Part IV Present Perfect Simple for actions that continue to the present

Exercise 4.1

Complete the sentences with for or since.

1. The Smiths haven’t been to the cinema for a while.

2. They haven’t been to the cinema … their baby was born.

3. Barbara has been in Japan … July.

4. She’s been in Japan … six months.

5. Gerry has worked for the same company … ten years.

6. He has worked as a sales representative … then.

7. Charles has lived in London … 1996.

8. He’s lived there … a long time.

9. Things have been difficult … Carol lost her job.

10. Things have been difficult … the last two years.

Exercise 4.2

Ask questions about these people with How long. Give answers using for or since.

1. Max is in hospital. (Monday)

How long has Max been in hospital? – He has been in hospital since Monday.

2. Carol teaches Japanese. (1997)

3. Brian works as an interpreter. (10 years)

4. Michael lives in London. (childhood)

5. My parents know the Browns. (university)

6. Darren is here. (2 hours)

7. We have the same car. (5 years)

8. George is a member of the local football club. (1998)

9. They own a mansion. (15 years)

10. I’m in business. (all my life)

Exercise 4.3

Write sentences about these situations with for or since.

1. Hilary plays the violin. She started two years ago.

Hilary has played the violin for two years.

2. Martha has a new job. She got it three months ago.

3. Andrew knows Jessica. He met her at a party in 2008.

4. She is ill. She caught a cold two days ago.

5. They are married. They got married in 2001.

6. Terry works as a receptionist in a hotel. He started five years ago.

7. Bob and Susan have a VW. They bought it two months ago.

8. Andy runs a small business. He started four years ago.

9. Jill lives in Scotland. She arrived there last year.

10. I have a Swiss watch. I bought it in 2002.

Part V Present Perfect Simple, Present Simple and Past Simple

Exercise 5.1

Choose the correct tense form.

1. Martin is/ has been in New Zealand since March.

2. I know / have known Sarah for a long time.

3. I know / have known Sarah very well.

4. How long do you live / have you lived in this flat?

5. Tim doesn’t usually drink/hasn’t usually drunk coffee.

6. I don’t travel/haven’t travelled so much recently.

7. Mark works / has worked as a programmer all his life.

8. Chris works / has worked for a travel company now.

9. Paul suffers / has suffered from earache since Monday.

10. I already know / have already known about his future plans.

11. Is that a new bag? – No, I have / have had it for a long time.

12. He is / has been in Italy at the moment. He is / has been there for the last two days.

Exercise 5.2

Use the proper tense forms in the following sentences with since.

1. Joseph (look) a lot happier since he (lose) his job. has looked, lost

2. Our English (improve) a lot since we (go) to live in Canada.

3. Since Fred (shave off) his beard, nobody (recognize) him.

4. Emma (not change) at all since I last (see) her.

5. Lucy (make) lots of friends since she (move) to Detroit.

6. Since they (start) doing sports, things (be) much better.

7. He (not drive) his car since he (have) an accident.

8. Since I (graduate) from university, I (take) up two jobs.

9. How long is it since she (disappear)?

10. I (not talk) to your cousin since she (arrive) from New-York.

Exercise 5.3

Open the brackets and use the Present Perfect or the Past Simple tense form.

1. Sue (play) the violin for 5 years. has played

2. Sue (start) playing the violin five years ago.

3. Dan (be) in Japan for three days. He’s enjoying it there.

4. Dick (be) in Japan for a week, then he went to Korea.

5. We (know) Linda for two years. We (meet) her husband a year ago.

6. When Patricia (buy) these shoes?

7. How long you (have) these shoes? – For a few days. Aren’t they beautiful?

8. Miranda (buy) her car three years ago.

9. I (have) my car for three years. It’s fast and comfortable. I like it.

10. I (have) a BMW for two years. Then it broke down and I sold it.

11. I (work) for this company for five years. It’s a really good job.

12. Julia (work) in a restaurant for a year. Then she found another job.

Exercise 5.4

Put the verbs in brackets in the Present Perfect or the Past Simple tense form.

1. Agatha Christie (write) a lot of detective stories. wrote

2. My sister (write) several poems. She (just/finish) her new one.

3. This is our new flat. – How long you (live) here? – We (live) here since April.

4. They (live) in Manchester for a year, then they (move) to London.

5. I (fly) over New York Harbour last week. – (you/see) the Statue of Liberty?

6. (you/turn) off the light before you (go) to work?

7. I can’t go out because I (not do) the housework.

8. I (never/try) sushi.

9. We (redecorate) the flat, but we can’t choose new furniture for it.

10. Here is your coat. I (just/clean) it.

11. When I (be) a child, I never (eat) cheese. I (not like) it.

12. But when I (get) older, I (begin) to like cheese and (eat) it ever since.

13. The film (begin) at 6.00 and (last) for an hour. We (not enjoy) it very much.

14. (the postman/bring) the magazine? – Yes, mum is reading it.

15. It (be) quite warm this year.

Exercise 5.5

Complete the following conversations with the Present Perfect or Past Simple tense forms.

1.– … (they/leave) yet? – Yes, they … . – When … (they/leave)? – They … (leave) 10 minutes ago.	6.– I … (lose) my umbrella. … (you/see) it anywhere? – No, I’m afraid, I … . When … (you/last/use) it?
2.– … (you/ever/be) to China? – Yes, I … (go) there last summer. – … (you/have) a good time? – Yes, it … (be) great.	7.– Peter (just/go) out. – Where (he/go)? – I (not see) where he (go).
3.– I … (buy) a new leather bag in L.A. – How much … (you/pay) for it?	8.– What … (be) your last job? – I … (never/have) any job.
4.– Do you know Mary’s cousin? – I … (see) him several times, but I (never/have) a chance to talk to him. … (you/ever/talk) to him? –Yes, I … (meet) him at a party last week. He’s very nice.	9.– I hear somebody … (murder) your gardener. Where … (you/find) the body? – I … (find) it in the backyard. – … (they/catch) the murderer? – No, they … .
5.– Is this your car? – Yes, it is. – How long … (you/have) it? – It’s new. I … (buy) it yesterday.	10. – Where do you live? – In Oxford Street. – How long … (you/live) there? – Three years. Before that I … (live) in Harley Street. – How long … (you/live) in Harley Street? – About five years.

Exercise 5.6

Decide if the underlined forms are right or wrong. Correct the wrong ones.

1. He has broken his arm in a skiing accident last month. Wrong. broke

2. Beethoven composed For Elise when he was almost totally deaf.

3. I play the piano since I was five years old.

4. This car is in our family for 25 years. My father has used it for the first 10 years, my sister has driven it for the next 10 years and I have it for the last five.

5. Mrs Marble is my best friend. – How long do you know her?

6. John works for the BBC. He works there for 6 months. Before that he has worked as a journalist in the local newspaper. He has worked there for two years but didn’t enjoy it very much.

7. It’s the first time he has driven a VW.

8. We have had a terrible day today. Our car broke down, my husband got sick and our dog ran away.

9. We stayed in New York last winter. – How long have you stayed there?

10. It’s three years since I heard from him.

Exercise 5.7

Read Madonna’s biography. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense forms, Present Simple, Past Simple or Present Perfect Simple.

Madonna (1) … (be) an American recording artist and actress. She (2) … (be) born August 16, 1958 in Michigan. In 1977 she (3) … (move) to New York City to make a career in modern dance. After performing in pop groups, she (4) … (release) her debut album. She (5) … (follow) it with a number of albums which (6) … (be) very popular. Madonna (7) … (always/be) famous for her variable musical productions.

Her career as an actress (8) … (begin) in 1985. She (9) … (win) several awards, including a Golden Globe Award which she (10) … (receive) in 1996. However her other film roles (11) … (not be) successful since then. During her life Madonna (12) … (try) many things – fashion design, writing books for children, directing and producing films. She also (13) … (own) a recording company now. She (14) … (be) quite successful in business so far.

Madonna (15) … (sell) more than 250 million records within her career. In 2000 Guinness World Records (16) … (list) her as the world's most successful female recording artist of all time.

Exercise 5.8

Complete the interview using the correct tense form, Present Perfect or Past Simple.

Interviewer: Today I’m talking to Darren Ramshaw, the American film director. Tell me, Darren, how long (1) … (you/be) a film director?

Darren: I (2) … (study) film-making at university in the 1980s, and I (3) … (work) as a director for more than 20 years now.

Interviewer: What (4) … (be) the first film that you (5) … (make)?

Darren: “Happy together” in 1987, but it (6) … (not be) popular at all, so nobody (7) … (see) it since then. My first successful film (8) … (come) out three years later.

Interviewer: And how many countries (9) … (you/be) to? (10) … (you/work) outside the US?

Darren: I (11) … (make) films in many countries – France, Brazil, even Russia. Last month I (12) … (fly) to Tokyo and (13) … (spend) a week there.

Interviewer: When (14) … (you/go) to Russia?

Darren: In 2003. I (15) … (want) to make a film about World War II, and I (16) … (walk) along Moscow streets for three hours every day.

Interviewer: What do you like best about your job?

Darren: I (17) … (travel) to almost all countries of the world. And I (18) … (meet) a huge number of interesting people!

Interviewer: (19) … (you/begin) any new projects lately?

Darren: Yes, two weeks ago I (20) … (sign) a new contract, but it’s still a secret.

Interviewer: Thank you, Darren. It (21) … (be) very interesting talking to you.