ESL EFL Grammar Activities
The Present Perfect Tense Capsule
The Production Process
The first step is to understand the use of
The Present Perfect Tense for natural, real life communication. This can be done with the help of websites, grammar books, newspapers, magazines
and books. Samples of real use can be collected from these sources and then a selection could be made as to which aspect should be
introduced in the class.
Scope of the Present Perfect
The present perfect tense refers to an unfinished period of time starting from the past to the
present and mostly extending to the future. It cannot be used with definite expressions like, yesterday, five minutes ago and at three o'clock.
But it can be used with since and for. Since refers to the beginning time period and for refers to the period covering from the past to the
present and continues into the future. If time adverbs like today and this week are used with the present perfect, they should
describe unfinished time period. To talk about an experience of the past which has relevance to the present
and the focus of interest is on what happened, and not on when it happened this tense is used. In this situation it is used to describe an action
that can still happen, or can happen again.
So we say:
I have been to the library twice already today. [today is still not over and I may
go to the library again before the end of the day.]
I went to the library before the classes began. [finished activity with a definite point of
time]
The final example above shows why it is not possible to use the present perfect with an adverb
of finished time (such as 'yesterday'):
I went to the bank yesterday.
I went to the shops
today. (But the shops are now closed...)
This tense is used to describe the duration of a state which is true now. ('How
long...')
I've taught in this school for eight years.(I continue to teach in the same school.)
I have taught in this school since 1998.(I continue to teach in the same school.)
I taught in this school for two years. (I don't teach in this school
now.)
I taught in this school since 1998. (This is a wrong
sentence, cannot be used.)
The Simple Past is necessary as one cannot still do something yesterday (!)
Even with an adverb of unfinished time, if the action can no longer happen, the Simple Past is used.
I went to the shops
today. (But the shops are now closed...)
This tense is used to describe the duration of a state which is true now. ('How
long...')
I've taught in this school for eight years.(I continue to teach in the same school.)
I have taught in this school since 1998.(I continue to teach in the same school.)
I taught in this school for two years. (I don't teach in this school
now.)
I taught in this school since 1998. (This is a wrong
sentence, cannot be used.)
The post hasn't arrived
yet. (It
might still arrive.)
I've spent 200 rupees
today. (I can still
spend money.)
To talk about an activity which is finished and cannot happen again, the Simple Past is
used.
The post didn't
arrive. (The time is over, it can't arrive now)
I spent 200 rupees this morning. ('this morning' is over, I can't spend any more money 'this
morning')
Having understood the scope of the Present Perfect it would be useful to find out how it is
naturally used in newspapers, magazines and books.
Samples of Natural Use
If samples are taken from newspaper articles and books the following uses can be
identified.
Use
The authors refer to an unspecified period of time in the past which has relevance
to the topic under discussion at present.
By using since, a beginning time which extends to a period is referred to.
The other grammar items used along with the Present Perfect in this context is the Simple
Present and the Present Continuous.
Website Samples
The following websites give a detailed explanation of the use of the Present Perfect Tense and
contrast it with other tenses like the Simple Past and the Present Perfect Continuous. There are exercises for practise and use in class,
worksheets and lesson plans.
http://www.uazone.org/friends/esl4rus/index.html#grammar
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/2527/teachinggrammar.html
http://esl.about.com
http://www.chompchomp.com/
Selection
Having understood the scope of the Present Perfect from grammar books and websites
and the way it is used in real life contexts from the authentic materials like newspapers and books, it is time to select a specific aspect of
the tense to be introduced in class at a particular level. At the advanced classes the activities could start with reading, watching or listening
to authentic materials and picking up the discussion of the use of the tenses in that context. At the beginners level simple sentences which can
be contextualized within the classroom context can be thought of. It should be possible to link more than one grammar item and expose
the students to a natural chunk of language.
The activities may begin with grammar and
lead to developing fluency or begin with fluency tasks and lead on to grammar focus. The main point to be kept in mind is to provide natural
exposure to the students and create a need in class wherein students feel motivated and get personally involved to interact with the teacher and
the other students. They should develop the confidence to use English for this interaction and should know how to get help if they are not able
to do it in English. They should get the feeling that they are interacting for some real purpose in life rather than to give a chance for the
teacher to test how much they have learnt.
The class could also begin with a language game and there could be discussions about the
grammar item at a series of levels, as the game is repeated. For example, the teacher can introduce a guessing game and then
introduce a couple of questions with which guesses are to be made. After playing the game for a few minutes she can take up a bit of
discussion and introduce a bit more language and then continue to play the game. This would help in maintaining variety in class by
catering to learners with different preferences. It will also help in keeping the class under control while playing some of the more noisy
games.
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