Summary
This 90-minute ESL lesson for B1 learners explores Reporting tech issues: using past simple and present perfect through a real article. Across 10 interactive exercises, you'll develop reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, practical communication, speaking skills — all built around authentic English content.
What you'll practise:
- 5 key vocabulary items with definitions and usage notes
- Grammar focus: Past simple vs. present perfect with examples and practice
- Real-world phrases for reporting a technical problem
- Gap-fill and cloze exercises to test vocabulary in context
- Matching exercise to connect terms with their meanings
- Error correction to sharpen grammar awareness
Lesson activities (10 exercises)
Each exercise builds on the previous one. Work through them in order for the best learning experience.
- Warm-up — Discussion questions to activate what you already know about the topic.
- Comprehension — Answer questions to check your understanding of the main ideas and supporting details.
- Vocabulary — Learn key words and expressions from the article, with definitions and usage notes.
- Fill the gaps — Complete sentences with the correct vocabulary. Drag and drop or type your answers.
- Grammar — Study Past simple vs. present perfect — explanation, examples, and key rules.
- Error correction — Find and fix the mistake in each sentence — a great grammar workout.
- Practical English — Learn phrases for reporting a technical problem — ready to use in real conversations.
- Matching — Connect words, phrases, or concepts to their correct counterparts.
- Discussion — Reflect on the topic and share your opinions using the language you've learned.
Vocabulary
This lesson introduces 5 key terms drawn directly from the article:
- Act up — to not work properly or behave strangely.
- Troubleshoot a problem — to find the cause of an issue by testing different possible solutions.
- On the fritz — (informal) not working correctly; broken.
- Submit a ticket — to formally report a technical problem using a company's official system.
- A temporary glitch — a small, sudden, and usually short-lived problem or fault.
Grammar
This lesson focuses on Past simple vs. present perfect.
When reporting a technical problem, we use the past simple for finished actions that happened at a specific time. We use the present perfect for actions where the time is not specified or for problems that started in the past and are still relevant now.
Examples from the lesson:
- The software crashed this morning. — Use the past simple for a finished action at a specific time in the past ('this morning').
- I've tried to restart my computer, but it's still not working. — Use the present perfect for a recent past action that has a result in the present (the computer is still broken).
- I installed the update last week, but I've had problems ever since. — Here, 'installed' is a specific past event, while 'have had' describes a situation that started in the past and continues now.
Key rules:
- Use the past simple with specific past time words like 'yesterday', 'last week', or 'at 10 am'.
- Use the present perfect for recent events or when the exact time is not important.
- Common mistake: Don't use the present perfect with specific past time words. Incorrect: 'I have updated my password yesterday.'
Practical English
Reporting a technical problem
When you have a problem with your computer or software at work, you need to contact the IT department. Here are some natural and polite phrases to help you explain the issue clearly.
Phrases you'll learn:
- "Hi, I'm having some trouble with..." — to start the conversation and introduce the problem.
- "It keeps freezing / crashing whenever I try to..." — to describe a recurring problem.
- "I've already tried restarting it, but that didn't seem to work." — to show what you have already done to solve the problem.
- "I'm getting an error message that says..." — to report a specific error message.
- "Is there anything you can suggest I do on my end?" — to ask for advice or the next step.
