IGCSE, Edexcel, IB and AP Science Courses | Dr Dabour Hub Academy

Overview

Use the Present Perfect Simple (active and passive) and Present Perfect Continuous.
Know when to choose each tense.
Write a well-structured blog post and a nurse’s shift note.

🌳 Concept tree

Unit 1Present Perfect and Blog Writing

├── Lesson 3Tired Hands, Caring Hearts (listening topic)

├── Present Perfect Simple

│ ├── Form

│ ├── Use

│ ├── Active to passive

│ └── Common mistakes

├── Present Perfect Continuous

│ ├── Form

│ ├── Use

│ ├── Simple or Continuous?

│ └── Tips

├── Writinga shift note

└── Lesson 5My Blog Post (writing)

├── What a blog post is

├── Structure of a blog post

├── Model→"My Unwelcome Visitor: A Recent Cold Experience"

└── Useful language

Unit 1: Present Perfect and Blog Writing · 1 / 14

Lesson 3: Tired Hands, Caring Hearts (listening topic)

A talk about doctors and nurses who have worked long hours, supported the same patients for months, and suffer emotionally.
Hospitals have become busier in recent years, yet healthcare workers still inspire young people to choose medicine.

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Present Perfect Simple

Form

Activehave / has + past participle. Example: She has visited Paris three times.

Passiveobject + have / has + been + past participle. Example: Their project hasn’t been finished yet.

Negativehaven’t / hasn’t + past participle. Questions: Have / Has + subject + past participle?

Comparison aspect	Main idea	Keywords
Completed actions with a present result	The doctors have treated many patients today	doctorstreatedmanypatients
Life experiences	I have never seen a surgery before	neverseensurgerybefore
How many times / how much	She has visited Paris three times	visitedParisthree
•	Actions that started in the past and are still connected to the present: Hospitals have improved their emergency systems recently	Actionsstartedpaststill
Time words	just already yet ever never recently so far for since	justalreadyevernever

Someone has stolen my bicycle. → My bicycle has been stolen.
They have built a new hospital. → A new hospital has been built.
The students haven’t written their essays. → The essays haven’t been written yet.
People have consumed too much sugar. → Too much sugar has been consumed.

"I have studied all night" for a tiring, continuing activity → I have been studying all night.
has know → has known; have be improved → have been improved.
"How many times have you been seeing…?" → have you seen (counting uses the simple form).

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Present Perfect Continuous

Form

have / has + been + present participle (-ing). Example: I have been studying all night.

Actions that started in the past and continue nowNurses have been working in the ER since early morning.

Actions that have just finished with a visible resultMy hands are dirty because I have been working in the garden.

Emphasis on durationHow long have you been learning English?

Temporary habits or situationsStaff have been learning new skills and attending training sessions.

Point of comparison	Present Perfect Simple	Present Perfect Continuous
Focus	result, number of times	duration, activity in progress
Example	I have read three chapters.	I have been reading for two hours.
Passive possible	yes	no
Stative verbs (know, have, be)	normal	not used

Use "for" with a period (for three months) and "since" with a starting point (since Monday).
Choose the continuous with "how long", "all day", "recently" when the action is ongoing.

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Writing: a shift note

Imagine you are a morning-shift nurse leaving a note for the night nurse.
Include the patient’s condition, treatment or medication given, important events or changes, how the situation made you feel, and what the night nurse must do.
Use short, clear sentences and the present perfect for recent events: "Mr. Ramy has received his medication and has been resting since noon."

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What a blog post is

An article published on a blog (an online journal)
usually informal or semi-formal
engaging
about a specific topic and not too long.

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Structure of a blog post

Catchy titleto make readers want to click, e.g. "My First Time Trying Sushi (and Why I Loved It!)".

Introduction (1-2 paragraphs)to introduce the topic and hook the reader: "Have you ever dreamed of traveling the world?"

Main body (2-4 paragraphs)to develop ideas with details and explanations, one idea per paragraph (e.g. food, culture).

Conclusion (1-2 paragraphs)to summarize and give a final thought or question: "Overall, it was unforgettable. Have you ever been there?"

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Model: "My Unwelcome Visitor: A Recent Cold Experience"

Comparison aspect	Main idea	Keywords
Introduction	the writer greets readers and says they will share a recent illness	writergreetsreaderssays
Body	symptoms grew worse (sore throat running nose headache) a doctor visit a viral cold diagnosis a prescription rest and warm drinks	symptomsgrewworsesore
Conclusion	recovery the importance of health and a question to readers ("Let me know in the comments!")	recoveryimportancehealthquestion
•	"Unwelcome visitor" is a figurative name for the cold	Unwelcomevisitorfigurativename

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Useful language

Sequenceabout two weeks ago, after a few days, slowly, then, now.

Feelingsmiserable, uncomfortable, relieved, delighted.

Task (180-200 words)"My Favorite Way to Relax After a Busy Day", using the four-part structure.

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📌 Comprehensive Scientific Terminology & Definitions:

Comparison aspect	Main idea	Keywords
Present Perfect Simple (مضارع تام بسيط)	Subject + have/has + past participle connects past actions with present reality: 1. Experiences (ever/never) 2. Unfinished time periods (this morning today) 3. Recent actions with visible present evidence (just/already) 4. Ongoing duration up to now (for/since)	Subjectpastparticipleconnects
Present Perfect Continuous (مضارع تام مستمر)	Subject + have/has + been + v-ing emphasizes the continuous ongoing activity duration or temporary nature of an action that started in the past and is still continuing or just stopped with noticeable present side-effects	Subjectemphasizesongoingactivity
‘Since’ vs ‘For’ Rules	‘Since’ indicates a specific starting point in time (since 2018 since last Monday since 8 AM since he arrived) ‘For’ indicates total duration of time (for 5 years for two weeks for an hour for ages)	indicatesspecificstartingpoint

Comparison aspect	Main idea	Keywords
‘Been to’ vs ‘Gone to’	‘Has gone to’ means the person went and is still there (or on the way) ‘Has been to’ means the person went and has returned back	meanspersonwentstill
Blog Writing Conventions	Features of an engaging academic blog: catchy headline informal yet informative register first-person voice sub-headings rhetorical questions clear transitional signposts and a concluding call-to-action (CTA)	Featuresengagingacademiccatchy

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⚖️ Governing Scientific Laws, Principles & Mathematical Formulas:

(“Since + Past Simple RulePresent Perfect + since + Past Simple: ‘I haven’t seen Omar since he moved to Alexandria’.”,)

(“It is [time] since + Past Simple‘It is three months since I last played tennis’.”,)

(“First Time Construction‘This is the first time + Subject + have/has + ever + past participle’.”,)

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🔍 In-Depth Explanations, Deductions & Core Concepts:

Comparison aspect	Main idea	Keywords
Why state verbs cannot be used in the continuous form	Stative verbs describing states thoughts feelings possession and senses (know believe understand belong seem love) do not take the continuous form: ‘I have known him for years’ (NOT: I have been knowing him)	Stativedescribingstatesthoughts
Present Perfect vs Past Simple distinction	Past simple requires a finished past time marker (yesterday in 2020 two days ago) with zero connection to the present Present perfect relates the past to the present moment without specifying a finished past moment	requiresfinishedtimemarker
•	Formatting conventions for 100-150 word Secondary Blog Writing: Headline → Introduction hook → Body paragraph 1 with personal reflection → Body paragraph 2 with actionable tips → Interactive concluding question inviting reader comments	FormattingconventionswordSecondary

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📊 Comparison: Present Perfect Simple vs Present Perfect Continuous:

Feature	Present Perfect Simple (have/has + p.p.)	Present Perfect Continuous (have/has been + v-ing)
Primary Focus	Focuses on the completed result or completion of the action	Focuses on the activity itself and ongoing duration
Key Question Answered	‘How much?’ or ‘How many times?’	‘How long?’
Example Sentence	I have written three essays this morning (completed 3)	I have been writing essays all morning (emphasizes ongoing labor)
Verb Compatibility	Works with both action and stative verbs (know have be)	Strictly limited to dynamic action verbs (work study rain wait)

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💡 High-Yield Exam Traps & Key Takeaways:

Comparison aspect	Main idea	Keywords
Exam Trap	‘Yet’ and ‘Already’: ‘Already’ is used in affirmative sentences and polite surprised questions ‘Yet’ is strictly placed at the end of negative sentences and standard informational questions	Alreadyusedaffirmativesentences
Grammar Trap	‘He has gone to Paris’ (he is currently in Paris) ‘He has been to Paris’ (he visited Paris in the past and is now back home)	gonePariscurrentlyvisited

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Curriculum

English Language

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Unit 1: Present Perfect and Blog Writing

Unit 1: Present Perfect and Blog Writing

Overview

🌳 Concept tree

├── Present Perfect Simple

│ ├── Form

│ ├── Use

│ ├── Active to passive

│ └── Common mistakes

├── Present Perfect Continuous

│ ├── Form

│ ├── Use

├── What a blog post is

├── Structure of a blog post

└── Useful language

Lesson 3: Tired Hands, Caring Hearts (listening topic)

Present Perfect Simple

Form

Present Perfect Continuous

Form

Writing: a shift note

What a blog post is

Structure of a blog post

Model: "My Unwelcome Visitor: A Recent Cold Experience"

Useful language

📌 Comprehensive Scientific Terminology & Definitions:

⚖️ Governing Scientific Laws, Principles & Mathematical Formulas:

🔍 In-Depth Explanations, Deductions & Core Concepts:

📊 Comparison: Present Perfect Simple vs Present Perfect Continuous:

💡 High-Yield Exam Traps & Key Takeaways:

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