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Past Simple, Continuous, Present Perfect 13.12.23

1. The document provides examples and explanations of using the past simple and past continuous tenses in English. 2. It discusses how the past simple is used to describe completed actions in the past, often ending in "-ed", while the past continuous describes an ongoing action happening at a specific time in the past. 3. Examples are given of both tenses being used together to describe two simultaneous or sequential past actions.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
309 views12 pages

Past Simple, Continuous, Present Perfect 13.12.23

1. The document provides examples and explanations of using the past simple and past continuous tenses in English. 2. It discusses how the past simple is used to describe completed actions in the past, often ending in "-ed", while the past continuous describes an ongoing action happening at a specific time in the past. 3. Examples are given of both tenses being used together to describe two simultaneous or sequential past actions.

Uploaded by

crowofdark455
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Unit

5 Past simple (I did)


A Study this example:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an Austrian


musician and composer. He lived from 1756 to
1791. He started composing at the age of five
and wrote more than 600 pieces of music.
He was only 35 years old when he died.
lived/started/wrote/was/died are all past simple

B Very often the past simple ends in -ed (regular verbs):


I work in a travel agency now. Before that I worked in a department store.
They invited us to their party, but we decided not to go.
The police stopped me on my way home last night.
Laura passed her exam because she studied very hard.
For spelling (stopped, studied etc.), see Appendix 6.
But many verbs are irregular. The past simple does not end in -ed. For example:
write → wrote Mozart wrote more than 600 pieces of music.
see → saw We saw Alice in town a few days ago.
go → went I went to the cinema three times last week.
shut → shut It was cold, so I shut the window.
For a list of irregular verbs, see Appendix 1.

C In questions and negative sentences we use did/didn’t + infinitive (enjoy/see/go etc.):


I enjoyed you enjoy? I enjoy
she saw did she see? she didn’t see
they went they go? they go

I enjoyed the party a lot. Did you enjoy it?


How many people did they invite to the wedding?
I didn’t buy anything because I didn’t have any money.
‘Did you go out?’ ‘No, I didn’t.’
Sometimes do is the main verb in the sentence (did you do?, I didn’t do):
What did you do at the weekend? (not What did you at the weekend?)
I didn’t do anything. (not I didn’t anything)

D The past of be (am/is/are) is was/were:


I/he/she/it was/wasn’t was I/he/she/it?
we/you/they were/weren’t were we/you/they?

I was annoyed because they were late.


Was the weather good when you were on holiday?
They weren’t able to come because they were so busy.
I wasn’t hungry, so I didn’t eat anything.
Did you go out last night or were you too tired?

10 Past simple and past continuous ➜ Unit 6 Past simple and present perfect ➜ Units 12–14
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Unit
Exercises 5
5.1 Read what Laura says about a typical working day:
I usually get up at 7 o’clock and have a big breakfast. I walk to work, which
takes me about half an hour. I start work at 8.45. I never have lunch. I finish
work at 5 o’clock. I’m always tired when I get home. I usually cook a meal
in the evening. I don’t usually go out. I go to bed at about 11 o’clock, and I
always sleep well.

LAURA

Yesterday was a typical working day for Laura. Write what she did or didn’t do yesterday.
1 She got up at 7 o’clock. 7 at 5 o’clock.
2 She a big breakfast. 8 tired when home.
3 She . 9 a meal yesterday evening.
4 It to get to work. 10 out yesterday evening.
5 at 8.45. 11 at 11 o’clock.
6 lunch. 12 well last night.

5.2 Complete the sentences using the following verbs in the correct form:
buy catch cost fall hurt sell spend teach throw write
1 Mozart wrote more than 600 pieces of music.
2 ‘How did you learn to drive?’ ‘My father me.’
3 We couldn’t afford to keep our car, so we it.
4 Dave down the stairs this morning and his leg.
5 Joe the ball to Sue, who it.
6 Kate a lot of money yesterday. She a dress which
£100.

5.3 You ask James about his holiday in the US. Write your questions.
1 YOU: Where did you go ?
JaMES: To the US. We went on a trip from San Francisco to Denver.
2 YOU: How ? By car?
JaMES: Yes, we hired a car in San Francisco.
3 YOU: It’s a long way to drive. How long ?
JaMES: Two weeks. We stopped at a lot of places along the way.
4 YOU: Where ? In hotels?
JaMES: Yes, small hotels or motels.
5 YOU: good?
JaMES: Yes, but it was very hot – sometimes too hot.
6 YOU: the Grand Canyon?
JaMES: Of course. It was wonderful.

5.4 Complete the sentences. Put the verb into the correct form, positive or negative.
1 It was warm, so I took off my coat. (take)
2 The film wasn’t very good. I didn’t enjoy it much. (enjoy)
3 I knew Sarah was busy, so I her. (disturb)
4 We were very tired, so we the party early. (leave)
5 It was hard carrying the bags. They really heavy. (be)
6 The bed was very uncomfortable. I well. (sleep)
7 This watch wasn’t expensive. It much. (cost)
8 The window was open and a bird into the room. (fly)
9 I was in a hurry, so I time to call you. (have)
10 I didn’t like the hotel. The room very clean. (be)

11
Unit
6 Past continuous (I was doing)
A Study this example situation:

Yesterday Karen and Joe played tennis. They started at


10 o’clock and finished at 11.30.
So, at 10.30 they were playing tennis.
they were playing =
they were in the middle of playing, they had not finished
was/were + -ing is the past continuous:
he/she/it was playing
doing
we/you/they were working etc.

B I was doing something = I was in the middle of doing it at a certain time. The action or situation started
before this time, but had not finished:
I started doing I was doing I finished doing

past past now


This time last year I was living in Hong Kong.
What were you doing at 10 o’clock last night?
I waved to Helen, but she wasn’t looking.

C Compare I was doing (past continuous) and I did (past simple):


I was doing (= in the middle of an action) I did (= complete action)
We were walking home when I met We walked home after the party last
Dan. (in the middle of walking home) night. (= all the way, completely)
Kate was watching TV when we Kate watched TV a lot when she was ill
arrived. last year.

D You can say that something happened (past simple) in the middle of something else (past continuous):
Matt phoned while we were having dinner.
It was raining when I got up.
I saw you in the park yesterday. You were sitting on the grass and reading a book.
I hurt my back while I was working in the garden.
But we use the past simple to say that one thing happened after another:
I was walking along the road when I saw Dan. So I stopped, and we talked for a while.
Compare:

When Karen arrived, we were having When Karen arrived, we had dinner.
dinner. (= we had already started before (= Karen arrived, and then we had
she arrived) dinner)

E Some verbs (for example, know and want) are not normally used in continuous forms (is + -ing,
was + -ing etc.). See Unit 4A for a list of these verbs.
We were good friends. We knew each other well. (not we were knowing)
I was enjoying the party, but Chris wanted to go home. (not was wanting)

12 Past simple (I did) ➜ Unit 5


Unit
Exercises 6
6.1 Complete the sentences. Choose from:
was looking was wearing wasn’t listening weren’t looking
was snowing was working were sitting were you going

1 Today Helen is wearing a skirt. Yesterday she was wearing trousers.


2 ‘What did he say?’ ‘I don’t know. I .’
3 We at the back of the theatre. We couldn’t hear very well.
4 This time last year Steve on a farm.
5 They didn’t see me. They in my direction.
6 The weather was bad. It was very cold and it .
7 I saw you in your car. Where ?
8 I saw Kate a few minutes ago. She for you.
6.2 Which goes with which?

1 When I got to the cafe a when she was living in Rome. 1 f


2 We fell asleep b she was working in a clothes shop. 2
3 Amy learnt Italian c when I was driving home. 3
4 Tom didn’t come out with us d but nobody was watching it. 4
5 The car began to make a strange noise e while we were watching a film. 5
6 The TV was on f my friends were waiting for me. 6
7 When I first met Jessica g because he wasn’t feeling well. 7

6.3 Put the verb into the correct form, past continuous or past simple.
1 2

SUE

I saw (see) Sue in town yesterday, but I (cycle) home yesterday


she (not/see) me. when a man (step) out into the
She (look) the other way. road in front of me.
I (go) quite fast, but luckily
I (manage) to stop in time,
and I (not/hit) him.

6.4 Put the verb into the correct form, past continuous or past simple.
1 Jenny was waiting (wait) for me when I arrived (arrive).
2 ‘What (you / do) at this time yesterday?’ ‘I was asleep.’
3 ‘ (you / go) out last night?’ ‘No, I was too tired.’
4 How fast (you / drive) when the accident (happen)?
5 Sam (take) a picture of me while I (not / look).
6 We were in a very difficult position. We (not / know) what to do, so we
(do) nothing.
7 I haven’t seen Alan for ages. When I last (see) him, he
(try) to find a job.
8 I (walk) along the street when suddenly I (hear)
something behind me. Somebody (follow) me. I was scared and I
(start) to run.
9 When I was young, I (want) to be a pilot. Later I
(change) my mind.
10 Last night I (drop) a plate when I (do) the washing up.
Fortunately it (not / break).
➜ Additional exercise 1 (page 302) 13
Appendix 1
Regular and irregular verbs
1.1 Regular verbs
If a verb is regular, the past simple and past participle end in -ed. For example:
infinitive clean finish use paint stop carry
past simple ⎫
⎬ cleaned finished used painted stopped carried
past participle ⎭
For spelling rules, see Appendix 6.
For the past simple (I cleaned / they finished / she carried etc.), see Unit 5.
We use the past participle to make the perfect tenses and all the passive forms.
Perfect tenses (have/has/had cleaned):
I have cleaned the windows. (present perfect – see Units 7–8)
They were still working. They hadn’t finished. (past perfect – see Unit 15)
Passive (is cleaned / was cleaned etc.):
He was carried out of the room. (past simple passive) ⎫ see Units 42–44

This gate has just been painted. (present perfect passive) ⎭

1.2 Irregular verbs


When the past simple and past participle do not end in -ed (for example, I saw / I have seen), the verb
is irregular.
With some irregular verbs, all three forms (infinitive, past simple and past participle) are the same.
For example, hit:
Don’t hit me. (infinitive)
Somebody hit me as I came into the room. (past simple)
I’ve never hit anybody in my life. (past participle – present perfect)
George was hit on the head by a stone. (past participle – passive)
With other irregular verbs, the past simple is the same as the past participle (but different from the
infinitive). For example, tell → told:
Can you tell me what to do? (infinitive)
She told me to come back the next day. (past simple)
Have you told anybody about your new job? (past participle – present perfect)
I was told to come back the next day. (past participle – passive)
With other irregular verbs, all three forms are different. For example, wake → woke/woken:
I’ll wake you up. (infinitive)
I woke up in the middle of the night. (past simple)
The baby has woken up. (past participle – present perfect)
I was woken up by a loud noise. (past participle – passive)

1.3 The following verbs can be regular or irregular:

burn → burned or burnt smell → smelled or smelt


dream → dreamed or dreamt [dremt]* spell → spelled or spelt
lean → leaned or leant [lent]* spill → spilled or spilt
learn → learned or learnt spoil → spoiled or spoilt
* pronunciation
So you can say:
I leant out of the window. or I leaned out of the window.
The dinner has been spoiled. or The dinner has been spoilt.
In British English the irregular form (burnt/learnt etc.) is more usual. For American English, see
Appendix 7.

292
Appendix 1

1.4 List of irregular verbs

infinitive past simple past participle infinitive past simple past participle
be was/were been light lit lit
beat beat beaten lose lost lost
become became become make made made
begin began begun mean meant meant
bend bent bent meet met met
bet bet bet pay paid paid
bite bit bitten put put put
blow blew blown read read [red]* read [red]*
break broke broken ride rode ridden
bring brought brought ring rang rung
broadcast broadcast broadcast rise rose risen
build built built run ran run
burst burst burst say said said
buy bought bought see saw seen
catch caught caught seek sought sought
choose chose chosen sell sold sold
come came come send sent sent
cost cost cost set set set
creep crept crept sew sewed sewn/sewed
cut cut cut shake shook shaken
deal dealt dealt shine shone shone
dig dug dug shoot shot shot
do did done show showed shown/showed
draw drew drawn shrink shrank shrunk
drink drank drunk shut shut shut
drive drove driven sing sang sung
eat ate eaten sink sank sunk
fall fell fallen sit sat sat
feed fed fed sleep slept slept
feel felt felt slide slid slid
fight fought fought speak spoke spoken
find found found spend spent spent
flee fled fled spit spat spat
fly flew flown split split split
forbid forbade forbidden spread spread spread
forget forgot forgotten spring sprang sprung
forgive forgave forgiven stand stood stood
freeze froze frozen steal stole stolen
get got got/gotten stick stuck stuck
give gave given sting stung stung
go went gone stink stank stunk
grow grew grown strike struck struck
hang hung hung swear swore sworn
have had had sweep swept swept
hear heard heard swim swam swum
hide hid hidden swing swung swung
hit hit hit take took taken
hold held held teach taught taught
hurt hurt hurt tear tore torn
keep kept kept tell told told
kneel knelt knelt think thought thought
know knew known throw threw thrown
lay laid laid understand understood understood
lead led led wake woke woken
leave left left wear wore worn
lend lent lent weep wept wept
let let let win won won
lie lay lain write wrote written
* pronunciation
293
Units
137-
5–6 Past simple and past continuous
145
14 Choose the correct alternative.

Is it true that Sir Isaac Newton understood gravity because an apple (1) fell / was falling on his head
when he (2) lay / was lying under a tree in his garden? Probably not. However, many great and small
discoveries are the result of lucky accidents …

One day in 1879 chemist Constantin Fahlberg (3) didn’t wash / wasn’t washing his hands before dinner.
While he (4) ate / was eating he (5) noticed / was noticing that the bread (6) tasted / was tasting sweet.
The sweetness was saccharin.

Alexander Fleming (7) became / was becoming interested in the control of bacteria while he
(8) worked / was working as a doctor during the First World War. In 1928 he (9) tidied / was tidying his
laboratory when he (10) saw / was seeing that one of the dirty dishes (11) didn’t have / wasn’t having
any bacteria on it, but that something else (12) grew / was growing there. It was penicillin.

In 1930 dietician Ruth Wakefield (13) prepared / was preparing some cookies for guests when she
(14) realised / was realising that she had no chocolate powder. She (15) decided / was deciding to use
small pieces of ordinary chocolate instead. The chocolate pieces (16) didn’t melt / wasn’t melting, and
the first chocolate chip cookies were a great success.

Dr Percy Spencer was a physicist in the 1940s who probably enjoyed chocolate chip cookies.
He (17) walked / was walking past some equipment in the laboratory when he (18) felt / was feeling
something strange in his pocket. It was his chocolate bar and it (19) melted / was melting. This accident
(20) led / was leading to the invention of a new piece of cooking equipment – the microwave oven.

15 Put the verbs into the correct form: past simple or past continuous.

From: Ada
To: Becky
Subject: Naomi

Hi Becky,
Guess what, my sister Naomi is married! She (1) got (get) home from her round the world
trip last week with a husband!! She (2) (meet) him when she (3)
(travel) round New Zealand. One afternoon, while her friends (4) (shop),
she (5) (go) to look round an art gallery. She (6) (look) at
a small sculpture when a young man (7) (come) into the room and he
(8) (start) to put it into his rucksack. She (9) (call) the security
guard because she (10) (think) the man (11) (try) to steal it. She
(12) (be) really embarrassed to discover that he (13) (not steal)
it – it (14) (belong) to him! Anyway, he (15) (not mind) and he
(16) (ask) her to go for a coffee. They (17) (get married) a month
later in Bali. We (18) (not know) anything about it! Can you believe it?
He’s really nice and they are very happy together!
Love, Ada

English Grammar in Use Supplementary Exercises 9


Units Present and past
137-
1–6
145 (I do / I am doing and I did / I was doing)

18 Choose the correct alternative.


adam: Hello, Mike. What (1) are you doing / do you do in my part
of London?
mike: Well, actually, (2) I’m looking / I look at these new flats
(3) they’re building / they build down the road here.
adam: Well, (4) they’re looking / they look quite cool, but
(5) I’m thinking / I think they’re quite expensive. So
(6) are you wanting / do you want to move to this area?
mike: Yes. In fact, well, the news is that Mandy and I (7) are getting / get married.
adam: Oh, wow! Congratulations. When (8) were you deciding / did you decide?
mike: Only last week. It was while (9) we were staying / we stayed with her family in Scotland.
Now (10) we try / we’re trying to find a suitable flat.
adam: I hope you manage to buy one of these.
mike: Oh, (11) we aren’t looking / we don’t look for one to buy. (12) We aren’t having /
We don’t have enough money yet. (13) We’re wanting / We want to rent one.
adam: Yes, of course. That’s what Anna and I (14) did / were doing at first. After that, my brother
(15) was lending / lent us some money. That’s how (16) we were managing / we managed
to buy ours.
mike: You’re right. We must talk to our families before (17) we choose / we’re choosing a flat.
adam: Yeah, my family (18) gave / were giving us a lot of help and advice. Now, what about a
sandwich at my place? It’s just round the corner.
mike: Oh yes, thanks. (19) I looked / I was looking for somewhere to eat when (20) I was bumping /
I bumped into you.
19 Put the verbs into the correct form: present simple, present continuous, past simple or
past continuous.
1 I remember the day you got engaged. I was having a shower when you phoned. (have)
2 He tried to explain his problems to his parents, but they just what
he was talking about. (not / understand)
3 What have you put in my burger? It absolutely disgusting. (taste)
4 Leo always claimed that he was innocent, but for many years no one
him. (believe)
5 It’s a great jacket, I know, but unfortunately it to me. I’m just
borrowing it for the party this evening. (not / belong)
6 Why a coat? You’ll freeze to death in this cold wind! (you / not / wear)
7 Zoe fell over and hurt her ankle when she this morning. (jog)
8 While I was admiring the view, someone my phone from my bag.
(steal)
9 Look! that man standing at the checkout? I’m sure I know him.
(you / see)
10 Tea or coffee? I’m making both, so just say which you . (prefer)

English Grammar in Use Supplementary Exercises 11


Unit
7 Present perfect 1 (I have done)
A Study this example situation:

I’ve lost my key. Tom can’t find his key.


He’s lost his key. (= He has lost …)
he has lost his key =
he lost it and he doesn’t have it now
have lost / has lost is the present perfect simple:
finished
I/we/they/you have (= I’ve etc.)
lost
done
he/she/it has (= he’s etc.) been etc.

The present perfect simple is have/has + past participle. The past participle often ends in -ed
(finished/decided etc.), but many verbs are irregular (lost/done/written etc.).
For a list of irregular verbs, see Appendix 1.

B When we say ‘something has happened’, this is usually new information:


Ow! I’ve cut my finger.
The road is closed. There’s been an accident. (= There has been …)
Police have arrested two men in connection with the robbery.
When we use the present perfect, there is a connection with now. The action in the past has a result now:
Tom has lost his key. (= he doesn’t have it now)
He told me his name, but I’ve forgotten it. (= I can’t remember it now)
Sally is still here. She hasn’t gone out. (= she is here now)
I can’t find my bag. Have you seen it? (= do you know where it is now?)
Compare gone (to) and been (to):
James is on holiday. He has gone to Italy. (= he is there now or on his way there)
Amy is back home now. She has been to Italy. (= she has now come back)

C You can use the present perfect with just, already and yet.

Just = a short time ago:


‘Are you hungry?’ ‘No, I’ve just had lunch.’
Hello. Have you just arrived?
Already = sooner than expected:
‘Don’t forget to pay the bill.’ ‘I’ve already paid it.’
‘What time is Mark leaving?’ ‘He’s already left.’
Yet = until now. We use yet to show that we are expecting something to happen.
We use yet in questions and negative sentences:
Has it stopped raining yet?
I’ve written the email, but I haven’t sent it yet.

D You can also use the past simple (did, went, had etc.) in the examples on this page. So you can say:
Ben isn’t here. He’s gone out. or He went out.
‘Are you hungry?’ ‘No, I’ve just had lunch.’ or ‘No, I just had lunch.’

Present perfect ➜ Units 8, 11 been to ➜ Units 8A, 126A Present perfect continuous ➜ Units 9–10
14 Present perfect and past ➜ Units 12–14 yet and already ➜ Unit 111 American English ➜ Appendix 7
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Unit
Exercises 7
7.1 Read the situations and complete the sentences using the present perfect. Choose from these
verbs:
break disappear go up grow improve lose shrink stop

1 Tom is looking for his key. He can’t find it. Tom has lost his key.
2 Maria’s English wasn’t very good. Now it is better. Her English
3 My bag was here, but it isn’t here any more. My bag
4 Lisa can’t walk and her leg is in plaster. Lisa
5 Last week the bus fare was £1.80. Now it is £2. The bus fare
6 Dan didn’t have a beard before. Now he has a beard. Dan
7 It was raining ten minutes ago. It isn’t raining now. It
8 I washed my sweater, and now it’s too small for me. My sweater

7.2 Put in been or gone.


1 My parents are on holiday. They’ve gone to Italy.
2 Hello! I’ve just to the shops. I’ve bought lots of things.
3 Tom has just out. He’ll be back in about an hour.
4 Alice isn’t here at the moment. I don’t know where she’s .
5 You’re very late. Where have you ?

7.3 Complete the sentences using the present perfect.


1 Sally is still here. She hasn’t gone (she / not / go) out.
2 I can’t find my bag. (you / see / it) anywhere?
3 I can’t log on to the website. (I / forget) my password.
4 I sent Joe an email this morning, but (he / not / reply).
5 Is the meeting still going on, or (it / finish)?
6 (the weather / change). It’s colder now.
7 (you / not / sign) the form. Could you sign it now, please?
8 Are your friends still here, or (they / go) home?
9 Paul doesn’t know what he’s going to do.
(he / not / decide / yet).
10 ‘Do you know where Julia is?’ ‘Yes, (I / just / see / her).’
11 ‘When is David going away?’ ‘ (he / already / go).’
12 a: (your course / start / yet)?
b: Not yet. It starts next week.

7.4 Read the situations and write sentences with just, already or yet.
1 After lunch you go to see a friend at her house. She says, ‘Would you like something to eat?’
You say: No thank you. I’ve just had lunch . (have lunch)
2 Joe goes out. Five minutes later, the phone rings and the caller says, ‘Can I speak to Joe?’
You say: I’m afraid . (go out)
3 You are eating in a restaurant. The waiter thinks you have finished and starts to take your plate away.
You say: Wait a minute! . (not / finish)
4 You plan to eat at a restaurant tonight. You phone to reserve a table. Later your friend says,
‘Shall I phone to reserve a table?’ You say: No, . (do it)
5 You know that Lisa is looking for a place to live. Perhaps she has been successful.
You ask her: ? (find)
6 You are still thinking about where to go for your holiday. A friend asks, ‘Where are you going
for your holiday?’ You say: . (not / decide)
7 Laura went out, but a few minutes ago she returned. Somebody asks, ‘Is Laura still out?’
You say: No, . (come back)

15
Unit
8 Present perfect 2 (I have done)
A Study this example conversation:
DaVE: Have you travelled a lot, Jane?
JaNE: Yes, I’ve been to lots of places. Jane’s life
DaVE: Really? Have you ever been to China? (a period until now)
JaNE: Yes, I’ve been to China twice.
DaVE: What about India? past now
JaNE: No, I haven’t been to India.
When we talk about a period of time that continues from the past until now, we use the present
perfect (have been / have travelled etc.). Here, Dave and Jane are talking about the places Jane
has visited in her life, which is a period that continues until now.

In the same way we say:


Have you ever eaten caviar?
We’ve never had a car.
I don’t know what the film is about. I haven’t seen it.
Susan really loves that book. She’s read it three times. (She’s = She has)
It’s a really boring movie. It’s the most boring movie I’ve ever seen.
been (to) = visited:
I’ve never been to Canada. Have you been there?

B In the following examples too, the speakers are talking about a period that continues until now
(recently, in the last few days, so far, since I arrived etc.):
Have you heard anything from Ben recently? recently
I’ve met a lot of people in the last few days.
Everything is going well. There haven’t been any in the last few days
problems so far. since I arrived
The weather is bad here. It’s (= It has) rained every past now
day since I arrived. (= from when I arrived until now)
It’s good to see you again. We haven’t seen each other for a long time.
In the same way we use the present perfect with today, this evening, this year etc. when these
periods are not finished at the time of speaking:
I’ve drunk four cups of coffee today. today
Have you had a holiday this year?
I haven’t seen Tom this morning. Have you? past now

C We say ‘It’s the (first) time something has happened’. For example:
Don is having a driving lesson. It’s his first lesson.
We can say: This is the first time
I’ve driven a car.
It’s the first time he has driven a car. (not drives)
or He hasn’t driven a car before.
or He has never driven a car before.
In the same way we say:
Sarah has lost her passport again. This is the second
time this has happened. (not happens)
Andy is phoning his girlfriend again. It’s the third
time he’s phoned her this evening.

16 Present perfect 1 ➜ Unit 7 perfect + for/since ➜ Units 11–12


Presentfacebook.com/LinguaLIB Present perfect and past ➜ Units 12–14
Unit
Exercises 8
8.1 You ask people about things they have done. Write questions with ever.
1 (ride / horse?) Have you ever ridden a horse?
2 (be / California?) Have
3 (run / marathon?)
4 (speak / famous person?)
5 (most beautiful place / visit?) What’s

8.2 Complete B’s answers. Some sentences are positive and some negative. Use these verbs:
be be eat happen have have meet play read see try

A B

1 What’s Mark’s sister like? I’ve never met her.


I’ve no idea.
2 Is everything going well? Yes, we haven’t had any problems so far.
3 Are you hungry? Yes. I much today.
4 Can you play chess? Yes, but for ages.
5 Are you enjoying your holiday? Yes, it’s the best holiday for a long time.
6 What’s that book about? I don’t know. it.
7 Is Brussels an interesting place? I’ve no idea. there.
8 I hear your car broke down again Yes, it’s the second time
yesterday. this month.
9 Do you like caviar? I don’t know. it.
10 Mike was late for work again today. Again? He late every day this week.
11 Who’s that woman by the door? I don’t know. her before.

8.3 Write four sentences about yourself. Use I haven’t and choose from the boxes.
used a computer travelled by bus eaten any fruit
been to the cinema read a book lost anything today
this week
1 I haven’t used a computer today. recently
2 for ages
3 since …
4 this year
5

8.4 Read the situations and complete the sentences.


1 Jack is driving a car for the first time. He’s very nervous and not sure what to do.
It’s the first time he’s driven a car.
2 Some children at the zoo are looking at a giraffe. They’ve never seen one before.
It’s the first time a giraffe.
3 Sue is riding a horse. She doesn’t look very confident or comfortable.
She before.
4 Joe and Lisa are on holiday in Japan. They’ve been to Japan once before.
This is the second time .
5 Emily is staying at the Prince Hotel. She stayed there a few years ago.
It’s not the first this hotel.
6 Ben is playing tennis for the first time. He’s a complete beginner.
before.

17

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