
12 exercisesShe apologized for ______ (offend) anyone with her remarks.
He's lucky to meet you before you moved.
Choose the correct sentence:
Translate into English: 'Lamento haberte dicho eso.'
Arrange these words into a sentence:
Match the clauses:
The company is believed ______ (cover up) the scandal for months.
Having work hard, she deserved the promotion.
Which sentence is correct?
Arrange these words into a sentence:
Match the situations:
Score: /12
FAQ (8)
Yes, in most cases. `Having finished` means the same as `After finishing`. The perfect form just sounds more formal and emphasizes that the first action is totally complete.
No. `I regret to tell you` is for the present (giving bad news now). For the past, you must use the gerund: `I regret having told you`.
It's a way to report something that happened in the past without taking 100% responsibility for the truth. It's called 'distancing'.
It is always `not having`. The negative particle `not` comes before the auxiliary verb in these structures.
Technically yes, but it's most common with verbs of the mind (think, believe), communication (say, claim, deny), and emotion (regret, proud of).
Usually, yes. However, with modals like 'will', it can mean 'past in the future': `I hope to have finished by tomorrow`.
Not necessarily. In `Having been a teacher for years, I know the struggle`, it's active. It's only passive if followed by another past participle: `Having been told`.
It's less common in casual chat, but very common in professional meetings, interviews, and storytelling.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Haber + participio
Spanish uses the perfect infinitive more frequently in everyday speech than English.
Infinitif passé / Gérondif passé
French must choose between 'avoir' and 'être' as the auxiliary, whereas English only uses 'have'.
Infinitiv Perfekt
The word order is reversed compared to English.
~te shimatta / ~te ita
Japanese relies on aspect markers rather than a 'have + V3' structure.
Kāna + qad + past verb
Arabic uses a particle 'qad' to emphasize completion, which English lacks.
Verb + le / guo
Chinese is an isolating language; English is inflectional/periphrastic.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
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