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Lesson planB150 minsNew. New: checked automatically for level, grammar, facts and originality; a teacher's review is still to come. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Have You Ever…? present perfect or past simple
Students choose between the present perfect and past simple to talk about life experiences, then write about things they have done and when.
Present perfect vs past · Experiences · Travel
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Plan at a glance
Aims
- Use present perfect vs past simple accurately
- Learn and use 8 words and phrases in one set: Life events, travel and sport
- Read for detail: Grandma Rosa
- Writing task: my experiences
Stages · 50 min
- 5 minLead-in: Pairs talk about experiences and share ideas with the class.
- 5 minVocabulary: Ex. 1
- 5 minLanguage focus: Go through the grammar notes together and check understanding.
- 10 minControlled practice: Ex. 2–3
- 5 minAccuracy practice: Ex. 4
- 10 minReading: Ex. 5
- 10 minWriting: Ex. 6
Printables
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Download all (ZIP, 2 PDFs)Grammar notes
Present perfect
- Life experiences, with no time given: I've been to Japan. Have you ever run a marathon?
- Unfinished time: I've seen her twice this week. So far, she has won three races.
- With since and for: We've known each other since 2015.
Past simple
- A finished time: I went to Japan in 2019. We visited Rome last summer.
- Questions with when: When did you move to London? (not When have you moved…)
Together
- Start with the present perfect, then give details in the past simple: I've been to Japan. I went there in 2019 and I loved it.
Study tips
- Make a list of five things you've done in your life. Then say when you did each one.
- Time words help: ever, never, yet, already, so far → present perfect; yesterday, last year, ago, in 2010 → past simple.
Glossary
- Life events, travel and sport8 items
Complete the exercises, then check your answers.
1
Life events
Choose the correct word.
- a
They got ___ in 2015 and now they have two children.
- b
Today is my parents' 25th wedding ___.
- c
Our team has never ___ Brazil — they're too good for us.
- d
To work in Australia, you need a work ___.
- e
We stayed in a ___ with shared rooms — it only cost £15 a night.
2
Present perfect or past simple?
Write the verb in the present perfect or the past simple.
- a
I (never / be) to Japan, but I'd love to go.
- b
We (visit) Rome last summer.
- c
Have you ever (run) a marathon?
- d
She (win) three races so far this year.
- e
When (you / move) to London?
- f
I (just / finish) my first novel — I'm so happy!
- g
My grandparents (get) married in 1970.
- h
We (know) each other since 2015.
3
Which tense?
Which tense usually goes with these time words? Put each one in the right group.
- a
so far
- b
ever
- c
two days ago
- d
yesterday
- e
already
- f
when I was a child
- g
in 2010
- h
yet
- i
last year
- j
since Monday
4
Find and correct the mistake
Each sentence has one mistake. Write the correction: the corrected word(s) or the whole sentence.
- a
I have visited Paris last year.
- b
She has gone to the cinema yesterday.
- c
I live here since 2018.
- d
When have you arrived?
- e
I want to go to abroad.
- f
She is married with a doctor.
- g
In my birthday I had a big party.
5
Read: Grandma Rosa
Read the text. Are the sentences true, false or not given?
My grandmother Rosa is 82, and she has had an amazing life. She grew up on a farm in Portugal and moved to London in 1965. She has never forgotten her first day there: it rained all day and she didn't understand a word! She worked as a nurse for forty years. Since she stopped working, she has travelled to more than twenty countries, and last year she even ran a five-kilometre race. She has been married to my grandad for sixty years, and they celebrated their anniversary in June with a big party. She says she hasn't finished yet. Next year she wants to learn to swim.
- a
Rosa was born in London.
- b
It rained on Rosa's first day in London.
- c
Rosa has been married for forty years.
- d
Rosa won the race last year.
- e
Rosa can swim.
6
Write: my experiences
Write about your experiences.
Write about some things you have done in your life and when you did them (6–8 sentences). Use the present perfect for the experiences and the past simple for the details. Word box: married · anniversary · beat · visa · hostel · abroad · marathon Example: I've been abroad three times. The first time was in 2019, when I went to Italy with my family. We stayed in a hostel in Rome.
Suggested minimum: 70 words
0 words · aim for at least 70
Spotted a mistake in this lesson?· tell us the exercise and item
Revise with a game
This lesson's own words and questions. Play on your own, or in teams on the classroom screen.
- Step UpAnswer the lesson's questions to climb to the top.
- Pair UpMatch the lesson's words to their meanings against the clock.
- SnapA word and a meaning: do they go together? Answer fast.
- Fix ItFind the mistake in each sentence, then correct it.
- Quiz BoardTeams choose questions worth 100 to 500 points.
- Retro arcadeWord Invaders, Word Snake, Word Maze and Word Crossing: classic arcade games with the lesson's words.
Glossary
The 8 words and phrases this lesson teaches, in one set.
Life events, travel and sport
- married
- having a husband or wife
- anniversary
- the date when something important happened in a past year
- birthday
- the day each year when a person was born
- abroad
- in or to another country
- visa
- an official document that lets you enter or stay in a country
- hostel
- a cheap place to stay, often with shared rooms
- marathon
- a very long running race, usually through the streets of a city
- beat
- to win against a person or team in a game
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