How To Teach Past Simple VS Present Perfect When using the Present Perfect you should call the

students attention to the cons equences generated by an action, rather than just the action itself. The tense i s always formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb to have and then appending the v erb s past participle form. How To Proceed - Simple Past I bought a new bike (just reporting what I did in the past). - Present Perfect I have/I ve bought a new bike (expressing that I have a new bike now). 1 Contrast Past Simple vs Present Perfect Students have probably had a gentle introduction to the Present Perfect before, but you are now trying to extend uses/meaning of the tense. Do not expect master y by the end of the lesson it takes a long time to be assimilated. A theme of Fa me is useful as it naturally lends itself to talking about people s experiences/op portunities for role plays/interviewing etc. It would be particularly useful to contrast 2 famous people/biographies, where 1 member is living and the other is dead, so that students can clearly grasp the difference vis--vis time in the sent ence structures. Check students know the Past Simple and past participle forms of common irregula r verbs. If your class is going to experience too much difficulty in comprehension then s pend some time on the Grammar Reference Section in your textbook and definitely assign for homework after the presentation in class. 2 Questions and Common Mistakes Ask students Which countries have you been to? Write the countries on the board. T hen ask When they went to determine a definite time scale. Once these sentences ha ve been elicited you can distinguish the 2 tenses by has been and went. Use timelines and concept questions to ensure they grasp the structures. Ensure lots of personalization and practice. Check for common mistakes: e.g. I have watched TV last night, or I live here for 5 years. 3 Explain The Rule Past Simple Form: a) past form only. b) auxiliary did + base form. The past form for all regular verbs ends in ..ed/ or ..d: e.g. worked/loved. Check s pellings and practice for short verbs with only one syllable, as the consonant i s doubled i.e stopped, planned. Verbs ending in a consonant + y , change to ied e.g. carried/studied. The past form for irregular verbs needs to be learned by heart . Past Simple Use: An action/situation an event in the past, which can be short or long: i.e. milli second, millions of years. The event is in the past it is completed/finished. We say or understand the time and/or place of the event. When we tell a story we u sually use the simple past for action and the past continuous to set the scene. Present Perfect Form: This tense gives speakers of some languages a degree of difficulty, because the concept/idea does not exist in their L1 it is expressed with a present tense. Te ll students not to try and translate into their own language try to think in the tense itself. Present Perfect Use:

Limit the teaching uses at the Lower Intermediate Level: a) experience not when you did something, but if you did it. b) change or new information e.g. buy a car. c) Continuing situation a state (not an action). British speakers use this tense more frequently: i.e. Have you had lunch? rather t han Did you have lunch? Since usually used with the Perfect Tenses only (point in past time). For can be used with all tenses (period of time). 4 Explain Further Differences Between The Tenses Don t get bogged down in grammar. Be selective. - The Present Perfect is used when the time period has NOT finished - i.e. I hav e seen 3 movies this week (this week has not finished yet). The Simple Past is u sed when the time period HAS finished - i.e. I saw 3 movies last week (last week is finished). - The Present Perfect is often used when giving recent news: i.e. Martin has cra shed his car again. - The Simple Past is used when giving older information: i.e. Martin crashed his car last year. - The Present Perfect is used when the time is not specific: i.e. I have seen th at movie already (we don t know when). - The Simple Past is used when the time is clear: i.e. I saw that movie on Thurs day (we know exactly when). - The Present Perfect is used with for and since , when the actions have not finished yet: i.e. I have lived in London for 5 years (I still live there). - The Simple Past is used with for when the actions have already finished: i.e. I lived in London for 5 years (I don t live there now). - Simple Past Completed actions, a series of completed actions, duration in the past, habits in the past (past facts or generalizations could be left to a later lesson). - Present Perfect Experiences, Changes over time (accomplishments of humanity an d uncompleted actions you are expecting could also be introduced later in the st udy course). - The Simple Past is used for action that happened in the past and is OVER/DONE/ FINISHED stress this point. It is used with time words: e.g. yesterday, last Sat urday, last week, three months ago, with specific dates in 1990. If a time expre ssion is used then it s Past Simple. - The Present Perfect started in the past, but IT IS STILL TRUE TODAY or MIGHT H APPEN AGAIN. It connects the past and the present, and we use since, so far, jus t, already, yet etc. If you are speaking about a specific time you cannot use th is tense. Ever and Never distinction may cause problems for students so it is worth spending e xtra time drilling, exercises and mingling activities to aid assimilation. Practice For and Since at length. Assign homework. Students have to find different b uildings, shops, restaurants, etc that have a sign indicating when they opened i .e. since 1989. Ask family members/friends/fellow students questions how long ques tions. How do you teach Present Perfect vs. Past Simple? Please share your ideas with u s! Use Both tenses are used to express that an action began in the past and is still go ing on or has just finished. In many cases, both forms are correct, but there is often a difference in meaning: We use the Present Perfect Simple mainly to expr ess that an action is completed or to emphasise the result. We use the Present P erfect Progressive to emphasise the duration or continuous course of an action. Result or duration? Do you want to express what has happened so far or how long an action has been g

oing on yet? Present Perfect Simple Present Perfect Progressive Result (what / how much / how often) I have written 5 letters. / I have been to London twice. Duration (how long) I have been writing for an hour. Certain verbs The following verbs are usually only used in Present Perfect Simple (not in the progressive form). state: be, have (for possession only) Example: We have been on holiday for two weeks. senses: feel, hear, see, smell, taste, touch Example: He has touched the painting. brain work: believe, know, think, understand Example: I have known him for 3 years. Emphasis on completion or duration? Do you want to emphasise the completion of an action or its continuous course (h ow has somebody spent his time)? Present Perfect Simple Present Perfect Progressive Emphasis on completion I have done my homework. (Meaning: My homework is completed now.) Emphasis on duration I have been doing my homework. (Meaning: That's how I have spent my time. It doe s not matter whether the homework is completed now.) Result or side effect? Do you want to express that a completed action led to a desired result or that t he action had an unwanted side effect? Present Perfect Simple Present Perfect Progressive desired result I have washed the car. (Result: The car is clean now.) unwanted side effect Why are you so wet? - I have been washing the car. (side effect: I became wet wh en I was washing the car. It does not matter whether the car is clean now.) Time + negation: last time or beginning of an action? In negative sentences: Do you want to express how much time has past since the l ast time the action took place or since the beginning of the action? Present Perfect Simple Present Perfect Progressive since the last time I haven't played that game for years. (Meaning: It's years ago that I last playe d that game.) since the beginning I haven't been playing that game for an hour, only for 10 minutes. (Meaning: It' s not even an hour ago that I started to play that game.) Permanent or temporary? If an action is still going on and we want to express that it is a permanent sit uation, we would usually use the Present Perfect Simple. For temporary situation s, we would prefer the Present Perfect Progressive. This is not a rule, however, only a tendency. Present Perfect Simple Present Perfect Progressive permanent James has lived in this town for 10 years. (Meaning: He is a permanent resident

of this town.) temporary James has been living here for a year. (Meaning: This situation is only temporar y. Maybe he is an exchange student and only here for one or two years.) Signal words Present Perfect Simple Present Perfect Progressive how often ... times how long since for Infinitive Simple Past Past Participle alight alighted, alit alighted, alit arise arose arisen awake awoke, awaked awoken, awaked be was, were been bear bore borne, born beat beat beaten, beat become became become beget begot begotten begin began begun bend bent bent bereave bereaved, bereft bereaved, bereft beseech besought, beseeched besought, beseeched bet bet, betted bet, betted bid bade, bid bidden, bid, bade bide bade, bided bided bind bound bound bite bit bitten bleed bled bled bless blessed, blest blessed, blest blow blew blown break broke broken breed bred bred bring brought brought broadcast broadcast, broadcasted broadcast, broadcasted build built built burn burnt, burned burnt, burned burst burst burst bust bust, busted bust, busted buy bought bought can could (kein Participle) cast cast cast catch caught caught choose chose chosen cleave cleft, cleaved, clove cleft, cleaved, cloven cling clung clung clothe clothed, clad clothed, clad come came come cost cost cost creep crept crept crow crowed crew, crowed cut cut cut deal dealt dealt dig dug dug do did done draw drew drawn dream dreamt, dreamed dreamt, dreamed drink drank drunk drive drove driven

dwell dwelt, dwelled dwelt, dwelled eat ate eaten fall fell fallen feed fed fed feel felt felt fight fought fought find found found flee fled fled fling flung flung fly flew flown forbid forbad, forbade forbid, forbidden forecast forecast, forecasted forecast, forecasted forget forgot forgotten forsake forsook forsaken freeze froze frozen geld gelded, gelt gelded, gelt get got got, gotten gild gilded, gilt gilded, gilt give gave given gnaw gnawed gnawed, gnawn go went gone grind ground ground grip gripped, gript gripped, gript grow grew grown hang hung hung have had had hear heard heard heave heaved, hove heaved, hove hew hewed hewed, hewn hide hid hidden, hid hit hit hit hold held held hurt hurt hurt keep kept kept kneel knelt, kneeled knelt, kneeled knit knitted, knit knitted, knit know knew known lay laid laid lead led led lean leant, leaned leant, leaned leap leapt, leaped leapt, leaped learn learnt, learned learnt, learned leave left left lend lent lent let let let lie lay lain light lit, lighted lit, lighted lose lost lost make made made may might (kein Participle) mean meant meant meet met met melt melted molten, melted mow mowed mown, mowed pay paid paid pen pent, penned pent, penned plead pled, pleaded pled, pleaded prove proved proven, proved put put put quit quit, quitted quit, quitted

read rid ride ring rise run saw say see seek sell send set sew shake shall shear shed shine shit shoe shoot show shred shrink shut sing sink sit slay sleep slide sling slink slit smell smite sow speak speed spell spend spill spin spit split spoil spread spring stand steal stick sting stink stride strike string strive swear sweat

read read rid, ridded rid, ridded rode ridden rang rung rose risen ran run sawed sawn, sawed said said saw seen sought sought sold sold sent sent set set sewed sewn, sewed shook shaken should (kein Participle) sheared shorn, sheared shed shed shone shone shit, shitted, shat shit, shitted, shat shod, shoed shod, shoed shot shot showed shown, showed shred, shredded shred, shredded shrank, shrunk shrunk shut shut sang sung sank sunk sat sat slew slain slept slept slid slid slung slung slunk slunk slit slit smelt, smelled smelt, smelled smote smitten sowed sown, sowed spoke spoken sped, speeded sped, speeded spelt, spelled spelt, spelled spent spent spilt, spilled spilt, spilled spun spun spat spat split split spoilt, spoiled spoilt, spoiled spread spread sprang, sprung sprung stood stood stole stolen stuck stuck stung stung stank, stunk stunk strode stridden struck struck strung strung strove striven swore sworn sweat, sweated sweat, sweated

sweep swept swept swell swelled swollen, swelled swim swam swum swing swung swung take took taken teach taught taught tear tore torn telecast telecast, telecasted telecast, telecasted tell told told think thought thought throw threw thrown thrust thrust thrust tread trod trodden understand understood understood wake woke, waked woken, waked wear wore worn weave wove woven wed wed, wedded wed, wedded weep wept wept wet wet, wetted wet, wetted win won won wind wound wound wring wrung wrung write wrote written