Talking About Achievements and Ambitions
Objectives
➧ Learn and practice vocabulary related to career goals, personal achievements, and ambitions Use perfect tenses
➧ present perfect,
➧ past perfect, and
➧ future perfect
to discuss achievements and ambitions
➧ Practice discussing personal and professional ambitions in different scenarios
Achievements and Ambitions
Q. Why is it important?
A. Being able to talk about your achievements and future ambitions is essential in both personal and professional conversations. It's useful for interviews, networking, and self-reflection.
Personal achievements
➧ completing a project, learning a new skill
Career goals
➧ getting a promotion, starting a business
Ambitions for the future
➧ traveling, further education
Examples
➧ I’ve completed an online course in marketing.
➧ In the future, I hope to start my own business.
Grammar Focus
Present Perfect
➧ have/has + past participle
➧ To talk about achievements that have happened at some point before now
Past Perfect
➧ had + past participle
➧ To talk about something that was completed before another action in the past
Future Perfect
➧ will have + past participle
➧ To talk about something that will be completed by a certain time in the future
Examples
Present Perfect
➧ She has achieved her goal of becoming a manager.
Past Perfect
➧ They had reached their sales target before the end of the quarter.
Future Perfect
➧ By this time next year, I will have traveled to five countries.
Vocabulary
Achievements
➧ Successes or accomplishments
Ambitions
➧ Strong desires or goals for the future
Milestones
➧ Important stages or events in life
Accomplish
➧ To successfully complete something
Aspire
➧ To aim for something or have a strong desire to achieve it
Phrases to Use
➧ I have accomplished…
➧ My ambition is to…
➧ I aspire to become…
Wrap-Up
Homework
Write a short essay (150-200 words) describing your past achievements and your ambitions for the future. Use all three perfect tenses | present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect
Example
I have achieved a lot in my career so far, including earning two promotions. Before I turned 30, I had already started my own company. By the end of the next year, I will have expanded my business to new markets.