A MODEL OF LANGUAGE ANALYSIS
THE PRESENT PERFECT
A model for analysing language which I have always found useful.

THE PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

There are 7 steps in this analysis. These are:
1. FORM
2. MEANING
3. USE - common contexts
4. INTERESTING EXTRA POINTS
5. DIFFICULTIES for STUDENTS
6. TEACHING PRIORITIES
7. TEACHING IDEAS AND MATERIALS

1. FORM
A) Which of the following are present perfect tenses ?
a) He lives in London.
b) He's lived here for 10 years.
c) Before that, he lived in Bristol.
d) I'd already done it.
e) It's already been smelted.
f) First the water's boiled for 10 minutes.
g) I've been sitting here for hours.

B) Be aware of the 32 tense forms for verbs.
All the below in both Simple & Continuous Aspects, as well as Active & Passive Voices.
a) Affirmative statements
b) 'Wh' questions
c) Yes/No questions
d) Negative statements
e) Short answers
f) Question tags (positive, negative)
g) Question tags(negative, positive)
h) Negative questions

2. MEANING
THE MAIN CONCEPTS
A) Look at the sentences and answer the questions:
What is the concept of each sentence?

1. Oh no! He's broken the vase again.
a) What can I see now?
b) When did he break the vase?
c) What's the most important thing in the sentence?

CONCEPT: _______________________________________

2. I've been to India.
a) Am I in India now?
b) When did I go?
c) What's the most important thing in the sentence?

CONCEPT: _______________________________________

3. I've been living in the U.A.E. for 7 years.
a) Am I in the U.A.E. now?
b) When did I start living here?
c) Will I continue living here?

CONCEPT: ________________________________________

B) Now look at the following sentences and divide them into 3 groups according to their main concept.
1. I've known her for years.
2. Look what you've done, you idiot!
3. How many films have you seen this month?
4. Wow! You've finished quickly.
5. I'd say I've had it for about three years.
6. It's been raining since ten. Why can't they get it right?
7. Have you ever tried halwa?
8. You're soaking. What have you been doing?
9. You've grown a beard.
10. I've put everything into this and I'm not stopping now.
11. Have you ordered those tickets yet?
12. Sorry. Have I kept you waiting?
13. Thank you. We've never enjoyed ourselves so much.
14. But I've already seen it twice!
15. What's happened here?

Can you think of any other nice controversial ones which could arguably go in any of the concept groups?

C) How could you express the 3 main concepts of the present perfect using time lines?
Try drawing the three timelines.

D) Simple vs. Continuous
Think about the difference in the following pairs of sentences.
1. I've broken my leg.
I've been breaking my leg.
2. I've been to India twice.
I've been going to India for years.
3. I've had it for three months.
I've been having it for three months.
4. I've read that book.
I've been reading that book.
5. I've taken the posters down.
I've been taking the posters down.

So, what is the difference between the two? A few questions to ponder:
Is it to do with finished / unfinished?
Does the type of dynamic verb change the meaning of the continuous?
Does it indicate a speaker's viewpoint - whether they wish to focus on the verb or another part of the utterance?
Can we use the continuous in all three concepts?
Which of the concepts uses simple or continuous the most frequently?

3. USE - COMMON CONTEXTS
Where do we most often say, see, hear or write the present perfect?
Spend a couple of days listening out for how native speakers naturally use the tense, and note them below.

a) ______________________________________

b) ______________________________________

c) ______________________________________

d) ______________________________________

e) ______________________________________

f) ______________________________________

g) ______________________________________

h) ______________________________________

In each case, how quickly do we go into the past?

4. INTERESTING EXTRA POINTS
A) Accompanying modifiers.
Write a definition for each of the following:

e.g. never --- at no previous point in time

yet? ____________________________

already ____________________________

still + neg. ____________________________

just ____________________________

ever ____________________________

yet + neg. ____________________________

B) Variations and exceptions.
Think of the American usage!
Any others?

5. DIFFICULTIES FOR STUDENTS
Think about your students - the answer will be different for each of us, depending on our students.
A) STRUCTURAL
B) PHONOLOGICAL
C) CONCEPTUAL - Don't forget the importance of culture.

6. TEACHING PRIORITIES
Think about the following questions:
A) Which concept are you going to teach at which level?
B) How are you going to approach the teaching of that concept?
C) What are you NOT going to teach?

7. TEACHING IDEAS AND MATERIALS
Refer back to section 3 on the USE of the language and your list of common contexts.