The document provides an overview of the present perfect and present perfect progressive tenses in English. It discusses how the tenses are formed with examples, common errors made by students, and appropriate contexts and activities for teaching the tenses. The key points are that the present perfect describes a past event connected to the present, while the present perfect progressive expresses an action that began in the past and continues to the present or recently finished. Suggested teaching activities include contrasting with the simple past and interviews to practice the tenses in an uncontrolled way.

1. Present Perfect, Present Perfect
Progressive
Leo Schmitt
New School

2.  Remember that the internet has a wide range of
information. Some of it is more reliable than
others. Evaluate it using your own language
knowledge and critical thinking skills. Look for
pages that support your preferred
methodology.

3.  What is the name of the grammatical structure?
Does it have any others? If so, which is the
most helpful name for students?
 Present perfect, present perfect
continuous/progressive;

4.  How is the structure formed? What is a pattern
students can follow to make it themselves?
Include patterns for questions and negatives.
 Declarative/Statement Present Perfect
 Subject + have form + Past participle/-ed.
 Subject + has/have + past participle.
 I have worked. They have eaten.
 Have agrees with the person have/has, but the
past participle is constant.

5.  Negative:
 Subject + have + not + past participle/-ed.
 Subject + has/have not + past participle/-ed.
 I have not gone.
 He has not worked.

6.  Y/N Question:
 Have + Subject + Past participle/-ed?
 Has/Have + Subject + Past participle/-ed?
 Have you heard?
 Has she visited?

7.  Wh Question:
 Wh word + have + Subject + past participle/-ed?
 Wh + has/have + Subject + past participle/-ed?
 Where have you worked?
 What have we done?

8.  How is the structure formed? What is a pattern
students can follow to make it themselves?
Include patterns for questions and negatives.
 Declarative/Statement Present Perfect Progressive
 Subject + have form (has/have) + been+ ing
form.
 Subject + has/have + been + ing form.
 I have been traveling. They have been eating.
 Agreement for verb to have:
 Everything else is fixed.

9.  Negative:
 Subject + Have form + not + been + ing form.
 Subject + has/have + not + been + V ing
 I have not been crying.

10.  Y/N Question:
 Have form + Subject + been + ing form of verb?
 Have/has + Subject + been + V ing?
 Have you been studying?

11.  Wh Question:
 Wh word + have form + Subject + been + ing form of
Verb?
 Wh + has/have + Subject + been + V ing?
 Where have you been living?

12.  Have takes past participle
 Have been
 Have been takes –ing form
 Have been thinking

13.  What are the pronunciation points related to
the structure and how do you plan to teach
them?
 English is a stress-timed language so stress falls
on the content words (verbs, adjectives, and
nouns).

14.  Have/Has
 Usually reduced = John’s tried it. You’ve won.
 Been is usually reduced to /bın/
 Present perfect progressive may even drop the
have.
 I /bın/ working.

15.  Why do we have this form? When do we use
it? What meaning does it imply?
 Present Perfect
 Many grammar books will indicate that it is
used to refer to a past event without a specific
time.
 The earth has been through five major extinctions.
 This can lead to some confusion.

16. Talking about an event in the past. Often used together
with ever, never, yet, still, and already.
I have already called security.
She has never tried bubble tea.
Elvis has already left the building

17. Used to indicate something that has started in the past
and continues until now. Often used with ‘for’ or
‘since’.
Not used with other specific times: in 1997, on Monday,
at 9 p.m.
I have known John since 1997.
I have known John for ten years.

18.  Azar tells us we use it for repeated events in
the past.
 I have eaten at Rays Pizza five times.
 The key element is not that it happened
multiple times. It is that it may happen again.
 Consider
 I ate at Rays Pizza five times…
 Last week, when I was in NYC, before it shut.

19.  All of these elements share one key part that
helps define why it is the present perfect.
 The present perfect describes a past event that
is somehow connected to the present.
 Compare:
 The Russians landed in Alaska and The
Russians have landed in Alaska.
 Which one would worry you more?

20.  Compare also
 I went to China.
 I have been to China.
 The latter implies a sense of experience, an
ability to talk about it, I have a souvenir here,
or other currently accessible information.
 Past action is relevant to the present.

21.  ‘Telic’ verbs (ones that imply a goal) in the present
perfect indicate a sense of completion.
 He has scored six touchdowns.
 I have published four books.
 ‘Atelic’ verbs (ones without a clear goal) indicate a
more general relationship with the present.
 I have walked along the shore four times this week.
 We have already studied the simple past.
 Telic verbs can be determined by asking. I was
Ving, when I was interrupted.Did I V? If no, it is
telic.

22.  Present Perfect Progressive.
Recall: Used to indicate something that has happened in the
past and continues until now. Often used with ‘for’ or ‘since’.
Not used with specific times: in 1997, on Monday, at 9 p.m.
I have known John since 1997.
I have known John for ten years.
 Know is a ‘stative’ verb. However, for ‘dynamic’
verbs, we can easily use the present progressive
here. Compare:
 I have worked at the New School since 2010.
 I have been working at the New School since 2010.

23.  Present Perfect Progressive
 Because it often appears with since or for, it is
no surprise that this structure implies carrying
up to this minute.
 It can also imply a recently finished action.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqNigB
NUWOs

24.  Thornbury notes 4 different perfects:
 Perfect of result
 John has arrived. You have (not?) understood!
 Experiential perfect
 I have visited Egypt. They have eaten ostrich meat.
 Perfect of persistent situation
 I have worked here for three years.
 Perfect of recent past
 She has just returned. The train has just left.

25.  In sum, present perfect progressive is used
(with verbs that will work in the progressive)
to express something that started in the past
and either continue until now or until recently.

26.  What would be an appropriate and interesting
context you could use to present this structure?
(Hint: go back to usage and think of typical
examples).
 Talking about experiences.
 Interviews.
 Current states: Why are you
smiling/sweating/crying/etc.

27.  Are there any structures that are usually taught
together with this one? Or essential vocabulary
for the new usage?
 Both are often contrasted with each other.
 The simple past and present perfect are often
contrasted with each other. Plenty of online
options.
 The adverbs still, already, ever, never, yet.
 The phrases since and for with time
expressions.

28.  Are there uses of this structure that vary?
 Remember that we do not use progressive
aspect with certain verbs. E.g. know, love,
want, etc.

29.  Are there any aspects of the usage that seem
too advanced or confusing for your class? Any
aspects you might want to save for a higher
level or omit altogether?
 Other perfect aspects are tricky (future perfect,
past perfect, etc.)

30.  How can you get your students to practice this
structure in an uncontrolled (i.e. not teacher-
centered) activity?
 Mock interviews.
 What is the strangest thing you have ever
done?

31.  What are the errors that students learning this
structure typically make? What would be some
concept questions that would clarify these
errors?
 Many learners will confuse simple past and
present perfect.
 Some learners will have form problems, using
for example, the base or past form. I have go, I
have ate.

32.  On the sheet in front of you, write a question in
the present/present progressive.
 Have you ever seen the rain coming down on a
sunny day?
 How many assignments have you skipped this
semester?
 What have you done to improve your grammar?