Advanced TESOL Certificate

Advanced TESOL Certificate

Module One

Question 2

Introduction to Past Perfect Tense

Tenses have always been appeared to be difficult for the student to apply in their speech. They may successfully learn the rules but are unable to know when to use it in the account. This lesson aims to give the students the needed identifiable timing to use it as well as use it with fluency. It is necessary to develop logic and entire image in the minds of the students so they can compare the given situations with it.

Explanation

The teacher will have to begin with simple tense and then pull in the use of past perfect with the situation. For instance,

Bob woke up at 7 p.m.

Cara arrived late for her school.

James slept early.

The sentences above show what the students did and hence have used simple tense. Then the teacher must give differentiating explanation for the other types of past tense at the same time with examples. The students must render their participation at this point but before that the teacher will give her own account. For instance,

When I arrive at home from my job the supper is ready. Had it been made before I arrived or was there somebody preparing it when I arrived?

Now try to think back the time when you were interrupted. In what activity you were busy when you were interrupted? Had something took place before then to create interruption?

The results of this activity will not be much positive but here you are looking for their efforts to distinguish tenses themselves. The students will mix all the tenses but will imagine the situation on their own. The teacher will leave the activity here and start the next one.

Developing Timeline

The teacher will ask the students to share their life experiences so far as to what they have done after they have arrived in the country in the context when they started another thing after that. For instance, the responses are expected to come in the following way:

I had done Bachelors in Computer Science when I started taking up night classes for Business.

I was not well and my brother had already called for the doctor.

The teacher will further elaborate the tense saying that this is something that a person has done already. Here the teacher can introduce the perfect tense by giving three situations; one about life experience, second is about something that began in the past, continued and ended before it reached 'today'.

Recounts

This helps the students share their stories or any other story they wish to share comfortably. There will be one condition, that is, to remain slow while telling the tale. This helps the students have enough time to make up the situation in their mind. Think time has to be there to facilitate student select the appropriate tense. In the middle of the story, teacher may ask questions like 'really? What happened next?' 'Did you have prior commitment?' 'What happened when you came to ...