Present Perfect

Mr. Orange meets Havehas and Ened at the Park

Watch the animated version of the story below

(click on the link)

Mr. Orange meets Havehas and Ened

Havehas (the boy with a yellow shirt) and Ened (the girl with the rose-colored shirt) were walking through the park. They were new in town. They had many questions. They saw Mr. Orange standing alone. He looked friendly, so they decided to talk to him.

“Have you lived here for a long time?” they asked.

Mr. Orange stared at them. He started to sweat. His knees shook. He looked like he might cry.

“What’s wrong?” asked Havehas.

“I know how to tell you my habits. I know how to tell you my past. I even know how to tell you about my future. But I live in this town now. I will live in this town for a long time. I already lived in this town. I don’t know how to tell you about something that I already did but am not finished doing,” replied Mr. Orange sadly.

“Oh, don’t worry,” said Ened. “We can help you. We always talk about that. You see, the two of us have been a couple for a long time, and we plan to stay together forever. We have dated for ten years. We have loved each other since we were young. If you want to talk about past to present, use our names.”

“How can I do that?” asked Mr. Orange.

“Come stand between us and hold our hands. Havehas needs to stand on your left and Ened needs to stand on your right.”

“OK. Now what?”

“Now you need to know our secrets. Havehas has two names. If you talk about one person, like a boy or a girl or a he, she, or it, just call him HAS. If you talk about I, you, or more than one person, call him HAVE.”

“Oh. That is just like me. I use my S snake when I am with just one person.”

“Right.”

“What is Ened’s secret?”

“Well, Ened is Red Ed’s granddaughter, so she follows his rules sometimes and uses ED, but other times she uses EN at the end of a verb. That is why she is rose colored. She is part red (like ED) and part purple (her own color).”

“How do you know which ending to use?” asked Mr. Orange.

“You have to look at this list and memorize it. The more you practice, the easier it will be.”

“Great. Now ask me your questions about this town.”

“OK. How long have you lived here?”

“I have lived here for 25 years.”

“How many times have you come to this park?”

“I have come here more than 100 times.”

“Have you gone to the garden in the park?”

“Yes. I have gone to the garden many times.”

“Have you swum in the pond?”

“No. I have not swum in the pond. It is not for people. It is only for ducks.”

“You did very well,” said Ened, “I think you know how to use our names to help you now.”

"Thank you. I will keep practicing."

Past Participles for Present Perfect Tense

(note: the rose-colored rod represents the past participle)

Read these quotes from the story. Draw boxes around the Havehas word and the Ened ending. Color the Havehas boxes yellow. Color the Ened boxes a rose color.

“How long have you lived here?”

“I have lived here for 25 years.”

“How many times have you come to this park?”

“I have come here more than 100 times.”

“Have you gone to the garden in the park?”

“Yes. I have gone to the garden many times.”

“Have you swum in the pond?”

“No. I have not swum in the pond. It is not for people. It is only for ducks.”

Write your own sentences about what you have done in your life. Use your imagination.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Video of an error correction using rods with the present perfect:

Practicing with Orange, Yellow, and Rose

Interviews

One way to practice present perfect tense is with interviews, especially job interviews. Have students write ten questions about their past experiences. For example: Have you ever worked in a supermarket before? Have you ever filed papers before? How many times have you written a report? Etc. Have the students write out the questions and answers after the interview and color in the parts of the verb with yellow, orange, and rose-colored boxes to check that everything is complete.

What has changed?

In this game, one student volunteers to be “it”. He or she goes to the front of the room and everyone has 30 seconds to study how he/she looks. He or she then leaves the room and changes one thing. Ex: You have taken off your bracelet. The students must identify what has changed by writing a correct sentence. The students can be stationed at the board in teams to write the sentence, or can do it individually at their desks.

My year so far

Students can practice present perfect by reviewing what they have done in a specific class or a specific area of their lives so far this year. Encourage them to write ten or more sentences and draw rod shapes and colors around the verbs

Present Perfect Lesson Plans, Worksheets, and Activities (attached below)

Lesson 4 animation:

Watch this video for more examples and practice with question and negative forms in the present perfect (click on the link):

Questions and Negatives in Present Perfect