Present Perfect (For or Since)

Present Perfect Present Perfect describes an action that happened at an indefinite time in the past or that began in the past and continues in the present. This tense is formed by using Have/Has with the past participle of the verb. Most past participles end in –ed. Irregular verbs have special past participles that must be memorized. + I have been to America. - I have not been to America. ? Have I been to America?

For or Since ???

We use For with a period of time, for example: a few days, half an hour, two years. We use Since with the time when the action started, for example: last year June 8, I met you

Exercise № 1. Use For or Since with the following phrases.

Exercise №1. Decide if you need for or since with these time expressions 1. ____last weekend 2. ____ten seconds 3. ____Christmas 4. ____I finished school 5. ____a couple of days 6. ____ my birthday 7. ____a long time 8. ____five years 9. ____the 70s 10. ____I was a boy 11. ____August 12. ____last month 13. ____5 o’clock 14. ____then 15. ____six hours 16. ____we bought this house 17. ____last week 18. ____Monday 19. ____I met you 20. ____ages

Exercise № 2 Complete the sentences with For or Since

1. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson have lived in this house ______June. 2. They have been there _____five months. 3. Carmen has been a nurse at the local hospital _____a few weeks. 4. She has worked there ____ 15 years. 5. Leo hasn’t worked _____ Peter has been my nest friend _____we were nine. 7. Carl has felt ill _____Sunday. 8. He has been in bed ______three days. 9. Pam has played the violin at school ____two years. 10. Jack has been a doctor at this hospital _____ he graduated the university. 11. He has taken a summer off and worked on a fishing boat ______ a few months. 12. He hasn’t worked on a boat _______ then. 13. I haven’t been to the cinema ______ages.

Exercise № 3 Put the verb in the Present Perfect and use with For or Since.

1. I (be)___ to New York city ____September. 2. Kate (learn)____ an English poem ___ 2 days. 3. They (live) ___in the Moon Street ____ten years? 4. You (phone, not) ____ home ____Christmas. 5. John (be)_____ to England ____more than two weeks now. 6. Donna (study)_____ at the university ____January? 7. Professor Miller (teach)_____ English ____ My car (run, not)_______ well _____I drove. 9. Ted and Jane (be)_______ together ____they met in high school. 10. I (visit, not)______ my home town_____ages. 11. You (write)_______ a composition ____five hours? 12. Your dog (bark) _____you left this morning.

Exercise № 4. Ask your friend following the example.

Example: Student A: How long have you been to London? Student B: I have been to London for 2 years.

cook Playreadsweepswimwork on the computer Two hours JulyThe whole evening 5 o’clockSeptemberA few days sleepListen to music Play the guitar Wait for a bus Save money Drive a car Collect stamps The whole night 5 minutes19979 o’clockA long time I bought it6 years

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