Grammar: Present Perfect vs. Simple Past & Review of Tenses
English Grade 8 (Super Goal 2) · Unit 16: Have You Ever...? · Lesson 16-2 · Term 2
Also known as: Present perfect vs simple past
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Lesson idea
Talk about experiences at an indefinite time with the present perfect (have/has + past participle); use the simple past for a specific time; review simple present, present progressive, present perfect and simple past.
Key points
- Present perfect = have/has + past participle: I've been to Bahrain. Has she ever been to Bahrain? – Yes, she has. / No, she hasn't.
- Irregular participles: be–been, do–done, eat–eaten, fly–flown, go–gone, hear–heard, meet–met, ride–ridden, see–seen, swim–swum, take–taken, write–written.
- Simple past = specific time: I was in Bahrain last year. (yesterday, last week, two days ago, in 2010)
- Simple present: habits (every day, usually). Present progressive: now (right now, at the moment). Present perfect: ever, never, so far, yet.
Vocabulary
Lesson questions (15)
- "Have you ever ____ a snake?"
Answer: seen - I ____ been to Bahrain.
Answer: 've - "Has Faisal ever gone on a desert safari?" – "Yes, he ____."
Answer: has - "Have you ever eaten durian fruit?" – "No, I ____."
Answer: haven't - The past participle of "ride" is ____.
Answer: ridden - The past participle of "fly" is ____.
Answer: flown - The past participle of "swim" is ____.
Answer: swum - The past participle of "write" is ____.
Answer: written - I've been to Bahrain. I ____ there last year.
Answer: was - "When did he do it?" – "He ____ it two years ago."
Answer: did - Hameed ____ his horse almost every day. (habit)
Answer: rides - The students ____ a test at the moment.
Answer: are writing - The students haven't written a test ____.
Answer: yet - Hameed and Smokey ____ in two competitions so far.
Answer: have been - The students ____ a test last week.
Answer: wrote
More lessons in Unit 16: Have You Ever...?
Questions about this lesson
How do we form the present perfect?
have/has + past participle: Have you ever seen a snake?
What is the difference between the present perfect and the simple past?
The present perfect is used with no specific time; the simple past is used with a specific time such as yesterday.
What is the past participle of see?
The past participle of see is seen, and we use it with have/has. Example: Have you ever seen a snake? It is different from the simple past saw.
Do students need an account to play this lesson?
No. The teacher shares the lesson link; the student types a first name and plays on a phone or computer, and the score reaches the teacher.
Which games suit this lesson?
You can play it in The Hunter, Complete the sentence, Match Up, Matching pairs and the other games and activities on Hessa Play.