1. Warm up for the workout
Read John's Life Story. The topic sentences of the three paragraphs are missing. Can you choose the correct topic sentences from the stack below the story? Drag and drop the correct ones into place.
If you need help understanding any of the vocabulary in this story, please use a dictionary such as
https://www.ldoceonline.com/. Do not use google translate, as it is not always accurate for the context.
John's Life Story
1.
My father was a dental technician and my mother worked in a greengrocer's but she stopped work when I was born. (She's always said that looking after me was a full-time job). When I was four I can remember we moved house to a new one in the suburbs. One of my brothers still lives there today. At the end of primary school, I passed my eleven plus exam and went to grammar school. Unfortunately my three brothers all failed their exams so they never had a chance to go to university. My mother says I took all the brains she could spare so there were none left for my brothers!
2.
Ever since then my left leg has been a bit shorter than my right and it sometimes hurts in cold weather. To catch up on my studies I stayed at school an extra year and eventually I finished and went to Manchester University where I studied Civil Engineering. Eight years later I was a qualified engineer with a good job, but very bored with my life. So in 1980 I quit my job, sold my house and my car, stored all my books into two dozen cardboard boxes and set off to travel around the world.
3.
I like Hong Kong and I have settled down and got married and started a family. And now I have been a teacher for eight years which is a much better job than engineering. Of course I still think about my seven years 'on the road'. I have been to quite a few exciting countries and had lots of adventures but there are also many places I would still like to visit. I have never been to Japan or Australia even though they are so close. Someday I would also like to visit America - especially Mexico and Central America. I think now I will probably have to wait until my son is a bit older, then we can set off travelling again.
Missing topic sentences. Drag and drop to the correct place above.
- a. I can remember my fourth birthday very clearly, because it was snowing.
- b. Seven years and about 35 countries later I arrived in Hong Kong and I have been here ever since.
- c. However, my path to university was not easy because my family didn't have much money.
- d. I was born in Leeds, England in 1950 - a first baby boy for my parents.
- e. When I was 17, I hurt my leg in a motorbike accident and had to spend four months in hospital.
- f. However, I visited Hong Kong first and have never left.
2. Strengthen your knowledge
In John's Life Story, he uses two main ways of talking about the past: the past simple tense and the present perfect simple tense. To clarify why he uses the two different tenses, re-read the following part of John's Life Story and decide whether the sentences below are true or false.
"So in 1980 I quit my job, sold my house and my car, stored all my books into two dozen cardboard boxes and set off to travel around the world.
Seven years and about 35 countries later I arrived in Hong Kong and I have been here ever since. I like Hong Kong and I have settled down and got married and started a family. And now I have been a teacher for eight years which is a much better job than engineering. Of course I still think about my seven years 'on the road'. I have been to quite a few exciting countries and had lots of adventures but there are also many places I would still like to visit. I have never been to Japan or Australia even though they are so close. Someday I would also like to visit America - especially Mexico and Central America. I think now I will probably have to wait until my son is a bit older, then we can set off travelling again."
The past simple and present perfect simple tenses have the following main uses. Match the example sentences below the table to the use they exemplify, by dragging and dropping. One example sentence of each tense is already given.
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Past Simple is used to talk about ...
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... an action completed at a specific time in the past (the specific time is not always given)
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e.g. Unfortunately my three brothers all failed their exams. When I was 17, I hurt my leg.
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... a past routine, habit or state
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e.g. My father was a dental technician and my mother worked in a greengrocer's.
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Present perfect simple is used to talk about ...
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... a state or activity which started in the past and still continues to the present
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e.g. Ever since then, my left leg has been a bit shorter than my right.
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... an action which happened in a time period that is not yet finished
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e.g. I have been to quite a few exciting countries (in my life, which is not yet finished).
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... an action which happened in the past but has a present result or is important to the present
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e.g. I like Hong Kong and I have settled down.
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Present perfect simple is not used ...
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... when the specific time of the action is mentioned
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eg. So in 1980 I sold my house and my car. NOT So in 1980 I have sold my car.
Seven years later, I arrived in Hong Kong. NOT Seven years later, I have arrived in Hong Kong.
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Example sentences
a. I stayed at school an extra year.
b. I have started a family, so I can't go travelling at the moment.
c. So in 1980 I quit my job.
d. I have been a teacher for eight years.
e. In my life so far, I have never been to Japan or Australia.
3. Flex your grammar muscles!
Thinking about the uses of the two tenses mentioned in Practices 1 and 2, can you match the sentence halves correctly? Drag and drop.).
1. I have lived in Shatin
2. I lived in Shatin for three years,
3. My grandparents have moved to Canada
4. My grandparents moved to Canada
5. I'm going to bed early because
6. I went to bed early because
7. She has never learnt to swim,
8. She never learnt to swim,
9. I have already finished my homework,
10. I finished my homework,
11. I've been to China three
12. I went to China three
a. last year.
b. recently.
c. I had a headache.
d. although we live by the beach.
e. so let's go to the cinema.
f. since 2008.
g. I've got a headache.
h. until 2008.
i. although we lived by the beach.
j. times this year.
k. times last year.
l. so we went to the cinema.
