Casa ESL · A2 Elementary · Unit 19 of 20 · Step 2
Travel & Life Stories
Name
Date
Vocabulary
experience
nounSomething that has happened to you and affected you.
"Living abroad was the best experience of my life."
adventure
nounAn exciting or unusual experience.
"Backpacking through Vietnam was a real adventure."
amazing
adjectiveVery surprising and very good.
"The Northern Lights are amazing — I will never forget them."
explore
verbTo walk around a new place to see it.
"Have you ever explored a city on your own?"
abroad
adverbIn or to a foreign country.
"I have lived abroad twice — in France and Japan."
try
verbTo do or taste something for the first time.
"Have you ever tried Japanese food?"
difficult
adjectiveNot easy; needing a lot of effort.
"Learning a new language is difficult but very rewarding."
local
adjectiveBelonging to or relating to the area nearby.
"We always try to eat at local restaurants, not tourist ones."
Grammar Focus
Present perfect — Have you ever...? (introduction)
Use have/has + past participle to talk about experiences at an unspecified time in your life. Have you ever + past participle? = Did this experience happen at any time in your life? Use 'never' for no experience. For specific times in the past, switch to simple past (I went there in 2019).
Have you ever eaten at a Michelin-starred restaurant?
I have never been to Australia — I'd love to go one day.
She has travelled to more than thirty countries.
Have you ever tried surfing? — Yes, once, in Portugal.
Exercises
Exercise 1
Write the correct present perfect form using the verb in brackets.
1. you ever (see) the Northern Lights?
2. I never (eat) Japanese food — I want to try it.
3. She (visit) every continent except Antarctica.
4. he ever (live) alone?
5. We never (stay) in a five-star hotel before.
Exercise 2
Match the questions to the most natural answers.
Reading
A Life Well Travelled
My grandfather has lived an extraordinary life. He has travelled to over forty countries and has learned to communicate in five languages, though he is only truly fluent in two. He has eaten food that most people have never seen and has slept in places ranging from five-star hotels to tents in the middle of the desert. He has never flown business class — he says the experience of arriving matters more than the comfort of the journey. He has always said that the people you meet on the road are more interesting than any landmark. He is eighty-one and has just booked a trip to Iceland.
1. Has the grandfather ever flown business class?
2. How old is the grandfather and what has he just done?
Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner or your teacher.
Writing
Write 4–6 sentences about experiences you have had (or not had) using 'Have you ever' or 'I have never'. Then describe one experience in detail using simple past.
Example: I have never been to South America but I have always wanted to go. I have tried surfing once, in the south of France, and I was terrible at it. I have eaten food from many different countries but I have never had Venezuelan cuisine. Last summer I went to Morocco for the first time — it was the most colourful and vibrant place I have ever experienced.
Answer Key — For Teacher Use
Exercise 1
1. Have / seen · 2. have / eaten · 3. has visited · 4. Has / lived · 5. have / stayed
Exercise 2
1. Have you ever tried bungee jumping? → No, never — I am terrified of heights. · 2. Have you ever lived in another country? → Yes, I lived in Korea for two years. · 3. Has she ever cooked a full dinner for ten people? → Yes, she did it for her parents' anniversary. · 4. Have they ever met a famous person? → Yes, they met a famous footballer at the airport. · 5. Have you ever got lost in a foreign city? → Yes, in Istanbul — it was actually quite fun.
Reading Comprehension
1. No, he has never flown business class. · 2. He is eighty-one and has just booked a trip to Iceland.