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
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 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.

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Unit
9 Present perfect continuous (I have been doing)
A It’s been raining.
Study this example situation:

Is it raining?
No, but the ground is wet.
It’s been raining. (= It has been …)
have/has been + -ing is the present perfect continuous:

doing
I/we/they/you have (= I’ve etc.)
been working
he/she/it has (= he’s etc.)
learning etc.

We use the present perfect continuous for an activity that has recently stopped or just stopped:
Why are you out of breath? Have you been running?
Paul is very tired. He’s been working hard. have/has been + -ing
Why are you so tired? What have you been doing? present perfect continuous
I’ve been talking to Amanda and she agrees with me.
Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you. now

B It’s been raining for two hours.

Study this example situation:

It began raining two hours ago and it is still raining.

How long has it been raining?
It’s been raining for two hours. (= It has been …)
We use the present perfect continuous in this way, especially
with how long, for … and since … . The activity is still
happening (as in this example) or has just stopped.

How long have you been learning English? (= you’re still learning English)
Ben is watching TV. He’s been watching TV all day.
Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you for the last half hour.
Chris hasn’t been feeling well recently.
You can use the present perfect continuous for repeated actions:
Silvia is a very good tennis player. She’s been playing since she was eight.
Every morning they meet in the same cafe. They’ve been going there for years.

C Compare I am doing and I have been doing:

I am doing I have been doing

present continuous present perfect continuous

now now
Don’t disturb me now. I’m working. I’ve been working hard. Now I’m going
to have a break.
We need an umbrella. It’s raining. The ground is wet. It’s been raining.
Hurry up! We’re waiting. We’ve been waiting for an hour.

18 Present perfect continuous and simple ➜ Units 10–11 Present perfect + for/since ➜ Units 11–12
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 Unit
Exercises 9
9.1 What have these people been doing or what has been happening?
1 earlier 2 earlier 3 earlier 4 earlier

now now now now

It’s been raining. She They He

9.2 Write a question for each situation.

1 You meet Kate as she is leaving the swimming pool. You say:
Hi, Kate. (you / swim?) Have you been swimming?
2 You have arrived a little late to meet Ben who is waiting for you. You say:
I’m sorry I’m late, Ben. (you / wait / long?)
3 Jane’s little boy comes into the house with a very dirty face and dirty hands. His mother says:
Why are you so dirty? (what / you / do?)
4 You are in a shop and see Anna. You didn’t know she worked there. You say:
Hi, Anna. (how long / you / work / here?)
5 A friend tells you about his job – he sells phones. You say:
You sell phones? (how long / you / do / that?)
9.3 Read the situations and complete the sentences.
1 It’s raining. The rain started two hours ago.
It ’s been raining for two hours.
2 We are waiting for the bus. We started waiting 20 minutes ago.
We for 20 minutes.
3 I’m learning Japanese. I started classes in December.
I since December.
4 Jessica is working in a hotel. She started working there on 18 January.
since 18 January.
5 Our friends always go to Italy for their holidays. The first time was years ago.
for years.
9.4 Put the verb into the present continuous (am/is/are + -ing) or present perfect continuous (have/has
been + -ing).
1 Maria has been learning (Maria / learn) English for two years.
2 Hi, Tom. (I / look) for you. I need to ask you something.
3 Why (you / look) at me like that? Stop it!
4 Rachel is a teacher. (she / teach) for ten years.
5 (I / think) about what you said and I’ve decided to take
your advice.
6 ‘Is Paul on holiday this week?’ ‘No, (he / work).’
7 Sarah is very tired. (she / work) very hard recently.
8 It’s dangerous to use your phone when (you / drive).
9 Laura (travel) in South America for the last three months.

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Unit Present perfect continuous and simple
10 (I have been doing and I have done)
A Compare these two situations:

I’ve been painting

my bedroom.
I’ve painted my bedroom.

There is paint on Kate’s clothes. The bedroom was green. Now it is yellow.
She has been painting her bedroom. She has painted her bedroom.
has been painting is the present perfect has painted is the present perfect simple.
continuous.
Here, the important thing is that something has
We are thinking of the activity. It does not matter been finished. ‘She has painted’ is a completed
whether it has been finished or not. In this action. We are thinking about the result of
example, the activity (painting the bedroom) has the activity (the painted bedroom), not the
not been finished. activity itself.

B Compare these examples:

My hands are very dirty. I’ve been My bike is OK again now. I’ve repaired
repairing my bike. it. (= I’ve finished repairing it)
Joe has been eating too much recently. Somebody has eaten all the chocolates.
He should eat less. The box is empty.
It’s nice to see you again. What have you Where’s the book I gave you? What have
been doing since we last met? you done with it?
Where have you been? Have you been Have you ever played tennis?
playing tennis?

C We use the continuous to say how long (for We use the simple to say how much, how many
something that is still happening): or how many times (for completed actions):
How long have you been reading that How many pages of that book have
book? you read?
Amy is writing emails. She’s been writing Amy has sent lots of emails this morning.
emails all morning.
They’ve been playing tennis since 2 o’clock. They’ve played tennis three times this
week.
I’m learning Arabic, but I haven’t been I’m learning Arabic, but I haven’t learnt
learning it very long. very much yet.

D Some verbs (for example, know) are not normally used in continuous forms (be + -ing):
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)
For a list of these verbs, see Unit 4A. For have, see Unit 17.
But note that you can use want and mean in the present perfect continuous (have/has been + -ing):
I’ve been meaning to phone Anna, but I keep forgetting.

Present perfect simple ➜ Units 7–8 Present perfect continuous ➜ Unit 9

20 Present perfect + for/since ➜ Units 11–12
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 Unit
Exercises 10
10.1 Read the situation and complete the sentences. Use the verbs in brackets.
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. 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 10 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 Ask questions using the words in brackets. Use the present perfect simple (have/has done) or
continuous (have/has been doing).
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 present perfect simple or continuous.
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 Where’s Lisa? Where (she / go)?
6 This is a very old book. (I / have) it since I was a child.
7 ‘Have you been busy?’ ‘No, (I / watch) TV.’
8 My brother is an actor. (he / appear) in several films.
9 ‘Sorry I’m late.’ ‘That’s all right. (I / not / wait) long.’
10 Are you OK? You look as if (you / cry).
11 ‘Is it still raining?’ ‘No, (it / stop).’
12 The children are tired now. (they / play) in the garden.
13 (I / lose) my phone. (you / see) it?
14 (I / read) the book you lent me, but
(I / not / finish) it yet. It’s really interesting.
15 (I / read) the book you lent me, so you can have it back now.

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Unit
14 Present perfect and past 2 (I have done and I did)
A We do not use the present perfect (I have done) when we talk about a finished time (for example,
yesterday / last year / ten minutes ago etc.). We 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 Past simple

Tom has lost his key. He can’t get Tom lost his key yesterday.
into the house. He couldn’t get into the house.
Is Carla here or has she left? When did Carla leave?

B Compare:

Present perfect (have done) Past simple (did)

I’ve done a lot of work today. I did a lot of work yesterday.
We use the present perfect for a period of time We use the past simple for a finished time in
that continues until now. For example: the past. For example:
today / this week / since 2010. yesterday / last week / from 2010 to 2014.
unfinished finished
today yesterday
past now past now
It hasn’t rained this week. It didn’t rain last week.
Have you seen Anna this morning? Did you see Anna this morning?
(it is still morning now) (it is now afternoon or evening)
Have you seen Ben recently? Did you see Ben on Sunday?
(in the last few days or weeks)
I’ve been working here since 2010. I worked here from 2010 to 2014.
(I still work here now) (I don’t work here now)
I don’t know where Lisa is. I haven’t seen a: Was Lisa at the party on Sunday?
her. (= I haven’t seen her recently) b: I don’t think so. I didn’t see her.
We’ve been waiting for an hour. We waited (or were waiting) for an
(we are still waiting now) hour. (we are no longer waiting)
Jack lives in Los Angeles. He has lived Jack lived in New York for ten years.
there for seven years. Now he lives in Los Angeles.
I’ve never ridden a horse. (in my life) I never rode a bike when I was a child.
It’s the last day of your holiday. You say: After you come back from holiday you say:
It’s been a really good holiday. I’ve really It was a really good holiday. I really
enjoyed it. enjoyed it.

28 Past simple ➜ Unit 5 Present perfect ➜ Units 7–8 Present perfect and past 1 ➜ Unit 13
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 Unit
Exercises 14
14.1 Are the underlined parts of these sentences OK? Correct them where 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 Maria 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 bridge been built?

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 / eat / any fruit yesterday) I
5 (I / not / eat / any fruit 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 I haven’t been (I / not / be) to Canada, but I’d like to go there.
2 Paul and Lucy arrived (arrive) about ten minutes ago.
3 I’m tired. (I / not / sleep) well last night.
4 (There / be) a bus drivers’ strike last week, so
(there / be) no buses.
5 Edward (work) in a bank for 15 years. Then
(he / give) it up. Now he works as a gardener.
6 Mary lives in Dublin. (She / live) there all her life.
7 My grandfather (die) before I was born.
(I / never / meet) him.
8 I don’t know Karen’s husband. (I / never / meet) him.
9 It’s nearly lunchtime, and (I / not / see) Martin all morning. I wonder
where he is.
10 a: (you / go) to the cinema last night?
b: Yes, but the movie (be) awful.
11 a: (It / be) very warm here since we arrived.
b: Yes, (it / be) 35 degrees yesterday.
12 a: Where do you live? b: In Boston.
a: How long (you / live) there? b: Five years.
a: Where (you / live) before that? b: In Chicago.
a: And how long (you / live) in Chicago? b: Two years.

14.4 Write sentences about yourself using the ideas in brackets.

1 (something you haven’t done today) I haven’t eaten any fruit today.
2 (something you haven’t done today)
3 (something you didn’t do yesterday)
4 (something you did yesterday evening)
5 (something you haven’t done recently)
6 (something you’ve done a lot recently)

➜ Additional exercises 2–4 (pages 303–04), 14–15 (pages 310–11)

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