PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

This is the presentation we saw in class, now you can watch it again, why don't you have a look at it again? It will help you understand when and how to use the present perfect continuous.



Present Perfect Continuous - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires;

THE PRESENT PERFECT IN FILMS

Why don't you watch these videos with short clips from films where the present perfect is used? Don't worry, they have subtitles! It's a good way to get used to the present perfect tense.




Video 2

PAST SIMPLE vs PRESENT PERFECT II

Why don't you watch this video to revise the use of the past simple and the present perfect in English? Remember that grammar has meaning! And that different grammar tenses are used in different situations or contexts and they carry different meanings.

And now, time to practise!

- Exercise 1

- Exercise 2

- Exercise 3

- Exercise 4

- Exercise 5

- Exercise 6

PAST SIMPLE vs PRESENT PERFECT - Grammar

Use

In British English, the use of Simple Past and Present Perfect is quite strict. As soon as a time expression in the past is given, you have to use Simple Past. If there are no signal words, you must decide if we just talk about an action in the past or if its consequence in the present is important.

Certain time in the past or just / already / yet?

Do you want to express that an action happened at a certain time in the past (even if it was just a few seconds ago) or that an action has just / already / not yet happened?

Simple Past	Present Perfect Simple
certain time in the past Example: I phoned Mary 2 minutes ago.	just / already / not yet Example: I have just phoned Mary.

Certain event in the past or how often so far?

Do you want to express when a certain action took place or whether / how often an action has happened till now?

Simple Past	Present Perfect Simple
certain event in the past Example: He went to Canada last summer.	whether / how often till now Example: Have you ever been to Canada? / I have been to Canada twice.

Emphasis on action or result?

Do you just want to express what happened in the past? Or do you want to emphasise the result (a past action's consequence in the present)?

Simple Past	Present Perfect Simple
Emphasis on action Example: I bought a new bike. (just telling what  I did in the past.)	Emphasis on result Example: I have bought a new bike. (With this sentence  I actually want to express that I have a  new bike now.)

Signal Words

Simple Past	Present Perfect Simple
yesterday ... ago in 1990 the other day last ...	just already up to now until now / till now ever (not) yet so far lately / recently

 Remember, you can go to "Grammar" to download as a document.

THE PRESENT PERFECT

Sometimes we, Spanish speakers, don't find it easy to use the present perfect in English because their use and ours sometimes differs. Surfing youtube I came into this video which I find to be a good one to learn how to form the present perfect in English and how to use it. I hope it helps!

BLACK FRIDAY

Today, 25th November 2016, is Black Friday, but what's Black Friday?

Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, traditionally the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. On this day, most major retailers open extremely early, often at 4 a.m., or earlier, and offer promotional sales to kick off the shopping season, similar to Boxing Day sales in many British Commonwealth countries. Black Friday is not actually a holiday, but many non-retail employers give their employees the day off, increasing the number of potential shoppers. It has routinely been the busiest shopping day of the year since 2005, although news reports, which at that time were inaccurate, have described it as the busiest shopping day of the year for a much longer period of time.

The day's name originated in Philadelphia, where it originally was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic which would occur on the day after Thanksgiving. Use of the term started before 1966 and began to see broader use outside Philadelphia around 1975. Later an alternative explanation began to be offered: that "Black Friday" indicates the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit, or are "in the black".

For many years, it was common for retailers to open at 6:00, but in the late 2000s, many had crept to 5:00 or even 4:00. This has been taken to a new extreme in 2011, when several retailers (including Target, Kohls, Macy's, Best Buy, and Bealls) opened at midnight for the first time.

THANKSGIVING DAY

Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thrusday in November, so today 22 November is Thanksgiving Day. It's a tradition in the United States. Families gather together for a large meal or dinner and the main dish is turkey. But what are its origins?




This video also explains the history of Thanksgiving day but with subtitles.


If you want to know more about Thanksgiving click here