The Present Perfect. Activity 1

Transcription

1 The Present Perfect Activity 1 The Present Perfect has two broad meanings in North American English (a) Current Relevance (b) Past Indefiniteness. We will be considering only the first meaning here. When an event in the past has Current Relevance, the verb phrase is often constructed using have + -en/ed. Current Relevance means that a present situation has been affected by, or is a clear result of some past occurrence. One way to get this meaning across to EFL students is through pictures. In the picture above, students can see how some situations may be pulled into the present and others left behind.

2 Students are to put the different events into either the Simple Past or into the Present Perfect. Encourage discussion about why one situation or another is better suited to either one or the other tense. In some cases e.g., he phoned home / has phoned home regularly, can both be correct depending on the speaker s meaning. T: Which of these verbs should go into the Simple Past and which into the Present Perfect? 1. He was born on April 10, He graduated from university back home in the 1990s. 3. He immigrated in 2001, i.e., four years ago. T: We use the Simple Past in these examples because there are certain adverbs e.g., ago, yesterday, last week / year / month which cannot be used with the Present Perfect since they show a definite point in the past. 4. He has settled in Toronto. T: Although this sentence can be put into either tense, the use of the Present Perfect here suggests that his plans for the future are or could be connected to his past decision. The Simple Past tense doesn t show this. 5. He has encouraged friends to immigrate. T: Once again, we can put this into either tense, but the Present Perfect suggests that the encouragement is ongoing. The Simple Past, on the other hand, merely states that he provided this encouragement and that this encouragement is over and done with. 6. He has not started a family. T: If we use the Present Perfect here, it suggests that he might start a family in the future. The Simple Past, on the other hand, only reports that he didn t start a family, more a simple historical observation than a suggestion that he may start one soon. 7. He has applied for Canadian citizenship. T: We re going to use the Present Perfect here as well because it suggests an urgency about the present - that he is waiting every day to hear - something that he did in the past is on his mind now. The Simple Past on the other hand, simply describes a situation in the past that is arguably less urgent.

3 8. He got a promotion yesterday. T: Why must we use the Simple Past here? We use it because the adverb yesterday is not used with the Present Perfect in North American English. 9. He has completed a diploma here in Toronto. T: Using the Present Perfect here suggests that the diploma that he has completed here is more important to him than the one which he finished a long time ago i.e., it shows his current ability in English. 10. He has started to learn French. T: If we use the Simple Past instead of the Present Perfect here, it suggests that he may have stopped; the Present Perfect suggests that he is still learning French. Both may very well be correct in different contexts; it depends on whether the speaker wishes to bring forward the relevance of learning French to him now. 11. He has phoned home regularly. T: Do you want to say that he has stopped or that he is continuing to phone home regularly? If you want to say the first, then use the Simple Past. 12. He got married last year. T: Which is the best tense here? The students should be able to indicate the Simple Past here since it refers to a definite time period; last year is an adverbial expression which cannot be used with a tense like the Present Perfect which is a kind of bridging tense pulling past events forward into the present.

4 Activity 2 In this Learning Task, teach one meaning of the English Present Perfect (Current Relevance) by showing how Present Results are connected with past events. For example: Past event: Frederick Banting discovered Insulin. Present results: It has saved many lives. It has given hope to many others. It has extended the life-span of millions.

5 Activity 3 In this Learning Task, teach one meaning of the English Present Perfect (Current Relevance) by showing how Present Results are connected with past events. Past event: Albert Einstein published his famous theory. Present results: It has changed our way of thinking. It has made nuclear war a real possibility. It has led to competition among countries.

6 Activity 4 In this Learning Task, teach one meaning of the English Present Perfect (Current Relevance) by showing how Present Results are connected with past events. Past event: The Panama Canal opened in Present results: It has sped up transportation. It has enriched a central American nation. It has joined the Pacific and the Atlantic.