Story Telling: Simple Past X Present Perfect

Dani Lyra, my dear workmate, asked me to draw a story to teach the Simple Past and the Present Perfect. A story in which these two tenses would be the main characters. Here is the thing: At first I thought I could record my voice telling the story, which I did, but afterwards I realized it would be more interesting to write the story, so you could memorize it and tell it yourself. Believe me, it’s a lot more fun!

Images – Downloadable

PICTURE 1: Simple Past and Present Perfect were friends when they were little. They played, laughed and had a lot of fun together.

PICTURE 2: Eventually, Simple Past became a cowboy.

PICTURE 3: Present Perfect became a surfer.

PICTURE 4: Simple Past is very likable, straightforward, easy to understand.

PICTURE 5: Present Perfect is not easy to understand.

PICTURE 6: Sometimes some people prefer to think he doesn’t exist.

PICTURE 7: Some frown at and look down on him.

PICTURE 8: And many people have misconceptions about him…

PICTURE 9: …which makes him upset.

PICTURE 10: Simple Past is super attached to the past.

PICTURE 11: Every time he tells you about something he did, he will tell you “when”.

PICTURE 12: And if you tell him that you traveled on your vacation, he will ask you when. And he will always use DID in questions.

PICTURE 13: Present Perfect has an eye in the present.

PICTURE 14: Simple Past is obsessed about time…

PICTURE 15:…whereas Present Perfect doesn’t even have a watch. He doesn’t care when something happened. Sometimes it’s because he doesn’t remember.

PICTURE 16: Present Perfect always uses HAVE and the participle of a verb.

PICTURE 17: In questions, too.

PICTURE 18: He uses HAS for the third person.

PICTURE 19: All these differences made them go separate ways, but it doesn’t mean they are alone.

PICTURE 20: Simple Past has friends that hang out with and enjoy his company. They are always together.

PICTURE 21: Although some people don’t understand Present Perfect, he has friends, too. Loyal friends who relate to him and are always there for him.