English Today

The Present Perfect Simple - Structure

Here's how we form the present perfect simple:

have / has + past participle

For regular verbs the past participle is the same as the simple past (basic verb + - ed).

For irregular verbs see the third column of the List of Irregular Verbs

A. AFFIRMATIVE

I have eaten / I've eaten

You have eaten / you've eaten

He has eaten / he's eaten

She has eaten / she's eaten

It has eaten / it's eaten

We have eaten / we've eaten

You have eaten / you've eaten

They have eaten / they've eaten

B. Negative

I have not eaten / I haven't eaten

You have not eaten / you haven't eaten

He has not eaten / he hasn't eaten

She has not eaten / she hasn't eaten

It has not eaten / it hasn't eaten

We have not eaten / we haven't eaten

You have not eaten / you haven't eaten

They have not eaten / they haven't eaten

C. Interrogative (?)

Have I eaten?

Have you eaten?

Has he eaten?

Has she eaten?

Has it eaten?

Have we eaten?

Have you eaten?

Have they eaten?

Common Time Expressions Used with the Present Perfect Simple

1. already - used in affirmative sentences and usually placed between have/has and the past participle ~ I've already had lunch.
2. yet - used in negative sentences and in questions / always placed at the end of the sentence. ~ Have you had lunch yet? / No, I haven't had lunch yet.
3. since = from a certain period of time in the past up till now ~ I have known George since 2003.
4. for = covering a period of time from the past up till now ~ I have known George for seven years.
5. never - in negative sentences with a positive verb ~ I've never eaten snails NOT I haven't never eaten snails.
6. ever - in interrogative sentences only (questions) ~ Have you ever eaten snails? NOT Have you never eaten snails?
7. just - in positive sentences mostly to say that a past action has only just finished ~ Joanna has just gone out. / Peter has just emailed me.

USE

The present perfect simple is used to talk about past actions whose result is obvious in the present or about past actions which occurred at an unstated past time but whose results have some connection with the present. But I'll say more about the use when comparing the simple past and the present perfect in the next lesson.

Examples:

• I've sent three emails so far.
• Sue has bought a new car. (= unstated past time / Sue bought the car in the past but she's still got it now)
• I haven't been to Sweden yet.
• My sister has just painted her room pink.
• I've seen wolves in that forest. (= unstated past time / if you go to that forest now you will see the wolves. They're still there.)

On Holiday

This blog will be on holiday from Wednesday July 14th to Sunday July 25th

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Blogging as a Way to Improve your Writing

Photo Credit: Everything TypePad

Whether we like it or not, most ESL exams include a Writing test which usually counts for 60%. In the old G.C.E O Level paper of English as a second language, this percentage went up to 70%. Twenty years ago, I used to encourage my students to have native speakers of their age as penfriends since practising writing regularly can help you greatly get through ESL exams with flying colours. But considering the rapid growth of technology, blogging in English is a great way to improve your writing skills before you know it. When I first suggested this to some of my online students, I received some interesting feedback and a variety of reactions. Here are a few:

I feel too embarrassed to blog in English. I make a lot of mistakes and native speakers will laugh at me.

It takes me hours to work out a sentence correctly and besides, after school ,I want to relax on the computer and do things like playing games or chatting with my friends in my language. Not write a composition again!!!

I know that a lot of people read blogs but ...if I blog in English native speakers will make fun of me!

Blogging in English sounds interesting but what if I make lots of mistakes?

First things first! No one will laugh at you!! And you are wrong if you believe that native speakers  never make mistakes! On the contrary, many of them will appreciate your effort to blog in English and you may end up with lots of native readers.

Here are a few reasons why blogging in English can help you greatly to improve your writing:

1. It's the best exam practice in writing because you can create a blog about your favourite hobby, your favourite singer, your favourite sport etc or simply keep a kind of diary. Together with your text, you can also post your favourite photos or videos as well as interact with other readers who share the same interests as you do. So blogging in English will soon be a pleasure - not a tedious English Composition task!

2. One of the greatest problems most of you have when it comes to writing is that you tend to think in your own language and then ...translate into English. This is invariably  a disaster. By blogging in English regularly - let's say 2-3 times a week - you will eventually be trained to think in English. First of all because blogging in English will involve you reading English blogs on the topics you also like. So, the more you read, the better you write.

3. If you want this activity to be effective for you, don't copy and paste other people's writing or else you may be in trouble. Copying and pasting other people's writing and presenting it as your own is called plagiarism - in simple terms it's not very different from stealing things from other people's property! So you may be accused of copyright infringement. Besides, this will certainly not help you improve your own writing skills. You are allowed, however, to quote other people's writing which you happen to like but make sure you post a link to their blog or web page. Most importantly, concentrate on your own writing.

4. Blogging in English for pleasure is the key to gradually developing great writing skills. And don't forget to use your grammar and spellcheck of your Word processor.

Listening Comprehension - Michigan ECCE Examinations

Democracy In Action

Listen to a politician speaking to a possible voter on the doorstep and decide if the following statements are true or false. Click on the link below to listen to the MP3 file.

3L10-democracy-in-action

1. Richard Cookson is a member of the governing party.

    True
    False

2. Anne is still not sure who she is going to vote for.
    True
    False

3. There has recently been a referendum.
    True
    False

4. Richard Cookson denies the information that Anne saw

in the campaign ad.
    True
    False

5. Richard Cookson's party wants to do something about

deforestation.
    True
    False

6. Some people will pay higher taxes under Richard

Cookson's party's plans.
    True
    False

7. Richard Cookson tells Anne where she can vote on

Election Day.
    True
    False

8. Richard Cookson is optimistic about the election

result.
    True

    False

via esl-lounge

Answer Key

1. F / 2.T / 3.T/4.T/5.F/6.T/7.F/8.T

Easily Confused Words 6

1. parts / places

parts = region or district

In some parts of England, it is often very cold even in the summer.

places:

• particular part or space occupied by someone

I can't be in two places at the same time.

• city, village or town

He has visited many places in Scotland and Wales.

2. history / story

history = science dealing with past events of a country or of the world

Larry is studying history at university.

story = a tale

This film is based on a true story.

Mike enjoys writing stories.

3. wonder / wander

wonder = ask myself

I wonder where he comes from.

I am still wondering what to give him on his birthday.

wander = go aimlessly (=without reason or purpose) from one place to another

He was wandering in the deserted streets of the town for hours.

4. like / as

• He fought like a madman. ( he wasn't a madman)
• He works as an engineer. (he is an engineer)