Suggested Activities and Role-plays for Teaching Verb Tenses

Present Simple Tense

• Daily Routines Students talk about their daily routines, e.g., a morning routine, describing what they do every day.
• Interviews Conduct job interviews where students describe their current job and how they are suitable for a promotion.

Present Continuous Tense

• Phone Conversations Students role-play phone conversations where they describe what they are doing right now.
• Planning a Party Students discuss preparing for a party.

 Simple Past Tense

• Storytelling Students take turns telling stories about their last vacation or a memorable event.
• History or Historical Figures Role-play interviews with historical figures where students talk about the achievements and life events of these figures.

Past Continuous Tense

• Witness Statements Students describe what they were doing at a specific time in the past, such as during an unexpected event, or interview by police.
• Interrupted Actions Role-play what students were doing when something else happened (e.g., “I was reading a book when the phone rang”).

Present Perfect Tense

• Experiences Students talk about their experiences and things they have done in their lives, like travel, hobbies, or achievements.
• Achievements Role-play award ceremonies where students describe their achievements and how they have reached certain milestones.

Future Simple Tense

• Future Plans Students discuss/describe what they will do next weekend, next vacation, in the future etc. .
• Predictions Role-play fortune tellers making predictions about students’ futures based on their palm lines or tarot cards.

Future Continuous Tense

• Future Activities Students describe what they will be doing at a specific time in the future (e.g., “At this time tomorrow, I will be walking downtown”).
• Event Planning Role-play event planners discussing what activities will be happening during an event.

Present Perfect Continuous

• Recent Activities Students discuss how long they have been doing a particular activity (e.g., “I have been learning dance for two years”).
• Ongoing Activities Students describe how long they have been doing something and their progress.

Past Perfect Tense

• Before and After Students describe events that happened before another event in the past (e.g., “I had finished my class before I went to the restaurant”).
• Flashbacks Role-play movie directors or authors describing flashback scenes in a story.

Mixed Tenses

• Travel Agents Students role-play travel agents and customers, discussing past travel experiences, current travel plans, and future travel aspirations.
• Time Travelers Role-play time travelers who discuss what they did in the past, what they are doing in the present, and what they will do in the future.