unit 7: I’ve never been to New York
unit 7: I’ve never been to New York
unit 7: I’ve never been to New York

unit 7: I’ve never been to New York

Week 1

🎯 Goal: Learn how to talk about things you’ve done in life — like places you’ve visited, foods you’ve tried, or experiences you’ve had — using short, simple sentences with “I’ve…” or “We’ve…”
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Warm-up – Let’s Talk

  1. Have you ever planned a trip… and something went totally wrong?
  1. Do you think it’s a bad idea to visit a place more than once? Why or why not?
  1. What’s a place you’ve always wanted to visit, but haven’t had the chance yet?
 

Listen and role play

Listen to the audio , than practice reading the dialogue aloud with a partner. One plays Jack, the other plays Claudia.
Original audio from youtube channel @ Material Up
Dialogue
Claudia: So, where do you want to go this summer? It'll be our first vacation together since we got married
Jack:I've never been to New York, and everyone says it's fantastic. Have you ever been there?
Claudia:Er, yes, I have. I went two years ago.
Jack:Oh, really? Who did you go with?
Claudia:I went with Mike and his parents. We took a helicopter ride over Manhattan. It was amazing. Oh, but that was before I met you.
Jack:Well, maybe we can go to Egypt. I've always wanted to go there.
Claudia:Er, actually, I've been there too. I went last summer.
Jack:What? With Mike's family, I suppose?
Claudia:Yes, we went on a camel ride to the pyramids.
Jack:Okay, well, what about Paris? I haven't been there. How about you?
Claudia:Er, well...
Jack:Oh, no. Really? With Mike again?
Claudia:Yes. Twice, actually, but I don't mind going again. Forget it.
Jack:I don't want to go on vacation with you. You've been everywhere with Mike.
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Discussion Time – What would you do?

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Imagine you are Jack or Claudia.
  • What would you do in this situation?
  • Is Claudia being honest or inconsiderate?
  • Is Jack being dramatic or just frustrated?
Choose a side and explain your answer in a few sentences.
 
 

Grammar Focus – Present Perfect

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We use Present Perfect to talk about:
✔️ life experiences without saying when
✔️ something that has happened recently
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Structure:
🔹 I / You / We / They → have + past participle
🔹 He / She / It → has + past participle
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Examples from the dialogue:
  • I’ve never been to New York.
  • Have you ever been there?
  • I’ve been there too.
  • You’ve been everywhere with Mike.
  • We’ve never traveled together.

🧠 Practice – Try it yourself

 
 

Week 2

🎯 Goal: Practice asking and answering questions about personal experiences — using words like “already,” “never,” “ever,” and “just” to make your answers more natural and complete.

🔁 Signal Words – Let’s Add More

Maybe you’re still getting used to this new way of talking about your experiences — using have or has with the verb. Maybe it doesn’t make 100% sense yet. That’s okay. You don’t have to master it now. But here’s something that helps a lot: look at the words that usually come with it. They work like signals. They tell you “hey, this is the kind of sentence that uses that new structure.”
Let’s go one by one — not just to memorize, but to recognize them when they show up. You’ve probably seen or heard these before.
Here are some common words we use with Present Perfect:
Signal Word
What it tells you
Example
Your sentence
never
You're talking about something that has not happened in your life — ever.
I’ve never eaten sushi.
ㅤ
ever
You’re asking about someone’s experience at any time in life.
Have you ever traveled alone?
ㅤ
already
You’re saying something has happened, maybe earlier than expected.
She has already watched that movie.
ㅤ
just
Something happened a few moments ago — right now or very recently.
We’ve just finished dinner.
ㅤ
yet
This word usually comes in questions or negative sentences — it means “until now.”
I haven’t packed my bag yet. / Have you finished yet?
ㅤ
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Have you ever… ?

answer the questions with

  • I have never …
  • I have already…
  • I have just …
  • I haven’t….. yet

How long… ?

answer with since/for
 

🧠 What you can do now:

When you're not sure if you should use "I did" or "I've done," stop and ask:
  • Am I talking about when it happened? (Use I did: I did it yesterday.)
  • Or am I talking about if it has happened — at any point in life? (Use I've done: I've done that before.)

Week 3

🎯 Goal: Master the use of signal words in real conversations and share your personal Life Experiences.

More Practice with Signal Words

Exercise 1: Choose the correct signal word

Complete each sentence with: never / ever / already / just / yet / since / for
  1. I've__________ finished my homework. Can we go out now?
  1. Have you __________ tried Brazilian food?
  1. She hasn't called me __________
  1. They've lived here__________2010.
  1. We've__________ been to that restaurant. It's our first time!
  1. I've known her __________ five years.
  1. Have you __________ seen that movie? It's amazing!
  1. He's __________arrived. He's waiting in the lobby.
  1. I haven't visited my grandmother__________
  1. She's__________traveled alone before.
  1. How long have you studied English? __________ three years.
  1. We've lived in this house __________ we got married.

Exercise 2: Correct the mistakes

Find and correct the error in each sentence:
  1. I have never go to Japan.
      2. ✍🏾
       
  1. She has already finish her project.
      2. ✍🏾
       
  1. Have you ever ate sushi?
      2. ✍🏾
       
  1. We haven't saw them yet.
      2. ✍🏾
       
  1. They have live here since 2020.
      2. ✍🏾
       
  1. I've just receive your message.
      2. ✍🏾
       
  1. Has he ever been to New York? Yes, he has went there twice.
      2. ✍🏾
       
  1. I haven't never tried that before.
      2. ✍🏾
       
       

My Life Experiences Map

The Project

You will create a visual presentation about your life experiences using the Present Perfect tense. This can be a poster, a digital presentation (Canva/PowerPoint), or a mind map showing what you have done and what you haven't done yet in your life.
Bring photos, images, or illustrations to make your presentation visual and interesting!
🏠

🏠 Step 1: Prepare at Home

Create a visual map of your own life experiences. Choose 2–3 categories to explore:
  • 🌍 Places I've Visited (or haven't visited yet)
  • 🍽️ Foods I've Tried (or haven't tried yet)
  • 🎨 Hobbies & Skills
  • 👥 People I've Met
  • 🎬 Entertainment (concerts, movies, shows)
  • 🏆 Achievements
  • 💭 Things I Haven't Done Yet

✅ Your presentation must include:

✔️ At least 3 "never" statements
✔️ At least 3 "already/just" statements
✔️ At least 2 "ever" statements
✔️ At least 2 "yet" statements
✔️ At least 2 "since/for" statements

🎯 Get ready to:

  • Speak for 2 minutes about your experiences
  • Answer questions from your classmates
  • Speak naturally — don't read from the paper!

💡 Example – Maria's Life Experiences

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Places: I've never been to Europe, but I've already visited five different states in Brazil. I've lived in São Paulo for ten years. I haven't traveled abroad yet.
Food: I've already tried sushi — it was delicious! I've never eaten insects. I haven't tried Indian food yet.
Entertainment: I've been to three concerts since 2020. I've never seen a musical on Broadway. I've already watched all the Harry Potter movies.
Achievements: I've studied English for two years. I've never won a competition, but I've already finished my first online course!

📚 Quick Reference: Signal Words Cheat Sheet

Word
Example
ever
Have you ever traveled alone?
never
I've never been to Europe.
already
I've already finished my notes.
just
I've just learned a new word.
yet
I haven't tried sushi yet.
since
I've lived here since 2020.
for
I've studied English for five years.
🎤

🎤 Step 2: Present & Answer Questions (In Class)

Each student will present individually for 2 minutes.

🗣️ Your Presentation (2 minutes)

  • Show your visual map to the class
  • Talk about your life experiences
  • Speak naturally — don't read!
  • Use Present Perfect with signal words

❓ Q&A Time — Classmates Ask Questions!

After each presentation, classmates will look at your visual map and ask questions about your experiences using Present Perfect.
Example questions:
  • "Have you ever been to [place] alone?"
  • "How long have you lived in [city]?"
  • "Have you already planned your next trip?"
  • "Have you ever tried [food] again after that?"
  • "What's something you haven't done yet but really want to?"
Rule: Each classmate should ask at least one question using Present Perfect!

🌟 Final Reflection

Think about it:
  1. What did you learn about your classmates?
  1. What surprised you the most?
  1. What's one thing from your "haven't done yet" list that you want to do soon?