ESL Activity for Present Perfect Tense: I’ve Never

This ESL activity is great for intermediate/advanced students who have learned about the present perfect tense.

Directions: Students take turns trying to think of something that they have never done, but which everyone else has done. As a teacher in Taiwan, I often give the example of, “I’ve never spoken Chinese to my parents” because I am the only person in the class for which this statement is true.

Give the students 5 minutes to write down one (or more) thing that they have NEVER done, using the Present Perfect Tense. They should try to write things that they have never done, but which everyone else HAS done. (If there is only one girl in the class, for example, this will be very easy for her and very hard for the boys.)

There are many ways to score this game:

1. Each person says an “I’ve never. . . .” statement, and whoever has never done that thing gets one point. (This encourages creativity while making the game easier and faster-moving.)

2. Each person says an “I’ve never. . . .” statement, and he/she receives one point (or candy or whatever) ONLY if he/she is the only person for whom this statement is true. (This is harder, as it can be really difficult for some of them to think of something that ONLY THEY have never done, especially if there are many students in the class.)

3. Think of your own way!

I often use this as a class starter – I bring 10 pieces to chocolate to class, and whoever can name something that ONLY THEY have never done gets one piece. For more advanced classes, you can be a grammar stickler and only award points / chocolate if they say the correct past participle (for example, “I’ve never gone…” instead of “I’ve never go…”).