Perfects tenses
Perfects tenses
Unit
Present perfect continuous and
10 simple (I have been doing and I
A have done)
Study this example situation:
D Some verbs (for example, know/like/believe) are not normally used in the
continuous: I’ve known about the problem for a long time. (not I’ve
been knowing)
How long have you had that camera? (not have you been having)
Exercises Unit
10.1 Read the situation and complete the sentences. Use the verbs in brackets.
10
1 Tom started reading a book two hours ago. He is still reading it and now he is on page
53.
He has been reading for two hours. (read)
He has read 53 pages so far. (read)
2 Rachel is from Australia. She is travelling round Europe at the moment. She began her
trip three months ago.
She for three months. (travel)
six countries so far. (visit)
3 Patrick is a tennis player. He began playing tennis when he was ten years old. This
year he won the national championship again – for the fourth time.
the national championship four times. (win)
since he was ten. (play)
4 When they left college, Lisa and Sue started making films together. They still make
films.
They films since they left college. (make)
five films since they left college. (make)
10.2 For each situation, ask a question using the words in brackets.
1 You have a friend who is learning Arabic. You ask:
(how long / learn / Arabic?) How long have you been learning Arabic?
2 You have just arrived to meet a friend. She is waiting for you.
You ask: (wait / long?) Have
3 You see somebody fishing by the river. You
ask: (catch / any fish?)
4 Some friends of yours are having a party next week.
You ask: (how many people / invite?)
5 A friend of yours is a teacher. You
ask: (how long / teach?)
6 You meet somebody who is a writer. You
ask: (how many books / write?)
(how long / write / books?)
7 A friend of yours is saving money to go on a world trip.
You ask: (how long / save?)
(how much money / save?)
10.3 Put the verb into the more suitable form, present perfect simple (I have done) or
continuous (I have been doing).
1 Where have you been? Have you been playing (you / play) tennis?
2 Look! (somebody / break) that window.
3 You look tired. (you / work) hard?
4 ‘ (you / ever / work) in a factory?’ ‘No, never.’
5 ‘Liz is away on holiday.’ ‘Is she? Where (she / go)?’
6 My brother is an actor. (he / appear) in several
films.
7 ‘Sorry I’m late.’ ‘That’s all right. (I / not / wait) long.’
8 ‘Is it still raining?’ ‘No, (it / stop).’
9 (I / lose) my phone. (you /
see) it anywhere?
10 (I / read) the book you lent me, but
(I / not / finish) it yet. It’s very interesting.
11 (I / read) the book you lent me, so you can have it back
now.
12 This is a very old book. (I / have) it since I was a child.
21
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Unit
11 How long have you (been) … ?
A Study this example situation:
Dan and Jenny are married. They got married exactly
20 years ago, so today is their 20th wedding anniversary.
They have been married for 20
2 years. We say: They are married.
We
0
ddi
(present)
t
ng
Anniv
h but How long have they been married? (present perfect)
ersary
(not How long are they married?)
They have been married for 20
years. (not They are married for
20 years)
We use the present perfect to talk about something that began in the past and still
continues now. Compare the present and the present perfect:
Paul is in hospital. present
but He’s been in hospital since Monday. (= He has he is
been ...) (not Paul is in hospital since Monday) do you know
she is waiting
Do you know each other well?
but Have you known each other for a long time?
(not Do you know) present perfect
he has been
She’s waiting for somebody.
have you
but She’s been waiting all morning.
known
Do they have a car? she has been waiting
but How long have they had their car?
past now
B
I have known/had/lived etc. is the present perfect
simple.
I have been learning / been waiting / been doing etc. is the present perfect continuous.
When we ask or say ‘how long’, the continuous is more usual (see
Unit 10): I’ve been learning English for six months.
It’s been raining since lunchtime.
Richard has been doing the same job for 20
years. ‘How long have you been driving?’
‘Since I was 17.’
Some verbs (for example, know/like/believe) are not normally used in the
continuous: How long have you known Jane? (not have you been
knowing)
I’ve had a pain in my stomach all day. (not I’ve been
having) See also Units 4A and 10C. For have, see Unit 17.
C
You can use either the present perfect continuous or simple with live
and work: Julia has been living / has lived here for a long
time.
How long have you been working / have you worked here?
But use the simple (I’ve lived / I’ve done etc.) with always:
I’ve always lived in the country. (not always been living)
D
We say ‘I haven’t done something since/for …’ (present perfect simple):
I haven’t seen Tom since Monday. (= Monday was the last time I
saw him) Sarah hasn’t phoned for ages. (= the last time she phoned
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was ages ago)
Exercises
11.1 Are the underlined verbs right or wrong? Correct them where necessary. las
1 Ben is a friend of mine. I know him very well. OK 13
2 Ben is a friend of mine. I know him for a long time. I’ve known him
3 Sarah and Adam are married since July.
4 The weather is awful. It’s raining again.
5 The weather is awful. It’s raining all day.
6 I like your house. How long are you living there?
7 Gary is working in a shop for the last few months.
8 I don’t know Tom well. We’ve only met a few times.
9 I gave up drinking coffee. I don’t drink it for a year.
10 That’s a very old bike. How long do you have it?
11.2 Read the situations and write questions from the words in brackets.
1 A friend tells you that Paul is in hospital. You ask him:
(how long / be / in hospital?) How long has Paul been in hospital?
2 You meet a woman who tells you that she teaches English. You
ask her: (how long / teach / English?)
3 You know that Jane is a good friend of Katherine’s. You ask
Jane: (how long / know / Katherine?)
4 Your friend’s brother went to Australia some time ago and he’s still there. You ask
your friend: (how long / be / in Australia?)
5 Tom always wears the same jacket. It’s a very old jacket. You
ask him: (how long / have / that jacket?)
6 You are talking to a friend about Joe. Joe now works at the airport. You ask
your friend: (how long / work / at the airport?)
7 A friend of yours is having guitar lessons. You
ask him: (how long / have / guitar lessons?)
8 You meet somebody on a plane. She says that she lives in Chicago. You
ask her: (always / live / in Chicago?)
Unit
12 For and since When … ? and How long … ?
A We use for and since to say how long something has been happening.
We use for + a period of time (two
We use since + the start of a
hours, six weeks etc.):
period (8 o’clock, Monday,
I’ve been waiting for two hours.
1999 etc.):
I’ve been waiting since 8 o’clock.
Exercises No
wr
B’s
12.1 Write for or since. an
1 It’s been raining since lunchtime. sa
2 Sarah has lived in Paris 1995. Th
tim
3 Paul has lived in Brazil ten years.
us
4 I’m tired of waiting. We’ve been sitting here an hour.
…
5 Kevin has been looking for a job he left school. sin
6 I haven’t been to a party ages. …
7 I wonder where Joe is. I haven’t seen him last week. 5
8 Jane is away. She’s been away Friday.
9 The weather is dry. It hasn’t rained a few weeks.
.
8 You’re working in a hotel. You started six months ago.
I’ve
.
25
Unit
13 Present perfect and past 1 (I have done and I
A did)
Study this example situation:
Tom is looking for his key. He can’t
find it. He has lost his key.
(present perfect)
This means that he doesn’t have his key now.
The present perfect (something has happened) is a present tense. It always tells
us about the situation now. ‘Tom has lost his key’ = he doesn’t have his key now
(see Unit 7).
The past simple (something happened) tells us only about the past. If somebody
says ‘Tom lost his key’, this doesn’t tell us whether he has the key now or not. It
tells us only that he lost his key at some time in the past.
Do not use the present perfect if the situation now is different.
Compare: They’ve gone away. They’ll be back on
Friday. (they are away now)
They went away, but I think they’re back at home now. (not They’ve gone)
It has stopped raining now, so we don’t need the umbrella. (it
isn’t raining now) It stopped raining for a while, but now it’s
raining again. (not It has stopped)
B You can use the present perfect for new or recent happenings:
‘I’ve repaired the washing machine. It’s working OK now.’
‘Oh, that’s good.’ ‘Sally has had
a baby! It’s a boy.’ ‘That’s great news.’
Usually, you can also use the past simple:
I repaired the washing machine. It’s working OK now.
Use the past simple (not the present perfect) for things that are not
recent or new: Mozart was a composer. He wrote more than
600 pieces of music.
(not has been … has written)
My mother grew up in Italy. (not has grown)
Compare:
Did you know that somebody has invented a new type of
washing machine? Who invented the telephone? (not has
invented)
C We use the present perfect to give new information (see Unit 7). But if we
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continue to talk about it, we normally use the past simple:
: Ow! I’ve burnt myself.
: How did you do that? (not have you done)
: I picked up a hot dish. (not have picked)
: Look! Somebody has spilt something on the sofa.
: Well, it wasn’t me. I didn’t do it. (not hasn’t been … haven’t done)
Past simple ➜ Unit 5 Present perfect ➜ Units 7–8 Present perfect and past 2 ➜ Unit 14
2 American English ➜ Appendix 7
6
Exercises Unit
13.1 Complete the sentences using the verbs in brackets. Use the present perfect
13
where possible. Otherwise use the past simple.
The office is empty now.
1 2 Everybody
(go) home.
3 4
Yes, I
(have) a headache, but
I’m fine now.
Can you help us? Our car
(break) down.
13.2 Are the underlined parts of these sentences right or wrong? Correct them where necessary.
1 Did you hear about Sue? She’s given up her job. OK
2 My mother has grown up in Italy. grew
3 How many poems has William Shakespeare written?
4 Ow! I’ve cut my finger. It’s bleeding.
5 Drugs have become a big problem everywhere.
6 Who has invented paper?
7 Where have you been born?
8 Ellie isn’t at home. She’s gone shopping.
9 Albert Einstein has been the scientist
who has developed the theory of
relativity.
13.3 Put the verb into the correct form, present perfect or past simple.
1 It stopped raining for a while, but now it’s raining again. (it / stop)
2 The town where I live is very different now. It has changed a lot. (it /
change)
3 I studied German at school, but most of it now. (I / forget)
4 The police three people, but later they let them go. (arrest)
5 What do you think of my English? Do you think ? (it / improve)
6 “: Are you still reading the paper?
•: No, with it. You can have it. (I / finish)
7 for a job as a tourist guide, but I wasn’t successful. (I / apply)
8 Where’s my bike? outside the house, but it’s not there now. (it / be)
Unit
14 Present perfect and past 2 (I have done and I
A did)
Do not use the present perfect (I have done) when you talk about a finished time (for
example,
yesterday / ten minutes ago / in 2005 / when I was a child).
Use a past tense: It was very cold yesterday. (not has
been)
Paul and Lucy arrived ten minutes ago. (not have arrived)
Did you eat a lot of sweets when you were a child? (not
have you eaten) I got home late last night. I was very tired
and went straight to bed.
Use the past to ask When … ? or What time … ?:
When did your friends arrive? (not have … arrived)
What time did you finish work?
Compare:
Present perfect
Tom has lost his key. He Past simple
can’t get into the house. Tom lost his key
Is Carla here or has she yesterday. He couldn’t
left? get into the house. When
did Carla leave?
unfinis
hed
today
past now
28 Past simple ➜ Unit 5 Present perfect ➜ Units 7–8 Present perfect and past 1 ➜ Unit 13
Exercises Unit
14.1 Are the underlined parts of these sentences right or wrong? Correct them where
14
necessary.
1 I’ve lost my key. I can’t find it anywhere. OK
2 Have you eaten a lot of sweets when you were a child? Did you eat
3 I’ve bought a new car. You must come and see it.
4 I’ve bought a new car last week.
5 Where have you been yesterday evening?
6 Lucy has left school in 1999.
7 I’m looking for Mike. Have you seen him?
8 ‘Have you been to Paris?’ ‘Yes, many times.’
9 I’m very hungry. I haven’t eaten much today.
10 When has this book been published?
14.2 Make sentences from the words in brackets. Use the present perfect or past simple.
1 (it / not / rain / this week) It hasn’t rained this week.
2 (the weather / be / cold / recently) The weather
3 (it / cold / last week) It
4 (I / not / read / a newspaper yesterday) I
5 (I / not / read / a newspaper today)
6 (Emily / earn / a lot of money / this year)
7 (she / not / earn / so much / last year)
8 (you / have / a holiday recently?)
14.3 Put the verb into the correct form, present perfect or past simple.
1 ‘What’s Madrid like?’ ‘I don’t know. I haven’t been (I / not / be) there.’
2 When (I / get) home last night, (I / be)
very tired and (I / go) straight to bed.
3 ’: (you / see) Lisa recently?
”: Yes, (I / saw) her a few days ago.
4 I’m tired. (I / not / sleep) well last night.
5 The bus drivers were on strike last week. (there / be) no buses.
6 Mr Lee (work) in a bank for 15 years. Then (he /
give) it up. Now he works as a gardener.
7 Mary lives in Dublin. (she / live) there all her life.
8 ’: (you / go) to the cinema last night?
”: Yes, but (it / be) a mistake. The film (be)
awful.
9 My grandfather (die) before I was
born. (I / never / meet) him.
10 I don’t know Karen’s husband. (I / never / meet) him.
11 It’s nearly lunchtime, and (I / not / see) Martin all
morning. I wonder where he is.
12 ‘Where do you live?’ ‘In Boston.’
‘How long (you / live) there?’ ‘Five years.’
‘Where (you / live) before that?’ ‘In
Chicago.’
‘And how long (you / live) in Chicago?’ ‘Two years.’
Unit
15 Past perfect (I had done)
A Study this example situation:
B Compare the present perfect (have seen etc.) and the past perfect (had seen etc.):
Present
perfect Past
perfect
have
seen had seen
past no pa now
w st
Who is that woman? I’ve seen
I wasn’t sure who she was. I’d seen
her before, but I can’t remember
her before, but I couldn’t remember
where. We aren’t hungry. We’ve
where. We weren’t hungry. We’d
just had lunch.
just had lunch.
The house is dirty. They
The house was dirty. They hadn’t
haven’t cleaned it for weeks.
cleaned it for weeks.
C Compare the past simple (left, was etc.) and the past perfect (had left, had been etc.):
Exercises Unit
15.1 Read the situations and write sentences from the words in brackets.
15
1 You went to Sue’s house, but she wasn’t
there. (she / go / out) She had gone
out.
2 You went back to your home town after many years. It wasn’t the same as
before. (it / change / a lot)
3 I invited Rachel to the party, but she couldn’t
come. (she / arrange / to do something else)
4 You went to the cinema last night. You got to the
cinema late. (the film / already / start)
5 It was nice to see Daniel again after such a long
time. (I / not / see / him for five years)
6 I offered Sue something to eat, but she wasn’t
hungry. (she / just / have / breakfast)
15.2 For each situation, write a sentence ending with never … before. Use the
verb in brackets.
1 The man sitting next to you on the plane was very nervous. It was his
first flight. (fly) He’d never flown before.
2 Somebody sang a song. I didn’t know it.
(hear) I
before.
3 Sam played tennis yesterday. He wasn’t very good at it because it was his
first game. (play) He
4 Last year we went to Mexico. It was our first time
there. (be there) We
15.3 Use the sentences on the left to complete the paragraphs on the right.
These sentences are in the order in which they happened – so (a)
happened before (b), (b) before (c) etc. But your paragraph begins with the
underlined sentence, so sometimes you need the past perfect.
1 (a) Somebody broke into the office during ⎫ We arrived at work in the morning and
the night. ⎪ found that somebody had broken
(b) We arrived at work in the ⎬
into the office during the night. So
⎪
morning.
(c) We called the ⎭ the police.
police.
2 (a) Laura went out this morning. ⎫ I went to Laura’s house this morning and
(b) I rang her doorbell. ⎪
rang her doorbell, but no
(c) There was no ⎬
⎭⎪ answer.
answer.
3 (a) Jim came back from holiday a few
days ago. ⎫ I met Jim a few days ago.
⎪
(b) I met him the same
day. ⎬just holiday.
⎪
⎭ very well.
(c) He looked very well.
4 (a) Kevin sent Sally lots of emails. ⎫ Yesterday Kevin from
(b) She never replied to ⎪ Sally. very surprised.
them.
(c) Yesterday he got a phone call from ⎬
⎪ lots of emails,
her.
(d) He was very ⎭ but .
surprised.
Put the verb into the correct form, past perfect (I had done) or past simple (I did).
15.4
1 ‘Was Paul at the party when you arrived?’ ‘No, he had gone (go) home.’
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2 I felt very tired when I got home, so I (go) straight to bed.
3 The house was very quiet when I got home. Everybody (go) to bed.
4 Sorry I’m late. The car (break) down on my way here.
5 We were driving along the road when we (see) a car which
(break) down, so we (stop) to help.