present perfect or past presumption?

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keannu

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I'd like to know if the following underlined part is present perfect or past presumption, and I think it is present perfect.

Internet has become so important that it's hard to get away from it. You may have become dependent on your Internet connection, so you fear missing an e-mail or an important news update.

A kind answer will be highly appreciated.
 

5jj

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I'd like to know if the following underlined part is present perfect or past presumption, and I think it is present perfect.

You may have become dependent on your Internet connection, so you fear missing an e-mail or an important news update.

You use 'past presumption' as though it were the name of a tense or aspect. It isn't.

May have become is not a present perfect (that would be simply have/has become). Some would label this form a modal perfect.

I prefer to consider it as an example of a modal signifying a present possibility, with a perfect infinitive to show the past (or past-into-present) situation now considered possible.
you may have become = it is possible that you became / have become.
 

keannu

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Okay, then could be
"may(modal verb) + have become independant(present perfect)?"

Is "have become" past or present perfect?
 

5jj

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have/has become is present perfect; we use the present tense of the auxiliary.

had become is past perfect; we use the past tense of the auxiliary.

In may have become, have become is a perfect infinitive form; we use the bare infinitive form of the auxiliary.
 
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