Present perfect

Present perfect and simple past questions and answers

University of El Salvador

Western Multidisciplinary Campus

Foreign Languages Extension Program

Saturday Program

Level 9

Fourth Entry 2024

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 WORKSHEET 1

A. What kinds of hopes and dreams do people have? Make a class list.
"Some people want to go traveling or meet their favorite pop star…. "

B. Listen. What is each person's secret dream? Do you have any secret dreams like these?

C. How do the people above express these ideas? Find what they say and underline the
verbs.
1. Jill I always wanted to be an actor as a child. I want to be an actor now.
2. Sonia We didn't save enough money last year. We don't have enough money now.
3. Raquel My brother even surfed in Hawai'i - exactly when isn't important.
4. Hiro In the past, I went to Europe many times.

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 WORKSHEET 2
Grammar 1 Present perfect statements

Use the present perfect for events at an indefinite time before

now. Regular past participles
I’ve been to Europe. I haven’t been to Paris.
travel traveled traveled
You’ve done a lot of things. You haven’t gone sailing.
want wanted wanted
We’ve had a lot of fun. We haven’t saved enough money.
save saved saved
They’ve traveled in Asia. They haven’t been to Europe.
try tried tried
He’s surfed in Hawaii. She hasn’t tried surfing before.
The present perfect is often used with these frequency
Irregular past participles
expressions.
be was/were been
I’ve always wanted to study acting. do did done
We’ve gone sailing once / twice / many times. go went gone
She’s never tried it before. have had had
see saw seen
Notice how people use been and gone to talk about travel destinations.
I've been to Paris. (I went and came back.)
Common errors
She's gone to Paris. (She's still in Paris.) Use the past participle, not the
base form.
I've traveled a lot.
Form NOT I've travel a lot.
 Affirmative
I / you / we / they + ‘ve / have + past participle
He / she / it + ‘s / has + past participle
I’ve been to Europe.
She’s been to Europe, too.
 Negative
I / you / we / they + haven’t / have not + past participle
He / she / it + hasn’t / has not + past participle
I haven’t tried sailing.
She hasn’t tried sailing.

 Regular past participles

The forms and spelling rules for regular past participles ending in –ed are the same for simple
past verbs.

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 Irregular past participles
Some irregular past participles are the same as the base form of the verb [come, came, come],
some are the same as the simple past [have, had, had] and others are different from both the
base form and the simple past [see, saw, seen]

Use
The present perfect is used to talk about situations and events that took place at an indefinite
time in the past. The time at which the events took place or when the situations existed may not
be known or may not be important.
I’ve always wanted to be an actor.
They’ve never traveled outside of Japan.
Here are some common uses:
 For actions or events that happened at an indefinite time in the past that still have
importance in the present.
I haven’t saved enough money. (I don’t still have enough.)
 For repeated actions at an indefinite time in the past
We’ve gone sailing three times this year.
 With certain time expressions
The present perfect may be used with time expressions that refer o “a time up to now” such as
before, never, in my life, over the past three years, this week, up to now, just, and lately. Just
and lately are used to emphasize that something happened in the very recent past.
I’ve never tried it before.
She’s been really tired lately.
I’ve just finished my homework.
Present Perfect versus Simple Past
The present perfect is not normally used with time expressions that indicate a definite point in
time in the past that is now finished. (last week, two years ago, etc.) With these expressions, the
simple past is generally used.
I’ve always wanted to be an actor.
When I was little, I wanted to be an actor.

Been vs. gone

The past participle been and gone can both be used to talk about place one has visited. People
more frequently use been to mean “visited” or “visited a place and returned”

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I’ve (never) been to Paris. OR I’ve (never) gone to Paris.
I’ve never gone sailing before. OR I’ve never been sailing before.
Note that I've been to Paris is often used in preference to I've gone to Paris to mean visited and
returned.

Contraction and adverbs with the present perfect

 When using the present perfect in affirmative statements, people generally use the contracted
forms of have (I’ve been, he’s gone, they’ve started, etc.)
 In negative statements, people tend to use the forms haven’t and hasn’t; the contractions: ‘ve
not and ‘s not are possible, but not very frequent.
 The most commonly used adverbs in present perfect statements are never, just, and always.

Common errors with past participles

Students often use the base form of a verb instead of using the past participle when using the
present perfect. (I've traveled a lot. NOT I’ve travel a lot.)

WORKSHEET 3

’ ’ 2
A. Complete the chart. Write the past participle of each verb from the song.

Past Past Past Past

Base form Base form Base form Base form
participle participle participle participle
believe crawl kiss speak
break feel loosen
carry find run
climb hold scale

B. Complete the song’s lyrics.

Exercise 1: Listen to the song and fill in the empty spaces with the words you hear.
I ____________ _____________ highest mountains
I ____________ _____________ through the fields
Only to be with you
Only to be with you.

I have run, I ____________ ____________

I ____________ _____________ these city walls
These city walls
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Only to be with you.

Exercise 2: Listen. Complete the ideas with the words from the box.

have healing still looking

But I ____________ haven’t found what I’m looking for.

But I still haven’t found what I’m ____________ for.

I ____________ kissed honey lips

Felt the ____________ in the finger tips
It burned like fire
This burning desire.

Exercise 3: Listen. Unscramble the words to complete the song’s lyrics.

the / have / angels / spoke / I / tongue / with / of _________________________________
a devil / I / of / have / the / held / hand _________________________________
warm / in / was / night / it / the _________________________________
a / was / stone / I / cold / as _________________________________

But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

Exercise 4: Listen. Number the ideas in the correct order.

________ But yes, I’m still running
________Then all the colours will bleed into one
________I believe in the Kingdom Come
________ Bleed into one.

Exercise 5: Listen. From the options, choose the word you hear.
You folk / joke / broke the bonds
And you loosened the rain / chains / trains
Carried the cross / gloss / loss of my shame
Oh my aim / flame / shame, you know I believe it.

But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.

But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.

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But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.

C. Think of something that you really want to do in your life, but you haven’t been able to do
yet. Now, copy the style of the song by writing two or three things you have done, followed
by what you still want to do. Compare with a partner.
I have painted a picture. I have written a poem. But I still haven’t written a story.

WORKSHEET 4

A. Complete the conversations with the present perfect. Then practice with a partner.
1. A I ___________________________ (always/ want) to try rock climbing.
B Really? Not me. I ___________________________ (never / want) to do it. I
___________________________ (always / be) afraid of heights.
2. A I ___________________________ (not see) the Grand Canyon. I really want to go
there someday.
B Me too. My friend ___________________________ (be) there. She had an
amazing time.
3. A I ___________________________ (go) surfing three or four times. It's exciting.
B Yeah? I ___________________________ (not try) it before. I
___________________________ (never do) any water sports.
4. A My dream is to be a tennis player. I ___________________________ (have) a lot
of training, and I ___________________________ (play) with some professional
tennis players.
B No way! I love tennis. I ___________________________ (always / want) to meet
Andy Murray.
5. A We ___________________________ (not travel) much, but we want to go to
Bogotá.
B Me too. My cousin lives there. He ___________________________ (invite) me to
visit several times, but I ___________________________ (not save) enough
money to go.

B. Pair work Start conversations like the ones above using your own ideas.
"I've always wanted to try hang gliding." "Really? My friend's been hang gliding."

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 WORKSHEET 5

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A. Read the “to do” list. What things have you done? What things haven’t you done? Write
true sentences using the present perfect.

Things I want to do
1. drive a car
2. go hiking
3. learn a second language
4. see the Taj Mahal
5. travel alone
6. travel to Europe
7. try windsurfing
8. try Chinese food

B. Pair work Take turns asking questions with the information above. Give your own answers.
“Have you ever driven a car?”
“Yes, I have. I love to drive. Once I drove to Guatemala.”
“Have you been to the Taj Mahal?”
No, I haven’t. But I really want to go to India one day.

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 WORKSHEET 6
Grammar 2 Present perfect vs. simple past

Have you ever gone white-water rafting?

Use the present perfect for indefinite
No, I haven’t. I’ve never gone rafting.
times before now.
Yes, I have. I went rafting last May.

Did you have a good time?

Use the simple past for specific events or
Yes, I did. But I fell off the raft.
times in the past.

Form In Conversation...
 Present perfect questions The common questions with the
present perfect are Have you
Have + you / we / they + (ever) + past participle ? (ever) seen / been / heard / had ...
Have you done anything scary? ?

Has she / he / it + (ever +) + past participle ?

Has she ever tried rafting?

 Present perfect affirmative short answers

Yes + I / you / we / they + have
Yes + she / he / it + has

 Present perfect negative short answers

No + I / you / we / they + haven’t.
No + she / he / it + hasn’t
Use
 The present perfect questions are used to ask about actions and situations that took place at
an indefinite time in a period of time that leads up to the present. They often include the adverb
ever.
Have you ever done anything scary?
 When people answer present perfect questions and include references to a specific, finished
time in the past, they use the simple past.
Have you ever done anything scary? [= at any time before now]
Yes, I have. I went rafting last year. [= at specific past time]
No, I haven’t. I haven’t done anything scary. [=not in my life up to now]
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Vocabulary Past participles
The vocabulary in the lesson consists of past participles of irregular verbs. From now on, you
should learn three forms of any verb: base form, simple past, and past participle.
be was/were been have had had
do did done go went gone
see saw seen buy bought bought

Speaking naturally Reduced and unreduced forms of have

 The reduced form is often said as /həv/ or /əv/.
 Have is often reduced in present perfect questions and statements.
 Have is generally not reduced in short answers.

Conversation strategy Keeping the conversation going

In friendly conversations, people often keep the conversation going by showing interest in the
other speaker's experiences, even if they have not had the same experience themselves. They
often find something to comment on, saying, for example, I've heard (or read) about that and
then ask questions.
A: We went to a new club called Fizz. Have you been there?
B: No, but I've heard good things about it. How was it?

Strategy plus Response questions

Use auxiliary verbs in the simple present (Do you?) and present perfect (Have you?) to show
interest.

Use
 People use these short questions to show interest.
A: I love Liam Neeson.
B: Do you?
A I've seen most of his movies.
B: Have you?
 The word order of response questions can be Do you? Or You do? and Have you? OR You have?
The forms You do? and You have? are used in more informal conversations, and they are more
likely to be used to show surprise.

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Help note Adverbs of attitude
This Help Note presents adverbs such as fortunately and amazingly. These adverbs, which often,
but not always, appear at the beginning of a sentence, show the writer's (or speaker's) feeling or
attitude toward the information in the statement.
Fortunately, there were some great guides. (= I feel fortunate we had good guides.)
Amazingly, it wasn't really scary. (= I think it's amazing that it wasn't scary.)

WORKSHEET 7

A. Complete the conversations with the present perfect or simple past. Then practice.
1. A ____________ you ever ____________ (hear) of kitesurfing?

B Yes, I ____________. But I ____________ (never / do) anything like that.

2. A ____________ you and your friends ever ____________ (go) on a big roller

coaster?

B No, we ____________. I always ____________ (hate) roller coasters.

3. A ____________ you ever ____________ (stay) up all night?

B Yes, I ____________. My family ____________ (go) camping two years ago, and

none of us ____________ (sleep) all night.

4. A ____________ you ____________ (do) anything different last summer?

B Yes, I ____________. I ____________ (learn) to play African drums. I always

____________ (want) to play them. I ____________ (never / go) to Africa, though.

B. Pair work Ask the questions above. Give your own ·answers.

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 WORKSHEET 8

A. Ask your classmates about these good and bad experiences. For each question, find
someone who answers yes. Write the students name in the chart.

Good Experiences Bad Experiences

Have you ever... Name Have you ever... Name
won a prize? broken something valuable?
gotten 100% on a test? lost something important?
spoken to a famous person? had the flu?
taken an exciting trip? forgotten someone’s birthday?
found a wallet? fallen and hurt yourself?

"Have you ever won a prize?" "Yes, I have. I won a prize in a science fair in fifth grade."

B. Complete the chart. Add more verbs that you know.

Base form win find fall

Simple past won got took lost forgot hurt
Past participle won spoken had

WORKSHEET 9

?
Group work Talk about these things. Why haven't you done them? What has stopped you?
something you've always wanted to buy
a place that you've never been to but would like to visit
something you've always wanted to learn how to do
something else you've always wanted to do

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 WORKSHEET 10

Situation 1: At the Travel Agent’s

Student A: You’re a travel agent. Offer a couple who came to your office a holiday option that would
satisfy both spouses as they seem to disagree on everything.

Student B: You’re a wife. You want a fairytale holiday, preferably on an island. Your husband offers to
choose something less expensive. You insist that he should agree with your choice.

Student C: You’re a husband. Your wife wants to have a holiday that you find too extravagant. Try to
convince her that another, less expensive, option could be as much enjoyable for her as her initial choice.

Situation 2: Good Times, Bad Times

Student A: You got together with your peers to share some stories about your travel experiences. Show
some pictures from your most memorable journey and explain why it was so unforgettable.

Student B: You got together with your peers to share some stories about your travel experiences. Show
some pictures from your most disastrous journey and say what went wrong.

Student C: You got together with your peers to share some stories about your travel experiences. Show
some pictures from a trip that was somehow life changing for you. Explain how it influenced your life.

Situation 3: Great Expectations

Student A: You’re a tourist who bought a package holiday. You were attracted by a beautiful brochure
and expected to see the same once you arrived at the resort. However, the situation there is far from that
described in the brochure. You talk to the hotel manager about problems you face (e.g. no air-
conditioning, no swimming pool, bad view etc.) and then try to contact your travel agent to ask for a partial
refund of the holiday cost.

Student B: You’re a hotel manager. One of the tourists seems to be upset because of lack of facilities at
your hotel. Try to encourage him and offer other opportunities available in the area to help him/her enjoy
his/her holiday.

Student C: You’re a travel agent. One of the tourists calls you to complain about a package holiday he/she
bought at your agency. You know that some information in the brochure was somewhat embellished. Now
he/she wants a partial refund of the holiday cost.

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 WORKSHEET 11

A. Look at the photographs. Which trip would you like to take? Tell the class. Then read the
two blogs. Which blogger had the worst problems?

B. Pair work Read the blogs again. Are the sentences true or false? Write T or F.
1. Guatemala is exactly what Jake expected. ________
2. The weather has been bad for his entire trip. ________
3. He had problems with his tent one night. ________
4. Chloe enjoyed Carnival. ________
5. She and her friends have finished sightseeing. ________
6. She would like to spend more time in Brazil. ________

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 WORKSHEET 12

’
A. Listen to Suzanne's friends talk about her trip to New Zealand. Check( ) the things
Suzanne has done.

B. Listen again. Answer the questions.

1. How does Suzanne's friend know about her trip?
2. Does Suzanne like to try new things?
3. What family does Suzanne have in New Zealand? Did she meet them on her trip?
4. What are Suzanne's photos like? Why are her friends surprised?
5. Have Suzanne's friends traveled a lot?

WORKSHEET 13

A. Read the excerpt from a blog and the Help note. Underline the adverbs of attitude in the
blog.

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B. Write a blog entry about an exciting experience you've had. Use fortunately,
unfortunately, and amazingly. Do you have a photo to add to the blog?

C. Class activity Take turns reading your classmates' blogs. Discuss who has…
o had the most exciting experience.
o done something you'd love to do.
o been somewhere you'd love to go.

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 HOMEWORK

Complete the charts.

Base form, simple past, and past participle are different.

base form simple past past participle Example sentence
be was / were been I’ve never been to Paris.

Simple past form is the same as the past participle.

base form simple past past participle Example sentence
have had had I’ve just had a phone call from Judy.

Base form and past participles are the same.

base form simple past past participle Example sentence
run ran run Liz has run long distances several
times.

Base form, simple past, and past participle are the same
base form simple past past participle Example sentence
cost cost cost Your trips have cost a lot of money.

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