Present Perfect Ever & Never ESL Games, Activities & Worksheets
Deception
ESL Present Perfect Game - Grammar and Writing: Writing Sentences, Asking and Answering Questions, True or False, Guessing - Pair Work
In this fun present perfect game, students use the present perfect to talk about true and false experiences. First, students write 12 present perfect sentences about...
Ever and Never
ESL Ever and Never Worksheet - Grammar Exercises: Rewriting Sentences and Questions, Writing Questions and Answers - Speaking: Controlled Practice - Pair Work
This free present perfect worksheet helps students learn and practice the present perfect with ever and never. First, students read the information about...
Find Someone Who...
ESL Have You Ever Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice
This present perfect Find Someone Who activity helps to teach students how to make 'Have you ever...?' questions to ask about experiences. Students use the prompts on their worksheet to ask...
Have you ever been to London?
ESL Present Perfect Game - Grammar and Speaking: Sentence Completion, Guessing, Asking and Answering Questions - Pair Work
This engaging present perfect guessing game helps students practice talking about experiences and asking questions with 'Have you ever...?' First, students read each statement on the worksheet...
Have You Ever Bingo
ESL Have You Ever Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming, Asking and Answering Questions
In this free 'Have you ever...?' game, students find classmates who have had the experiences shown on a bingo card. To do this, students change each verb on their bingo card into its past participle form...
Have You Ever Game
ESL Present Perfect Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming, Asking and Answering Questions, True or False, Guessing - Group Work
In this amusing 'Have you ever...?' activity, students form, ask and answer present perfect questions in a true or false game. In two teams, students write...
Just Say Yes
ESL Have You Ever Game - Grammar: Forming Questions, Giving Answers, True or False - Group Work
In this humorous present perfect true or false game, students ask 'Have you ever...?' questions about experiences in the past and use the past simple to find out who is lying and who is telling the truth...
Life in the Fast Lane
ESL Have You Ever Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming, Asking and Answering Questions, Guessing - Pair Work
In this light-hearted present perfect game, students write 'Have you ever...?' questions and then guess how a partner would reply to each one. In two groups, students write ten 'Have you ever...?' questions...
Talking About Experiences
ESL Present Perfect Worksheet - Grammar Exercises: Writing Questions, Binary Choice, Writing Sentences - Speaking Activity: Asking and Answering Questions - Pair Work
This useful present perfect with ever and never worksheet helps students learn how to ask questions and make statements with 'ever' to talk about experiences...
Well, I never!
ESL Present Perfect Ever and Never Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Completing, Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled and Freer Practice - Group and Pair Work
In this enjoyable present perfect speaking activity, students complete and ask 'Have you ever...?' conversation questions and respond with 'Yes, I have...' or 'No, I have...
Are You Experienced?
ESL Present Perfect Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Guessing, Asking and Answering Questions, Sentence Completion - Group Work
In this insightful 'Have you ever...?' activity, students ask and answer questions to find out who has experienced certain things. Working alone, students guess how...
Find Someone Who Has...
ESL Have You Ever Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice
In this free Have you ever 'Find Someone Who' activity, students ask and answer present perfect questions to find out about other students' experiences. To start, students use the prompts on the...
Have You Ever Survey
ESL Have You Ever Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Forming, Asking and Answering Questions
In this productive present perfect speaking activity, students conduct a survey about experiences by asking and answering 'Have you ever...?' questions and using the past simple to ask for and give more...
Present Perfect for Experience
ESL Ever and Never Worksheet - Grammar Exercises: Gap-fill, Question Completion, Error Correction, Listing, Categorising - Speaking Activity: Discussion - Pair Work
In this comprehensive present perfect worksheet, students review the present perfect with ever and never to talk about experiences. Students begin...
Understanding Present Perfect with Ever and Never
'Ever' and 'never' are adverbs used with the present perfect to talk about life experiences, with 'ever' appearing in questions and 'never' in statements to say something has not happened at any time. Students who mix them up or drop 'ever' from a question end up saying things like 'Have you never tried sushi?' when they mean the opposite, which immediately changes the meaning and confuses whoever they are talking to.
This page covers present perfect with ever and never across A2 and B1 levels, with 14 games, activities, and worksheets ranging from bingo and true-or-false guessing games to surveys and error correction tasks, including three free downloads.
The table below shows the structure and an example for each form used when talking about experiences with 'ever' and 'never.'
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Question with 'ever' | Have/Has + subject + ever + past participle? | 'Have you ever visited New York?' |
| Affirmative Short Answer | Yes, + subject + have/has. | 'Yes, I have.' |
| Negative Short Answer | No, + subject + haven't/hasn't. | 'No, I haven't.' |
| Affirmative Statement | Subject + have/has + past participle + details. | 'I have visited New York twice.' |
| Negative Statement with 'never' | Subject + have/has + never + past participle. | 'She has never tried sushi.' |
| Past Simple Follow-up | Wh- word + did + subject + verb? | 'When did you go? Who did you go with?' |
When to Use Present Perfect with Ever and Never
Expressing Surprise or Disbelief: A speaker uses 'ever' with the present perfect to react with shock or emphasis when something seems hard to believe, making the statement feel stronger than a plain denial, as in 'I have never in my life heard anything so ridiculous.'
Making a Strong Personal Statement: 'Never' with the present perfect lets a speaker stake out a firm personal position on something they have consistently avoided or refused, which carries more weight than simply saying they do not do it, as in 'I have never eaten fast food and I never will.'
Opening a Conversation About Shared Experiences: 'Have you ever...?' is one of the most natural ways to start a conversation with someone new, because it invites the other person to share something personal without putting them on the spot, as in 'Have you ever been to Southeast Asia? I just got back from Vietnam.'
3-Step Framework for Teaching Present Perfect with Ever and Never
1. Nail the Rules Before the Speaking Starts: Give students the clearest possible foundation by starting with a worksheet where they read how 'ever' and 'never' work with the present perfect, then rewrite sentences and questions using both adverbs. The payoff comes when students write and answer their own 'Have you ever...?' questions, choosing between responses like 'Yes, I have ridden an elephant' and 'No, I have never ridden an elephant.' Getting the answer forms right at this stage saves a lot of confusion later.
2. Lock In Question Formation with Bingo: Once students can form the questions accurately, a bingo card game gives them rapid, repeated practice in question building. Students convert each verb prompt on their card into its past participle form and build a 'Have you ever...?' question on the spot: if the prompt is 'lose some money,' the question becomes 'Have you ever lost some money?' The race to get three names in a row keeps the pace high and the repetitions coming naturally.
3. Add Depth with Student-Generated Content: Round off at B1 level with a worksheet where students read a list of experiences, add eight more of their own, and then sort everything into two columns based on what they have done and what they have never done. That personal investment in the content makes the 'Have you ever...?' discussion that follows feel like a real conversation rather than a controlled exercise.
Common Mistakes with Present Perfect with Ever and Never
Using 'Ever' in an Affirmative Statement: Students often use 'ever' in positive statements, carrying it over from question forms without realising it sounds unnatural in a statement. Wrong: 'I have ever visited Paris.' Correct: 'I have visited Paris.' or 'I have never visited Paris.'
Wrong Verb Form After 'Ever' or 'Never': Students often use the base form or simple past of the verb instead of the past participle after 'ever' or 'never,' producing a sentence that breaks the present perfect structure entirely. Wrong: 'Have you ever went to Japan?' Correct: 'Have you ever been to Japan?'
Common Questions About Teaching Present Perfect with Ever and Never
What is a useful 'Have you ever...?' activity for intermediate students?
Find Someone Who Has... is a free B1 mingle activity where students use prompts to ask 'Have you ever...?' questions to classmates, writing down the name of anyone who answers 'Yes, I have' and asking follow-up questions to get more details. At the end, students report back to the class using present perfect statements with 'has.'
What is a good present perfect worksheet for teaching 'ever' and 'never' at pre-intermediate level?
Talking About Experiences is an A2 worksheet that takes students from completing gap-fill questions with 'ever' through to using 'never' to write about four experiences they have never had but would like to have someday. Students finish by writing their own 'Have you ever...?' questions and asking them to a partner, moving naturally from controlled to freer practice.
Which 'Have you ever...?' game works well for pre-intermediate students?
Just Say Yes is a fun A2 group game where one student asks a 'Have you ever...?' question and the other two players both answer 'Yes, I have' whether it is true or not. The interviewer then asks three past simple follow-up questions from card prompts before guessing who is lying and who is telling the truth.
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