The present perfect is a tricky verb tense for English learners to master, but it can be taught with some patience and creativity. The present perfect describes actions or events that have recently happened or that began in the past and are still happening in the present.
To help your students better understand the present perfect, start by going over the basics of the verb tense. Break down the present perfect structure and explain to students that it is a combination of the verb ‘have’ or ‘has’ plus the past participle of the verb. It is important to stress that it is used to talk about things that have recently happened or that began in the past and are still happening in the present.
Next, provide your students with plenty of examples to help them better understand how and when to use the present perfect. Provide examples of both affirmative and negative sentences as well as questions with the present perfect.
Now that students better understand how to use the present perfect, you can move on to some practice activities. Depending on your students’ level, you can practice the present perfect through writing or speaking exercises. For lower-level students, a gap-fill exercise might be helpful. Ask students to fill in the blanks with the appropriate verb in the present perfect. For higher-level students, you can create a role-playing activity in which students must use the present perfect to ask and answer questions about recent experiences.
As with any grammar point, providing plenty of practice opportunities for your students to solidify their understanding of the present perfect is important. You can help your students become proficient in the present perfect with some patience and creativity.
