When using the Present Perfect you should call the students attention to the

consequences generated by an action, rather than just the action itself. The tense is
always formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb to have and then appending the verbs
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/Ive 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 mastery by the end of the lesson it takes a
long time to be assimilated. A theme of Fame is useful as it naturally lends itself to
talking about peoples experiences/opportunities 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
sentence structures. Check students know the Past Simple and past participle forms of
common irregular verbs. If your class is going to experience too much difficulty in
comprehension then spend 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. Then ask When they went to
determine a definite time scale. Once these sentences have 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 spellings and practice for short verbs with only one
syllable, as the consonant is 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. millisecond, 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 usually 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. Tell 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 than 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 Dont get
bogged down in grammar. Be selective. - The Present Perfect is used when the time
period has NOT finished - i.e. I have seen 3 movies this week (this week has not
finished yet). The Simple Past is used 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 crashed 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 that movie already (we dont know
when). - The Simple Past is used when the time is clear: i.e. I saw that movie on
Thursday (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 dont 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 and uncompleted actions you are expecting
could also be introduced later in the study 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 Saturday, last week, three months ago, with specific
dates in 1990. If a time expression is used then its Past Simple. - The Present Perfect
started in the past, but IT IS STILL TRUE TODAY or MIGHT HAPPEN AGAIN. It
connects the past and the present, and we use since, so far, just, already, yet etc. If you
are speaking about a specific time you cannot use this tense.
Form
Simple Past Present Perfect Simple
irregular verbs: see 2nd column of irregular
verbs
Example:
I spoke
irregular verbs: form of 'have' + 3rd
column of irregular verbs
Example:
I / you / we / they have spoken
he / she / it has spoken

regular verbs: infinitive + ed
Example:
I worked
regular verbs: form of 'have' + infinitive +
ed
Example:
I / you / we / they have worked
he / she / it has worked
Exceptions
Exceptions when adding 'ed':
when the final letter is e, only add d Example: love - loved
after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled Example: admit - admitted
final l is always doubled in British English (not in American English) Example: travel -
travelled
after a consonant, final y becomes i (but: not after a vowel) Example: worry -
worried but: play - played

Use
In British English, the use of Simple Past and Present Perfect is quite strict. As soon as a
time expression in the past is given, you have to use Simple Past. If there are no signal
words, you must decide if we just talk about an action in the past or if its consequence in
the present is important.

Note that the following explanations and exercises refer to British English only. In
American English, you can normally use Simple Past instead of Present Perfect. We
cannot accept this in our exercises, however, as this would lead to confusions amongst
those who have to learn the differences.

Certain time in the past or just / already / yet?
Do you want to express that an action happened at a certain time in the past (even if it
was just a few seconds ago) or that an action has just / already / not yet happened?
Simple Past Present Perfect Simple
certain time in the past
Example:
I phoned Mary 2 minutes ago.
just / already / not yet
Example:
I have just phoned Mary.

Certain event in the past or how often so far?
Do you want to express when a certain action took place or whether / how often an action
has happened till now?
Simple Past Present Perfect Simple
certain event in the past whether / how often till now
Example:
He went to Canada last summer.
Example:
Have you ever been to Canada? / I have
been to Canada twice.

Emphasis on action or result?
Do you just want to express what happened in the past? Or do you want to emphasise the
result (a past action's consequence in the present)?
Simple Past Present Perfect Simple
Emphasis on action
Example:
I bought a new bike. (just
telling what I did in the past.)

Emphasis on result
Example:
I have bought a new bike. (With this sentence I
actually want to express that I have a new bike now.)

Signal Words
Simple Past Present Perfect Simple
yesterday
... ago
in 1990
the other day
last ...
just
already
up to now
until now / till now
ever
(not) yet
so far
lately / recently

Use of Present Perfect
puts emphasis on the result Example: She has written five letters.
action that is still going on Example: School has not started yet.
action that stopped recently Example: She has cooked dinner.
finished action that has an influence on the present Example: I have lost my key.
action that has taken place once, never or several times before the moment of
speaking Example: I have never been to Australia.
Signal Words of Present Perfect
already, ever, just, never, not yet, so far, till now, up to now

Form
Simple Past Past Perfect Simple
2nd column of irregular verbs
Example:
I spoke
had + 3rd column of irregular
verbs
Example:
I had spoken

regular verbs: infinitive + ed
Example:
I worked
regular verbs: form of have +
infinitive + ed
Example:
I had worked
Exceptions
Exceptions when adding ed:
when the final letter is e, only add d Example: love - loved
after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled
Example: admit - admitted
final l is always doubled in British English (not in American English)
Example: travel - travelled
after a consonant, final y becomes i (but: not after a vowel)
Example: worry - worried but: play - played

Use
We use Simple Past if we give past events in the order in which they occured. However,
when we look back from a certain time in the past to tell what had happened before, we
use Past Perfect.

Normal order in the past or looking back to an event before a certain time in the
past?
Do you just want to tell what happened some time in the past or do you want to tell what
had happened before/up to a certain time in the past?

Simple Past Past Perfect Simple
some time in the past
Example:
Jane got up at seven. She opened her
birthday presents and then the whole family
went to the zoo.
before/up to a certain time in the past
Example:
Before her sixth birthday, Jane had never
been to the zoo.

Signal Words
Simple Past Past Perfect Simple
first
then
already
up to then
before that day
after*
*Note: "After" is only used as a signal word for Past Perfect if it is followed by a subject
+ verb, meaning that one action had been completed before another action began (the
new action is in Simple Past).


Example:
After the family had had breakfast, they went to the zoo.

However, if "after" is followed by object + subject + verb, the verb belongs to the new
action and is therefore in Simple Past.
Example:
After her visit to the zoo, Jane was exhausted.

More exceptions with signal words
When
Depending on the situation, "when" can be used with Simple Past or Past Perfect.
Compare the following examples:
Example:
When Jane saw the elephants, she was amazed. (at the same time)
When Jane had seen the elephants, she wanted to see the giraffes. (second action
happened after the first action had been completed)
When Jane went to see the elephants, she had already seen the lions. (second action had
been completed when the first action took place)

Before
"Before" as well can either be used with Simple Past or Past Perfect. If the action after
"before" is a new action, use Simple Past. If the action after "before" started (and was not
completed) before a certain time in the past, use Past Perfect. Compare the following
examples:
Example:
Jane had read a lot about elephants before she went to the zoo.
Jane went to the zoo before she had finished reading her new book about elephants.
USE 1 Completed Action Before Something in the Past

The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the
past. It can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past.
Examples:
I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.
I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.
Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.
Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?
She only understood the movie because she had read the book.
Kristine had never been to an opera before last night.
We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not booked in advance.
A: Had you ever visited the U.S. before your trip in 2006?
B: Yes, I had been to the U.S. once before.
USE 2 Duration Before Something in the Past (Non-Continuous Verbs)

With Non-Continuous Verbs and some non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the
Past Perfect to show that something started in the past and continued up until another
action in the past.
Examples:
We had had that car for ten years before it broke down.
By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London for over eight years.
They felt bad about selling the house because they had owned it for more than forty
years.
Although the above use of Past Perfect is normally limited to Non-Continuous Verbs and
non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, the words "live," "work," "teach," and "study" are
sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT Non-Continuous Verbs.
IMPORTANT Specific Times with the Past Perfect

Unlike with the Present Perfect, it is possible to use specific time words or phrases with
the Past Perfect. Although this is possible, it is usually not necessary.
Example:
She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in
1996.
MOREOVER
If the Past Perfect action did occur at a specific time, the Simple Past can be used instead
of the Past Perfect when "before" or "after" is used in the sentence. The words "before"
and "after" actually tell you what happens first, so the Past Perfect is optional. For this
reason, both sentences below are correct.
Examples:
She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in
1996.
She visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in
1996.
HOWEVER

If the Past Perfect is not referring to an action at a specific time, Past Perfect is not
optional. Compare the examples below. Here Past Perfect is referring to a lack of
experience rather than an action at a specific time. For this reason, Simple Past cannot be
used.
Examples:
She never saw a bear before she moved to Alaska. Not Correct
She had never seen a bear before she moved to Alaska. Correct
ADVERB PLACEMENT
The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only,
never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
You had previously studied English before you moved to New York.
Had you previously studied English before you moved to New York?
ACTIVE / PASSIVE
Examples:
George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanic's license. Active
Many cars had been repaired by George before he received his mechanic's license.
Passive