The four moves of a recent-experience post
A good post about something you have just done answers four questions in order, each with its own tense:
- What is new? The present perfect, plus why it matters now.
- What happened? The past simple, with finished times.
- How did you feel? An -ed or -ing word and its cause.
- What is different now? A result, or a tip for the reader.
A model post: 120–150 words
Give it a short title, such as “My first dumpling class”. Notice the present at the start and end, and the past simple for every finished time.
“I’ve just made dumplings for the first time, and my freezer is full of them. I’ve cooked Italian food for years, but I’ve never tried Chinese cooking before. Last Saturday, I went to a small evening class above a restaurant near the market. There were eight of us, and nobody knew anybody. At first, it was frustrating: my dumplings kept opening in the boiling water. The chef didn’t laugh. She showed me how to use less filling and press the edges twice. My second tray was much better. At the end, we ate some of them together, and the evening felt really relaxing. I’ve already booked the next class, on noodles. If you try it, go hungry and don’t worry about the shape of your first dumpling.”
Present perfect or past simple?
Use have/has + past participle when no time is given, for experience up to now, and for a result now. Once you say when (yesterday, two weeks ago), switch to the past simple. Just and already go before the participle; yet goes at the end.
- Result now: “I’ve lost my keys, so I can’t get into the flat.”
- Experience (ever, never): “Have you ever slept in a tent?” “No, I’ve never done that.”
- just, already, yet: “I’ve just finished the report.” “We’ve already eaten.” “Have you replied yet?”
- Question first, then details: “Have you been to the new market?” “Yes, I went on Sunday.”
- been or gone: “Sara has been to Lisbon.” means she visited and came back; “Sara has gone to Lisbon.” means she is there now.
A short conversation: returning a jacket
A customer is returning a jacket she ordered online last Friday. Listen for “I haven’t printed it” and “Have you worn…?” (up to now) against “I used”, “paid” and “yesterday” (finished past).
Assistant Do you have the receipt?
Maya I haven’t printed it, but I used my store account and paid by debit card.
Assistant That’s fine. Have you worn the jacket outside?
Maya No, I haven’t. I only tried it on at home yesterday.
Feelings and their causes: -ed or -ing?
Your reaction makes a post worth reading. The -ed form is how a person feels; the -ing form is what causes the feeling. “I was boring” means you made other people bored.
- “The meeting was boring, and I was bored after ten minutes.”
- “It was a relaxing weekend; I came home completely relaxed.”
- “The final was exciting, and the whole bar was excited.”
- “The photos looked great, but the room was disappointing.”
Common mistakes
Each has an easy fix:
- “I’ve been there last weekend.” A finished time needs the past simple: “I went there last weekend.”
- “I was very boring at the party.” If you mean your feeling, say “I was very bored.”
- “Nobody didn’t come.” “Nobody” is already negative: “Nobody came.” Or: “I didn’t see anybody.”
- “He has gone to Rome three times.” For visits, say “He has been to Rome three times.”
- Stopping when the story ends: without a result or tip, the post feels unfinished.
A 10-minute daily practice routine
Pick something real from this week.
- 2 minutes: play the conversation, pause after each line and repeat it.
- 3 minutes: write a present perfect opening and four past simple events, each with a time.
- 3 minutes: add an -ed/-ing reaction and a result or tip, then count: 120–150 words.
- 2 minutes: read it aloud, keeping the short /v/ in “I’ve”.
What comes next
Once you can link a past event to now, practise comparing two options with the same criteria, then writing a forecast that connects evidence with action.