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I often use Rule of thumb 2, but I tell my Ss to focus on complete vs. incomplete time. We use the past simple when we're talking about something that happened in a period of time that is finished at the moment of speaking. However, we use the Present Perfect to talk about past situations that occurred in a time that is not finished.

- I called John twice this morning. (It's past noon and the morning is over now)
- I've called John twice this morning. (It's 11 am and I can still call him and then say that I've called him three times this morning since this period has not finished yet.)

In my opinion, what makes it complicated is the fact that the period of time is frequently implicit, and we may not perceive it as incomplete.

- "I've been to China once" = in my lifetime, which is not over yet.
- "I went to China when I was twenty, or twenty-one, or maybe twenty-two... can't remember, actually" = I may not remember when exactly this happened. Still, I know for sure that it did in a period that is now entirely over since I'm over 22 nowadays.

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