Present Perfect

A.
1) Angus lives in a lighthouse on the west coast of Scotland. Before he moved there, he lived in
Glasgow for eight years, but he prefers living in a lighthouse. He's a writer and he enjoys being on
his own, so it's perfect for him. He's lived there for six years and doesn't ever want to leave. The
best thing about living in a lighthouse is the view. You can see for miles in every direction, and the
sunsets are fantastic. The worst thing is the weather – it can get cold and windy in the winter.

Look at the phrases in bold. Does angus live in Glasgow now? Does he live on the coast now?

2) Meg lives in a motorhome with her husband, Scott. They first met when they were living in
Houston, Texas, and they've been married for twelve years. In Houston she was a waitress and he
worked in a factory, but they lost their jobs at the same time. After that, they decided that they didn't
want to live in one place all the time. The've lived in their motorhome since 2008 and they really
love it. It's quite spacious and they've got central heating and air conditioning, so it's very
comfortable. And the best thing about it is that when they need to find work, they just drive to a new
town.

Look at the phrases in bold and fill in the gaps with for or since.
We use …………………….. with a period of time (how long)
We use …………………….. with a point in time (when something started)

B.
1. Fill in the gaps with For or Since.
1. …………. ten years 2.…………. three weeks
3. …………. 2012 4. ………….Saturday
5. …………. an hour 6. …………. I was born
7. …………. a long time 8. …………. ten o'clock
9. …………. I was a child 10.…………. ages

2. Complete the sentences with for or since.

1. My friend, Suzanne, has lived in Toronto ……….. 13 years.
2. Mr. Rankin is in his office. He’s been there …………… 7:00.
3. India has been independent ………….. 1947.
4. Charlotte’s late. We’ve been waiting for her ………… half an hour.
5. Tessa has been sick ………… a long time. She’s been out on sick leave ………. August.
6. Richard has played the piano …………… he was very little.
7. We haven’t seen the boys ……. such a long time we probably won’t recognize them.
8. You’ve been talking about buying a new car ever …………. you got a raise.

3. Choose the correct verb form and complete the sentences for you.
1. I lived/have lived in my home since ……………………………..
2. I had/have had my mobile phone for …………………………….
3. I bought/have bought my computer in …………………………..
4. I started/have started learning English …………………………. ago.
5. I was/have been at University since …………………………….

1
C. Look at Carrie's To Do list and write sentences about what she has or hasn't done.
TO DO
check bank account x
Email customers √
Phone Phil Taylor √
Book a table at Carmine's restaurant x
Transfer money to Pay Pal account x
Hairdresser's √
Buy plane tickets √
Pick up dry cleaning x

D. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form.

Suzie Kennedy is probably the world's most famous Marilyn Monroe lookalike. She
…………………….. (be) on TV all over the world and she ………………….. (make) adverts for
companies such as Citroen and Pepsi. Suzie can act and sing exactly like Marilyn, and in 2009 she
……………………. (appear) in the play Marilyn and Lucy in London's West End. She
……………………. (also appear) in a number of films as Marilyn. She ………………. (star) in the
Italian comedy Me and Marilyn in 2010 and the film ……………….. (make) £2 million in its first
weekend. Suzie …………………… (also work) as a model and she ……………………. (wear) a
lot of Marilyn Monroe's original clothes and film costumes. The real Marilyn ………………. (die)
in 1962, but Suzie's life …………………….. (never be) more exciting than it is now.

E) Complete the sentences.

1. Jackie is in hospital. She ………………… in hospital since Tuesday.
2. I know Gwen. I ………………… her for a long time.
3. Carmen and Tony are married. They ……………………………. since 1997.
4. Garret is ill. He ………………… ill for the last few days.
5. I live in Dorothea Street. I …………………. there for 12 years.
6. Lara works in a shoe store. She ………………. there for three years.
7. Jay has a sore throat. He ………………. a sore throat since he got up this morning.
8. I’m learning French. I ………………….. French for two years.

F) Choose the correct form: present simple or present perfect.

1. Marla is/ has been in Chicago since December.
2. Jerry is a good friend of mine. I know/have known him for years.
3. Jerry is a good friend of mine. I know/ have known him very well.
4. “Sorry I’m late. How long are you/have you been waiting?” “Not long.”
5. Rachel works/ has worked in a restaurant now. She likes it a lot.
6. Sally is reading a book. She is/ has been reading it for two hours.
7. How long do you live/ have you lived in this town?
8. “Are those new shoes?” “No, I have/ I’ve had them for a long time.”

2
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

We use the continuous form when the emphasis is on the action itself.
The kitchen is a mess because Jenny has been cooking.
We use the simple form when the emphasis is on the result of the action.
Stay for dinner. Jenny has cooked a gourmet meal.

Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the verbs in brackets. Which is better, the
simple or the continuous form?

1. Jeremy …………………. (send) out quite a few job applications. He's waiting for a reply.
2. Jeremy wants to go to Harvard so he …………..………….. (study) a lot for the entrance exams
which are next week.
3. Emma's ………………….…….. (clean) the house all day. She should take a break before
doing the upstairs.
4. The kitchen looks great! Emma ……………………… (paint) the walls yellow.

We use the continuous form to talk about a series of repeated actions,

I've been trying to contact you all week!
to talk about recent or repeated actions that are different from usual,
My son's been coming home really late recently and he hasn't been studying. I'm very worried.
and for an action happening over a period of time up until now (often with how long, for and
since).
Jenny's been cooking afternoon. She's been preparing for the party since lunchtime.
We often use the continuous form when a recent action explains why we feel or look a certain
way.
Emma's tired because she's been painting the kitchen.

Fiona is in charge of a party but she arrives late, in the middle of preparations.
Fiona: Hello everybody. Sorry I'm late. I ……………………. (try) to find a DJ but so far I
…………………… (not find) one, though one ……………………… (promise) to phone me
later. What ………………………….. (you all, do)?
Kate: Well, Tim and I ……………………. (make) sandwiches ever since we arrived. So far, we
………………………… (make) about 50.
Fiona: Eric, …………………. (you, manage) to set up the sound system yet?
Eric: Well, I …………….. (work) on it all morning but there are a couple of technical problems
that I …………………….. (not solve) yet.
Fiona: Mike, you look exhausted! I suppose that's because you ……………… (move) the furniture.
Mike: That's right, but I ……………………. (almost finish).
Fiona's mobile rings.
Fiona: Hello. Yes, this is Fiona. Yes, I ………………………. (expect) your call. You can? That's
great! Ok. See you at 9 then. 'bye.
Great news everyone. That guy I mentioned ……………….. (agree) to be our DJ!

3
 MAP A

MAP B

MAP
C
Look at Map C and complete the sentences
with a preposition.
1. The road to Fletchley goes ……. the
railway line.
2. The motorway goes …… the railway line
3. The railway line runs ……..…. two
television towers.
4. When you drive from Boxted to Redhill,
you pass ………….. Hockley.
5. You drive ……. a church on your way
from Boxted to Hockley.
6. The road to Andridge goes …….. the
river Foss.
7. There are a lot of trees ………….
Lake Foss.

4
Look at Map C again. Follow the directions to the factory. Where is it?

From Gordstone you need to get on the motorway and head south. Keep going for five miles
or so. You'll go past a castle on the right. Take the left-hand fork and go over the railway
lines. Then get off the motorway at the next exit. Turn left at the traffic lights in Bletcham.
Head towards Boxted, but don't go through Boxted. Turn right just before it. The road is
signposted to Caterhill. Then you'll come to a roundabout. Take the third exit. Take the first
road on the left after Crockley. It runs along a river – it's very pretty. Just drive about a mile
and you'll see our factory on the left. We're just after the Pizza Hut. You can't miss it.

Now complete these directions for getting from Foss to Fletchley.

Head north …………….. Crockley. Just ………….. you go through Crockley, you'll come to
a roundabout. Take the first ……………….. It's ………………….. to Bletcham. Turn
………………… at the traffic lights in Bletcham and join the motorway. Go ……………. the
motorway for about five miles and you'll go …………….. two television towers on the right.
Get ……………. the motorway at the next exit. Go ……………….. the tunnel ………….. the
railway line and you'll come to Fletchley. You can't …………… it.

Look at Map B. Write directions for getting from the airport to the factory visitors entrance.