Speaker 1:

In our previous discussions that is , we have confined our

attention to some forms of the English verb which would
normally be taught to pupils at a very early stage of their
English course. We did this, I think youd agree because of
the great importance we both attach to the laying of good
foundation of knowledge in this, as in all other parts of our
Early Teaching programme.

Speaker 2:

Yes,thats so Nonan but I think that in this and in our final

discussion, we might make a jump as it were{0:39} and
discuss some teaching at a later stage of more difficult forms
of the verb. Do you agree?

Speaker 1:

I entirely agree. And I suggest we concern ourselves today

with one of the English verb forms which every learner of
English finds difficulty in handling. The verb form, which are
grammars called{ 0:59} the Present Perfect.

Speaker 2:

Excellent idea. The forms of the Present Perfect always seem

{1:06}audio error.
They compose always of the auxiliary
verb,have or has, plus, the past participle of the main verb.
Its when we consider the very end many{ 1:20} contexts or
situations. Some of themre very complex indeed, in which
these forms are used that we begin to realize why learners of
English find the Present Perfect so difficult in practise.

Speaker 1:

Yes, the basic difficulty is that these verbs normally refer in

English to actions or events which are definitely past, actions
or events which are completed and finished at the moment of
speaking.
In that aspect, that they have something in
common with the use of the Simple Past first, which also refer
to completed or finished actions and events.
The first
problem we had to deal with then is the question: What does
the use of the Present Perfect add to the use of the Simple
Past? What extra idea does it convey?

Speaker 2:

Ah, thats precisely the problem. I think the simplist way of

answering your question is to say something like this : The
Present Perfect, in speaking about a past action or event,
speaks not only about the time of that event but also adds
some commentary on that event. And this commentary is
always made from the point of view of the present, the
present moment of speaking. I shall ask you in a moment to
illustrate what you mean by that earlier. But before I do so, I
should like to draw your attention to one use of the Present
Perfect, which, strictly speaking, doesnt fall within the
description youve just given. The usage I am referring to,
occurs when the main verb, represented by the past

participle, is a verb, which in itself expresses the duration of

an action or an event. If, for example, like I say to you We
have been here in the studio for five minutes now, I am
referring to our continuous presence here from five minutes
ago up till now. This is very similar to our use, of what we
often call The Present Perfect Continuous. It is similar for
example, in context to sentences like We have been
discussing an English verb for five minutes or We have been
speaking to each other for five minutes.
Speaker 1:

Speaker 2:

Youre quite correct. Sentences of the type We have been

here for five minutes do not really refer to finished actions at
all.
Were still here, and were going on being here.
Similarly, I say to you I have lived in London for ten years, I
am speaking mainly about the length of my residence in
London up till now. Its practically the same as saying I
have been living in London for ten years. These contexts are
comparatively simple and dont present much difficulty to the
learner. I should like now to confine our attention to the
Present Perfect, when it refers only to past events or actions
which are definitely finished.
All right, in that case, I can now ask you to illustrate what
you meant a few moments ago when you said that the Present
Perfect makes a commnetary on a past action or event, and
that this commentary is always made from the point of view
of the present. Will you do that?

Speaker 1:

Certainly. Lets begin with a very simple example. Suppose

that I take my handkerchief out of my pocket like this, and
put it on the table in front of me. There. I can now say to
you I have put my handkerchief on the table. The action is
definitely over and finished. Why do I say I have put and
not I put simply because the handkerchief is at actually
there on the table in front of me. We can both see it there.
We can both see the present result of my past action.

Speaker 2:

Thats perfectly true. And we can easily prove it. Suppose

that I now take your handkerchief off the table and hold it in
my hand, like this. You cant say Now, I have put my
handkerchief on the table.

Speaker 1:

No, I cant. I would now have to say I put my handkerchief

on the table a moment ago. I would have to use the Simple
Past I put to refer to my past action simply because there is
no present result of my action. The handkerchief isnt on the
table anymore. It isnt there because you have taken it off.

Speaker 2:

Thats another excellent example of the Present Perfect. You

say You have taken it off. The present result of the action

now is that the handkerchief is off the table. I have taken it

off the table. I have taken it in my hand.
Speaker 1:

And that brings me to a suggestion about the first teaching of

the Present Perfect in the classroom. I suggest that we teach
it through examples which show the pupils unmistakably that
were talking about the present result of an action at the
same time as we are talking about an action which is
definitely over.
Its not too difficult to do this in the
classroom. Let me give you some examples to show what I
have in mind. When I say I have opened the door, the door
must still be open. And when I say I have closed the door,
the door must still be shut. And when I say I have written
my name on the black board, my name must still be on the
board. You can see the sort of thing I mean.

Speaker 2:

I do. Those are the most obvious examples, with which to

begin our teaching. We can also, by using examples like
these, contrast for our pupils, the use of the Present Perfect,
with the use of the Simple Past. Now for example, I opened
the door a few minutes ago, but it is now shut. I closed the
door a few minutes ago but it is now open. I wrote my
name on the board a few moments ago, but it isnt there
now. We can further develop our examples in groups of
three, making further contrast between the Present Perfect
and the Simple Past.
Here for example, is a chain of
sentences we coud use I wrote my name on the board a few
minutes ago, but it isnt there now because I have rubbed it
off.

Speaker 1:

Yes, or this: I closed the door a few minutes ago, but it isnt
closed now because John has opened it.

Speaker 2:

Now, that may be a good idea for our first introduction of the
Present Perfect to our pupils. But how do we go on from
there? Weve still got a lot to teach them about the Present
Perfect. In other situations, well, the present commentary as
Ive called it, is not so obvious as in the examples weve just
used.

Speaker 1:

That last sentence of yours gives me an idea. You said the

examples we have just used. That was just. Its an English
adverb which is frequently used with the Present Perfect.
When the results of a past action are very obvious, because
weve just performed it. I have just opened the door. I
have just written my name on the board. I have just given
you some examples of the Present Perfect.

Speaker 2:

Yes, indeed. Thats a very useful adverb to help us teach the

Present Perfect. Morever, we can contrast sentences with the

word just accompanying the Present Perfect with sentences

containing the word just now accompanying the Simple
Past. For example, I have just opened the door. I opened
the door just now. I have just written my name on the
board. I wrote my name on the board just now. Now any
other adverbs we can use in this way in English to teach the
Present Perfect?
Speaker 1:

Indeed, there are. The best known are the commonest, are
adverbs like already, lately, yet and not yet. These
adverbs will always be used with the Present Perfect when
referring to past events. For example, I have already done
it ; I havent seen him lately; Have you finished your
homework yet? No, I havent finished it yet.

Speaker 2:

Then, we can have a whole lot of examples, in which the word

since referring to time, is used either as a preposition or as
a conjuction.
This particular use of since inevitably
accompanies the Present Perfect in English. For example, I
havent seen him since last week. I have seen him twice
since last February. I have seen a lot of interesting sights in
London since I arrived last year. There again, we have a
good contrast between the Present Perfect and the Simple
Past, I have seen and I arrived.

Speaker 1:

I particularly like your idea about contrasting wherever

possible, the Present Perfect with the Simple Past. And
various phrases ending with the word ago in English will
generally be accompanied by the Simple Past. I saw him
three days ago. I arrived in London six months ago. The
Present Perfect is not possible in these sentences. So, we
could contrast I saw him three days ago with I have just
seen him. Or I arrived in London six months ago with I
have just arrived in London.

Speaker 2:

Similarly, any adverb in your expression which definitely

indicates past time cannot be accompanied by the Present
Perfect. As in these sentences I saw him on Monday; I
went to the university yesterday; I went to the theatre last
Monday. So if we choose carefully, the adverbs and the verb
in your expressions we use in the classroom, we can
continually reinforce these contrasts between the Present
Perfect and the Simple Past. And give our pupils a good day
of[12:40] practise in using these verb forms in the right
places.

Speaker 1:

Yes, a good deal of our teaching can be based on examples of

these kinds. I think also, that it is important not to try to
rush our teaching of a verb form like the Present Perfect.

And in particular, not to try to teach everything about it all at

once. I think we should start, first of all, with comparatively
simpler examples, such as the ones we mentioned earlier,
where the pupil can actually see the result of an action. Then
at a later stage, we can expand our teaching by introducing
systematically, various types of adverb or adverbial
expression, especially those which seem to demand a Present
Perfect Continuous[13:28]. And throughout our teaching, we
should help the pupil to make continual contrasts between
the use of the Present Perfect and the use of the Simple Past.