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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