Teaching Tenses Rosemary Aitken Pdf Jun 2026

Teachers search for the PDF version for three primary reasons:

Your specific (e.g., trainee ESL teachers, experienced educators, or grammar students) The desired word count or length for your final piece

Begin with a clear context. Instead of writing "Subject + Have/Has + Past Participle" on the board, tell a short story or show a picture. For example, to teach the Present Perfect Continuous, show a picture of a muddy, exhausted runner. Ask the students: "What has he been doing?" This establishes the connection between a past action and a present result. 2. The Form Phase (The Mechanics)

Use Aitken’s concept questions to ensure the class grasps the meaning of the tense before moving on to controlled practice. teaching tenses rosemary aitken pdf

Aitken’s book, originally published in 1991 and reprinted frequently since, focuses on bridging this exact gap. It is written directly for teachers—particularly those in TESOL training or those looking to refine their instructional delivery. The methodology shifts the focus away from rote memorization and toward meaningful communication. Core Components of the Book

While Teaching Tenses is a classic, modern teachers should note that it was written in a specific pedagogical era. It focuses heavily on methodology. While this is still widely used, teachers employing more modern, task-based or dogme approaches may need to adapt her concept-checking techniques to less structured environments.

For those using the PDF, the book is typically structured to allow for quick reference: Teachers search for the PDF version for three

Teaching Tenses helps teachers in several ways. For the , it bridges the gap between intuition and analysis, offering clear lesson ideas and answers to potential questions. The experienced teacher finds it a welcome refresher, especially for challenging areas or as inspiration for new activities. It is also a go-to handbook for non-native EFL teachers , shedding light on the subtle idioms and usages that native speakers take for granted. A typical Amazon review calls it " one of the best, clearest, most concise, helpful tools I own ", while an OnTESOL review notes it provides "thorough language analysis" and helps teachers be prepared for students' questions.

: Roleplays, debates, and creative storytelling where the target tense naturally emerges. Common Tense Pitfalls and Aitken-Inspired Solutions

Visual representations of time lines help visual learners map out durations, specific points in time, and overlapping actions. Ask the students: "What has he been doing

Remembering auxiliary verbs, past participle forms, and irregular verb conjugations.

Every section includes Concept Questions to check student understanding, suggested meaningful contexts for introduction, and a review of common learner errors .