A selection of English ESL past experiences printables

A good speaking activity to practice past simple or just conversation using prompt questions. 

Tell me about the last time you...

A set of speaking cards with one Have you ever...? question on each of the cards. Students pick a question and answer it. Follow up questions using the Past Simple are also included.(If a student hasn't done something, they can tell if they would like to do/try it in the future.) I hope you'll enjoy it!

Have you ever...? (Speaking cards)

It's a simple but fully editable (thanks to Zailda for the template) Present Perfect Board Game with easy questions to make students talk about their experiences... (Zailda is a contributor at ESLPrintables.com)

Note: This worksheet is available at EslPrintables.com...

Have You Ever...? Boardgame

Students can practise one of the uses of the Present Perfect – talking about past experiences. First they complete the sentences “Have you ever…?” – pictures and verbs are supplied. Then they write sentences with “already” or “never” according to their own experience. Key and greyscale are included.

For practice more practice go to https://en.islcollective.com/resources/printables/worksheets_doc_docx/present_perfect_with_alreadyjustyet/present-perfect-simple/90552 

https://en.islcollective.com/resources/printables/worksheets_doc_docx/present_perfect_-_past_actions_with_results_in_the_present/present-perfect-simple/90733





PRESENT PERFECT - Have you ever...?

They read the passage and complete the exercise: a true or false activity and then some reading comprehension questions. About a couple eating out while on holiday. 

Reading comprehension: A bad eating experience

To reinforce the correct usage of past perfect - students have to make sentences from the cards, adding missing words. Some students experience difficulty deciding which verb took place first in the past.

Christmas role playing -
https://en.islcollective.com/english-esl-worksheets/speaking-practice/role-play-miming-drama-activity-or-improv-game/christmas/christmas-role-play-oprahs-favorite-things-not/112365

Role Play : Past Simple & Perfect

The objective of this worksheet is to practice Past Simple and Present Perfect by completing questions and then using them actively to interview another student. Topic: general, ranging from family, travel and life experiences to work and study. 

Past Simple vs Past Perfect

This lesson plan focuses on the present perfect with questions and responses using 'How long...?' The main  language on page one can be adapted to suit the level of student. Listen and repeat one, two or three mini-conversation exchanges or practice reading together. In the practice sections the question 'How long...?'  and responses using 'for,' and, 'since,' are put into play (you can build student confidence by having them apply the practice with the text covered). On page two there are two easy exercises and a quick listening section with some simple follow-up questions. Wrap it all up with a focused application on students own experiences. My students said the lesson was interesting and useful!

Present Perfect

Talking about past experiences using present perfect tense. The students are expected to fill in empty scenes of a movie strip to see what they have done so far in their lives and then to plan for the next one by writing what they have never done before. You can use this worksheet to practice "ever/never" in present perfect tense.

Present Perfect- The Movie of Your Life

A young boy recounts a scary experience when he went camping the the Scouts. They choose a verb and put it into the past simple tense. Then they answer the questions in full sentences. There is a full key provided, 

RC: My scary camping experience

This is a simple mingle activity to consolidate the difference between the present perfect tense and the simple present tense for experiences.  Students can pre-write the past participle if necessary, then ask classmates the Have you ever...? questions using the stem.  When answering, students are encouraged to give more information about their experience to extend the conversation beyond "Yes, I have."/"No, I haven't."

Have you ever...?

With this worksheet students can practise another use of the Present Perfect – past actions which have a result in the present. First they need to complete the sentences with the Present Perfect of the verbs given and then match them with the pictures. Key and greyscale are included.

For more practice  (talking about past experiences “Have you ever..”) go to 

https://en.islcollective.com/resources/printables/worksheets_doc_docx/present_perfect_-_have_you_ever/present-perfect-simple/90692





PRESENT PERFECT - past actions with results in the present

Culture, intercultural communication, cross-cultural communication

Adjectives to describe feelings, emotions

Adjectives to describe personality and character

Adjectives: Gradable / Non-gradable adjectives

Articles: Definite or indefinite article (a, an or the)

BE + infinitive structures (e.g. he was to become famous)

Clauses of contrast (e.g.  although, while)

Clauses of purpose (e.g. in order to, so that, so as to)

Clauses of reason (e.g. because, because of, due to, as, since)

Cleft sentences (e.g. It's Joey we're looking for)

Comparison: Comparative adjectives and structures

Comparison: Superlative adjectives and structures

Conditional 2 (second conditional) - would

Conditionals: Conditional phrases (e.g. unless, provided that, as long as)

Conjunctions (aka connectives, e.g. and, but, or, so, then)

Contractions (shortened forms, e.g. don't, aren't, etc.)

Determiners (words that can come before nouns)

Formal and informal English (politeness or colloquial language)

Future perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Future perfect simple and continuous (progressive) tense

Future phrases (e.g. be about to, bound to, likely to, due to, set to + INF)

Homonyms (two words with the same pronunciation - homophones and homographs)

It as preparatory subject (e.g. it's raining, it's nice of you to)

Linking verbs (aka copulas, e.g. I am a student)

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Nouns: Collective nouns (team, class, family, committee)

Nouns: Proper nouns (names of people, cities, companies)

Oxymorons (phrases with words of contradictory meaning, e.g. living dead)

Participles: Past participle (e.g. HAVING DONE)

Participles: Present participle (e.g. DOING)

Parts of Speech (aka word classes, e.g. nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs)

Past perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Phonetics (pronunciation, IPA, phonetic symbols)

Plural nouns: regular plurals with S ending

Prefixes (e.g. A, UN, IM, DIS, MIS, EN, etc. )

Prepositions vs adverbs (e.g. before me, saw him before.)

Prepositions: Double prepositions (e.g. out of)

Prepositions: Participle prepositions (e.g. pending, concerning)

Prepositions: Phrase prepositions (e.g. by means of)

Present perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Present perfect simple or present continuous tense

Present simple tense: S for third person singular verbs

Present simple vs continuous (progressive) tense

Pronouns: EACH OTHER, ONE ANOTHER (reciprocal pronouns)

Pronouns: Possessive pronouns (e.g. my, mine)

Pronouns: Reflexive pronouns (e.g. myself, yourself))

Pronouns: SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, EVERYBODY, NO ONE, NOTHING, etc.

Pronouns: THIS, THAT, THESE, THOSE (demonstratives)

Pronouns: YOU and THEY to talk about people in general

Quantifiers (e.g. some, many, much, any, few, little)

Questions: WH questions (open-ended questions)

Reported speech: reported questions (indirect questions)

There is / there are / there was / there were / there will be, etc.

Verbs: Transitive or intransitive verbs (words that can or cannot stand with objects)

Working with Paragraphs: ordering, titling

Role play, miming, drama activity or improv game

Pictionary (picture dictionary) or picture matching

Writing an opinion essay (persuasive essay)

Learners who are Pre-A1 have just begun learning English and will first learn how to:<ul><li>Say the letters in the alphabet and numbers</li><li>Say hello, talk about names and age</li><li>Name the colors and dates, express likes and dislikes</li></ul>

Absolute beginners who have begun to learn the letters and numbers

Learners taking the A1 Elementary exam should be able to:<ul><li>Introduce themselves and ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, things he/she has, people he/she knows.</li><li>Communicate using very basic phrases as long as the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: common adjectives & adverbs of frequency, going to, how much/how many, imperatives, I'd like, 's – possessive, common prepositions of place and time, present simple & continuous, there is/are</li></ul>

A very basic tourist level, which is enough for buying food and a bus ticket

Learners taking the A2 Pre-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand sentences and frequently used expressions (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment).</li><li>Complete tasks that are routine and exchange information about familiar matters.</li><li>Describe matters of immediate need in simple terms.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: countable/uncountable nouns, adverbs of frequency, future will/going to, much/many, present perfect, past simple, past continuous, common phrasal verbs, common modals: can/should</li></ul>

A tourist who can do basic conversations about the past, present and future

Learners taking the B1 Intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand points regarding family, work, school or leisure-related topics.</li><li>Deal with most travel situations in areas where the language is spoken.</li><li>Create simple texts on topics of personal interest.</li><li>Describe experiences, events, dreams, and ambitions, as well as opinions or plans in brief.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: question tags, intensifiers: too/enough, future tenses, past tenses, modals, conditionals, wh-questions in the past</li></ul>

Learners who can deal with both familiar and routine situations, in friendly and work contexts

Learners taking the B2 Upper-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization.</li><li>Interact with fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without difficulty for either party.</li><li>Produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain an opinion on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: perfect tenses, mixed conditionals, modals in the present, phrasal verbs, reported speech, wish, relative clauses</li></ul>

The level where you can be a tour guide for your foreign friends and talk about a lot of topics, even abstract ones, with ease and fluency

Learners taking the C1 Advanced exam should be able to: Express ideas fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts. Produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, using linking phrases (=words that connect ideas between sentences). Main grammar points to know: inversion, mixed conditionals, modals in the past, all passive forms, phrasal verbs (all patterns), wish/if only for regrets

Learners who can smoothly communicate in every walk of life, read long texts and write well

Learners taking the C2 Proficient exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand almost everything read or heard with ease.</li><li>Summarize information from a variety of sources into a coherent presentation.</li><li>Express themselves using precise meaning in complex scenarios.</li><li>Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations</li></ul>

Get here and you are ready to study in English at university

98 Past experiences English ESL worksheets pdf & doc