Challenges with these rules include:
1. The use of Present Perfect for events that happened in the past.
Students learning English must understand that there is a connection between the past and the present.
I ‘ve been to Pulau Ubin eighteen times.
Connection with the past: the event occurred in the past.
Connection with the present: in my mind, now, I have the memory of the event; I have experience of it.
2. Use of 'yet' and 'already' in questions, negative and positive forms
This is a common problem for new learners of the Present Perfect. Students must understand that ‘yet’ is only used in question and negative sentences, at the end of the sentence:
Have you finished your work yet?
I haven’t finished yet.
‘Already’ and ‘just’ are used in used in positive sentences; notice the position of these words:
I’ve already eaten breakfast.
I’ve eaten breakfast already.
I’ve just eaten breakfast.
Use of ‘since’ with points in time, and ‘for’ with periods of time:
They have been married for 15 years.
They have been married since 2001.
The difference between the Present Perfect and the Past Simple
Once students learn the Present Perfect, they often ask, “Why can’t I just use the Past Simple instead? What’s the difference?” The difference is quite significant. Compare the following sentences below:
Marilyn Monroe was married three times.
John has been married twice.
In the above examples, why do we use Past Simple for one sentence, and Present Perfect for the second? It may seem confusing at first for those learning English, but once they understand the difference, it’s very simple.
The Past Simple is used to talk about finished actions/states. In the above sentence, Norma Jean Mortenson (Baker) married James Dougherty, a neighbor’s son. After they divorced, Norma Jean became famous film star Marilyn Monroe, and eventually married baseball legend Joe DiMaggio. After that marriage ended, Marilyn married playwright Arthur Miller. Then she died. Her experiences with marriage are finished – she cannot marry again.
John on the other hand, married his high school sweetheart, but they eventually divorced. His second marriage was to an artiste, and they are still married. Present Perfect is used to talk about experiences that continue up to now. As happy as John is at the present time, as long as he is alive, there is always the possibility he might get married again.
Take a look at these next two examples:
I cut my finger.
I’ve cut my finger.
Students learning English may look at these two sentences and argue that they can’t be different; yet they have a critical difference.
Past Simple is used to talk about finished actions/states.
Present Perfect talks about a past action/state that has a connection to the present.
My finger is bleeding now; there’s a connection between the past action and the present.
Being a TESOL teacher can provide many challenges when teaching English to students, especially when students are learning English grammar items for the first time. With careful planning, anticipating challenges students may face with the language item and constant language support (such as context, lots of examples, and teacher and student controlled activities that aim at building accurate and confident interaction), you can help students overcome any challenge learning English.
Michael Bunyak
English Teacher at Canadian Education College, Singapore