Talking about Personal Experiences
UNIT
Instructions
•Go through the unit in order, and practice the conversations marked by reading them aloud or recording them on a voice recorder
•Try the at the end of this unit
# 1 Talking about your personal experiences:
Look at the cities and countries below.
Tokyo, Japan New York City, USA
Singapore Beijing, China
When we talk about our personal experiences, such as the cities or
countries we have visited, we can say:
• Have you ever been to (city/country) ?
• Have you been to (city/country) ?
• Have you ever visited (city/country) ?
• Have you visited (city/country) ?
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PRACTICE
Q: Have you ever been to Tokyo?
A: Yes, I have. / No, I haven't.
Q: Which of these cities have you visited?
A: I've visited Tokyo and New York, but not Singapore and Beijing.
Look at the foods below.
Chinese Fried Rice Hong Kong dimsum
Indian Curry Korean Street Food - Silkworm Pupae
When we talk about our personal experiences, such as the types of food or
dishes we have eaten, we can say:
• Have you ever eaten (food/dish) ?
• Have you eaten (food/dish) ?
• Have you ever tried (food/dish) ?
• Have you tried (food/dish) ?
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Q: Have you ever eaten Indian curry?
A: Yes, I have. / No, I haven't.
Q: Which of these foods have you tried?
A: I’ve not tried any of them!
Look at the types of sports and activities below.
Ice-skating Bungee Jumping
Parachuting Rafting
When we talk about our personal experiences, such as the types of sports
or activities we have tried, we can say:
• Have you ever tried (sport/activity) ?
• Have you tried (sport/activity) ?
• Have you ever gone (sport/activity) ?
• Have you gone (sport/activity) ?
• Have you ever played (sport/activity) ?
• Have you played (sport/activity) ?
• Have you ever done (sport/activity) ?
• Have you done (sport/activity) ? 33
Q: Have you ever tried rafting?
A: Yes, I have. / No, I haven't.
Q: Which of these sports have you tried?
A: I’ve tried all of them, except bungee jumping.
☑ TIP: Using "tried", "gone", "played" and "done" to talk about sports and
activities:
"tried" - talking about someone's first experience of experiencing something
"gone" - talking about a sport that is done as an individual, usually one that
ends with "ing" (eg. ice-skating, bungee jumping, rafting, parachuting)
"played" - talking about a regular sport, usually one that involves a ball (eg.
tennis, baseball, basketball)
"done" - talking about a type of exercise that is usually done in a gym (eg.
yoga, aerobics, taekwondo)
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Conversation Practice 1
Jessica and Tom are talking about their personal experiences.
Jessica:
Tom:
Jessica:
Tom:
Jessica:
Tom:
Hey Tom, I’m thinking about going to Mexico this summer. Have
you ever been there?
Yes! I’ve been there twice.
Oh really! So, have you ever eaten
Enchiladas or Pineapple Pork Tacos?
I’ve tried Enchiladas, but not Pineapple Pork Tacos.
I can’t wait to try them when I get there. I also want to go surfing
at Cancun Beach! Have you ever tried surfing?
No, I haven’t. I’m not too good with water sports. I’ve tried
horse-riding along Cozumel Beach, though. It was fun!
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# 2 Talking about recent experiences:
When we talk about recent experiences, or things that we have done lately,
we can say:
Q: What have you been doing lately?
A: I've been preparing for my HSK test.
Q: How long have you been studying for it?
A: I’ve been studying for it for more than three months.
Q: Have you been reading the news this week?
A: Yes I have.
Q: How long has the recent political scandal been going on?
A: It has been going on since January this year.
Q: How long have you been using this mobile phone? It looks pretty old.
A: I’ve been using it for about two years.
Conversation Practice 2
Jessica has been having some trouble with her Chemistry module and wants
to meet Professor Milligan for a consultation. She goes to the faculty office to
look for him but he seems to be away from campus this week.
Jessica: Hi, I need to speak to Professor Milligan from the Science
faculty. Have you seen him this week?
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Faculty Staff:
Jessica:
Faculty Staff:
Jessica:
Faculty Staff:
Jessica:
Hmm.. I’ve not seen him this week, actually. Have you
tried calling him?
Yes, I have. I have tried calling him twice but there was
no answer.
Have you tried sending him an email?
Oh, I don't know his email address so I haven't.
Let me check his schedule. I’m afraid he might be on
vacation this week. Leave your name and number, and I’ll
let him know that you're looking for him, as soon as he's
back.
All right. Here's my name and number. Thanks.
"I'm afraid" - when you want to express regret or give someone a piece of
bad news
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PRACTICE
Instructions
(A) - (C)• Draw a tick (√) next to the box if you have had the experience before. •Then, complete and practice the sentences below.
(A) Have you ever been
to / visited ... ?
(B) Have you ever eaten
/ tried ... ?
(C) Have you ever tried /
gone / played / done ...?
□ Tokyo □ Bibimbap □ Rafting
□ Shanghai □ Sashimi □ Bungee Jumping
□ New York □ Vietnamese Rice
Noodles
□ Skiing
□ Paris □ Tacos □ Parasailing
□ Sydney □ Tikka Masala □ Soccer
□ Daejeon □ Dimsum □ Karate
(A)
Have you ever been to Sydney?
__________________________________________________________________
How about Tokyo?
__________________________________________________________________
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PRACTICE
Which of these cities have you been to?
_________________________________________________________________
Which of these cities have you not visited?
__________________________________________________________________
(B)
Have you eaten Tikka Masala?
__________________________________________________________________
How about Dimsum?
__________________________________________________________________
Which of these foods have you tried?
__________________________________________________________________
Which of these foods have you not tried?
__________________________________________________________________
(C)
Have you tried parasailing?
__________________________________________________________________
How about karate?
__________________________________________________________________
Which of these sports have you tried?
__________________________________________________________________
Which of these sports have you not tried?
__________________________________________________________________
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PRACTICE
Instructions
(D)• Come up with questions to ask someone if he/she has had these experiences.
Example:
Tom Yum Soup (Thai hot and spicy soup)
Question:
Have you ever eaten Tom Yum Soup?
I heard it’s really spicy!
(i)
Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea
_______________________________
________________________________
_______________________________ ?
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PRACTICE
(ii)
Himalayan Mountains in Nepal
________________________________
________________________________
_______________________________ ?
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PRACTICE
Instructions
(E)
• You are attending your high school reunion. Your classmates have not met
for more than 8 years. Your high school English teacher, Mr Patterson, is
attending too. Talk to one another about how you have been doing. Use the hints in
the brackets to help you.
Mr Patterson:
You:
Hi everyone! It’s been 8 years! What have you been doing
since graduation?
Hi Mr Patterson, it’s so great to see you! I’ve graduated
from college and have been ___________________________
___________________________________________________
(look for a job as an electronics engineer / plan Europe trip)
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PRACTICE
Amanda: Wow that's great! As for me, I have been ________________
___________________________________________________
__________________________________________________ .
(work as a pre-school teacher / Sunny Pre-School / plan my
wedding next year)
Peter: I'm glad to see that everyone has been doing well. Well,
I got married last year and have been ___________________
___________________________________________________
__________________________________________________ .
(apply for graduate school / renovate new house)
Betty: Congrats! I have just completed a course specializing
in Asian cuisine and have been _________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________ .
(work as a chef / Yuzu Restaurant / take care of my children)
Notes
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