were at the cinema were watching a film.

was in his car. Tim was driving.

Tracey was at the station. She was waiting for a train.
Mr. and Mrs. Hall were in the park. They were walking.
was at home. I was doing homework.

was playing tennis.

she was reading the newspaper

she was cooking lunch.

she was having breakfast.

she was cleaning the house.

What were you doing

Was it raining
Why was Sue driving
Was Tim wearing

He was carrying a bag.

He wasn't going to the dentist.
He was eating an ice-cream.
He wasn't carring an umbrella.
He wasn't going home.
He was wearing a hat.
He wasn't riding a bicycle.
 happened
was painting
fell

arrived
got

were waiting

was walking
met
was going

was carrying
stopped

was studying
did the post arrive
came was having

didn't go
were you driving
stopped
wasn't driving
Did your team win
didn't play
did you break
were playing kicked
hit
Did you see
was wearing
did you do

lost
did you get
climbed
Exercises
Write for or since.
1 lt 's been ra1n1ng
. . smce lunc ht"1me.
.......................
since...... 1995.
2 Sarah has lived in Paris ..................
for
3 Paul has lived in Brazil ...... ....... __ ten years.
. d o f wa 1t1ng.
4 I' m t1re .. w eve been s1tt1ng . . here __ for I
.... ..... ... ... an hour.
since
5 Kevin has been looking for a job .................................. he left school.
6 I haven't been to a party ............ for ... .......... ages.
7 I won der where joe is. I haven't seen him since last week.
8 jane is away. She's been away since .................. Friday.
9 The wea ther is dry. lt hasn't rained .. for ........ .... ... .. .. a few weeks.

Write questions with how Long and when.

1 it's raining.
(how long?) .. How lQ_ Ylg....h<A-s .i-t ~-~_ .. r<Airl.lK\g..? .... .... . ....... . .... . ..... . .............................................
(when?) . ____ wn
~Y.' ... 4U....i&... ?..W.X.t... .r.W.4J.g. ~ ........ ....................................................................................................... ............ . .......................
2 Kate is learning Japanese.
(how long I learn?) How long
................ ... ....has.......Kate been
_______ ......... .....learning
....... ........ Japanese?
.. .. ..... ....................... ........... ..................... . ................................. .
(when I start?) When
... . .... ___did
.. .....she
. ........start learning?. ....... . ........
. . ..................... ..... ............ . ......
3 I know Simon.
(how long I you I know?) .....................................................................................................................................................................................
How long have you known Simon? .
(when I you I first I meet?) When did you. first
. ... .. .................... met Simon?
. ............................. ..............................................................................................
4 Rebecca and David are married.
(how long?) ...How .. . ...... long have. .they
. .................. .. .. .... been
..................married?
. .. . ....................... ..... . ................................ .. ...................... ................................. ..
(when?) . When
.... ..... . did ...... they
. ..... . ...get ......married?
... .............................. .... . . ..... ..... ... .................... ............ ........................................... ....... .

Read the situations and complete the sentences.

1 It ' s ra~nmg.
· · 1t ' s b een ra1n1ng
· · ·
s~nce l unc h t1me.
· sw..rted.. r<Airtrnn3-
It ........................................... .. at l unc ht.1me.
2 Ann and jess are friends. They first met years ago. They've ... J .r.JQ.NY\ ... ~... .9~.~ --- fu~........ years.
been ill since
3 Mark is ill. He became ill on Sunday. He has ...................................................................................................................... Sunday.
4 Mark is ill. He became ill a few days ago. He has been ill for
______ ...................................................................... a few days.
5 Sarah is married. She's been married for a year. She got married a year ago
................................................................................... .
6 You have a headache. lt started when you woke up.
been having a headache since
I've ................................................................................................................ I woke up.
7 Sue has been in Italy for the last three weeks.
She went ..........to Italy __ three.................
weeks. ago
8 You're working in a hotel. You started si x months ago.
been working in a hotel for
I've .................................................................. six months.
................................................................................................................................................................................... ·

Write B's sentences using the words in brackets.

1 Do you often go on holiday?
A:
B: No, .... ..1 J!.~Y.e.?:\,t .h~----~.. JlQ.~ ...fur.. five years.
2 A: Do you often see Laura?
haven't.......
B: No, I .............. seen Laura. for ................................................ ................ about a month.
__ ..................
3 A: Do you often go to the cinem a?
B: No, I haven't
.......... ... gone. to the cinema for
.................................................................................................. a long time.
4 A: Do you often eat in resta urants ?
B: I haven't eaten in restaurants for
No, ......................................................................................................................................... ages.

Now write B's answers again. This time use lt's ... since .. . .
5 (1) .... N Q.).... i&~?. .. _fi_,y~ .. ~~.?. .. s.~ <:& .. !...h%....Cb. ...Y1 Q.~ .·.............................. ...................................................................................... ..
a month
6 (2} No, its .............. since I saw Laura.
.................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ... .
7 (3) N 0 it's a long time since I went to the cinema.
I . ......... ............. . .......... .......................... ....... .......... . .. . . .... ..... .. ................. .................................................................. ................................. .............. ..

8 (4) No, ... it's ages

. ......... ... .. since I ate in restaurants. ................. . . ' . ....... . .. ..... . ..... . .......... .... ..... ......... ....... ............... '

25
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.

Ten minutes later:

Now Tom has found his key. He has it now.

Has he lost his key? No, he has found it.
Did he Lose his key? Yes, he did.
He lost his key (past simple)
but now he has found it. (present perfect)

The present perfect (something has happened) is a present tense. lt 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. lt 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:
0 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)
0 lt has stopped raining now, so we don't need the umbrella. (it isn't ra ining now)
lt stopped raining for a while, but now it's raining again. (not lt has stopped)

You can use the present perfect for new or recent happenings:
0 'I've repaired the washing machine. lt's working OK now.' 'Oh, that's good.'
0 'Sally has had a baby! lt's a boy.' 'That's great news.'
Usually, you can also use the past simple:
0 I repaired the washing machine. lt's working OK now.
Use the past simple (not the present perfect) for things that are not recent or new:
0 Mozart was a composer. He wrote more t han 600 pieces of music.
(not has been ... has written)
0 My mother grew up in Italy. (not has grown)
Compare:
0 Did you know that somebody has invented a new type of washing machine?
0 Who invented the telephone? (not has invented)

We use the present perfect to give new information (see Unit 7) . But if we continue to talk about it,
we normally use the past simple:
0 A : Ow! I've burnt myself.
s: How did you do that? (not have you done)
A: I picked up a hot dish. (not have picked)

0 A: Look! Somebody has spilt something on the sofa.

s: Well, it wasn't me. I didn't do it. (not hasn't been ... haven't done)

Past s i m pl e ~ Unit 5 Present perfect ~ Units 7- 8 Present perfect and past 2 ~ Unit 14
Am erica n English ~App e ndi x 7
 Unit
Exercises -_ 13
Complete the sentences using the verbs in brackets. Use the present perfect where possible.
Otherwise use the past simple.
The office is empty now.
Everybody has gone
GJ (go) home.

I can't get in.

\e
1 .... lq?t . (lose) my
key.

I meant to call you last night,

but I forgot it. Helen has gone
(forget) . (go) to Egypt for a holiday, but
she's back home in England now.

had .
Yes, I ....... Can you help us? Our car
(have) a headache, but I'm broke
fine now.

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. .... .gr~ . .. ...... . ... .. ............................... ....... .
3 How many poems has William Shakespeare written? did William Shakespeare write?
............................................................ ............................... .
4 Ow! I've cut my finger. lt's bleeding. OK
........ ......... ............ ...............................................
OK .. . ..... ............................. .
5 Drugs have become a big problem everywhere. . ... . .
6 Who has invented paper? .......invented
.. .. ..... . . ..... ...................................
7 Where have you been born? were ....you
.................... .. .....born?
. .. ...... _...........................
8 Ellie isn't at home. She's gone shoppi ng. OK . ....
................... ......................................
9 Albert Einstein has been the scientist who was the
.................... scientist who developed
............ ....... .. ... ..... ..
has developed the theory of relativity. ....... ... ....... .. ........ .. . ........................ .

Put the verb into the correct form, present perfect or past simple.
1 lt stoPP eeL
.......... ...... · · f or a w h'l1 e, b ut now ·1t 's rammg
ra1n1ng · · agam. · 1 I st op )
('t
2 The town where I live is very different now. . .l.t h.~~ ...~.@.9~ ..... a lot. (it I change)
3 I studied German at schoo l, but ......... I have ..... forgotten
.... .... . .. ..... ............. most of it now. (I I forget)
4 The police . arrested three people, but later they let them go. (arrest)
5 What do you think of my English? Do you think that it has improved ? (it I improve)
6 A: Are you still reading the paper?
s: No, I have finished ... . .............. with it. You can have it. (I I finish)
7 I applied _....... for a job as a tourist guide, but I wasn 't successful. (I I apply)
8 Where's my bike? It was ..... . .. . ..... outside the house, but it's not there now. (it I be)
9 Quick! We need to ca ll an ambulance. There . .. ..was . ...... . .... .. ... an accident. (there I be)
10 A: Have you heard about Ben? He broke ....
.................... ................ his arm. (he I break)
B: Rea lly? How did that happen .. .. .... . .... ... ..... ? (that I happen)
A: He fell . . . .. ... . ..... . ... off a ladder. (he I fall)

27
Do not use the present perfect (I have done) when you talk about a finished time (for example,
yesterday I ten minutes ago I in 2005 I when I was a child). Use a past tense:
0 lt was very cold yesterday. (not has been)
0 Paul and Lucy arrived ten minutes ago. (not have a rrived)
0 Did you eat a lot of sweets when you were a child ? (not have you eaten)
0 I got home late last night. I was very tired and went straight to bed.
Use the past to ask When ... ? or What time ... ?:
0 When did your friends arrive? (not have ... arrived)
0 What time did you finish work?
Compare:

Present perfect
.__] Tom has Lost his key. He can't get
into the house.
=
Past simple
Tom Lost his key yesterday.
He couldn 't get into the house.
0 Is Carla here or has she Left? 0 When did Ca rt a Leave ?

Compare:

Present perfect (have done) Past simple (did )

0 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 t ime in
that continues until now. For example: the past. For example:
today I this week I since 2007. yesterday I last week I from 2007 to 2010.
I
1 unfinished 1 1 unfinished 1
I to1ay I I yesterday I
past now past now

0 lt hasn't rained this week. 8 lt didn't rain last week.

0 Have you seen Anna this morning?
(it is sti ll morning)
0 Have yo u seen Tim recently?
0 I don 't know whe re Lisa is. I haven't
seen he r. (= I haven't seen her
recently)
0 We've been waiting for an hour.
(we a re sti ll wa iting now)
0 Jack lives in Los Angeles. He has Lived
there for seven years.
0 I have never played golf. (in my life)
C) lt's the last day ofyour holiday. You say:
lt's been a really good holiday.
I've really enjoyed it.
8 Did you see Anna this morning?
(it is now afternoon or evening)
8 Did yo u see Tim on Sunday?
0 A: Was Lisa at the party on Sunday?
B: I don't think so. I didn't see her.
:= We waited (or were waiting) fo r a n
hour. (we are no longer waiting)
0 Jack Lived in New York for ten years.
Now he lives in Los Angeles.
8 I didn't play golf Last summer.
C After you come back from holiday you
say: lt was a really good holiday.
I really enjoyed it.

Past simple _. Unit 5 Present perfect _. Units 7- 8 Present perfect and past 1 _. Unit 13
Exercises
Are the underlined parts of these sentences right or wrong? Correct them where necessary.
1 I've lost my key. I can,t find it anywhere. . . 0-'S........... .......... .................. ......... ....... .......... ...................... ...
2 Have you eaten a lot of sweets when you were a child? ..Di4...W?.~... ~--·· ············ ·... ....
3 I've bought a new car. You must come and see it. OK
4 I've bought a new ca r last week. I bought
5 Where have you been yesterday evening? were you
6 Lucy has left school in 1999. left
7 I'm looking for Mike. Have you seen him? OK
8 'Have you been to Paris?, 'Yes, many times.' OK
9 l,m very hungry. I haven,t eaten much today. OK
10 When has this book been published? was this book

Make sentences from the words in brackets. Use the present perfect or past simple.
1 (it I not I rain I this week) . lt . h ~?..n.\...r~.~ ~-~? ....W.~ , ....................... .... . ...... ............... ... .... . .. ..... .
2 has been cold recently. ..... ... ......................................................
(the weather I be I cold I recently) The weather ................................................................
3 was
(it I cold I last week) lt ........ ..... cold
. ..........last
........week.
.. ....... .... .. . ...................... ..................... ........ .......... .........................................................
4 (I I not I read I a newspaper yesterday) I did . . not ..........read
........ a.. newspaper
.. ................ ..yesterday.
. ...................
5 (I I not I read I a newspaper today) ......... I haven't ... . . .. read a newspaper
. ................... . . . .... .. . today.
. ....... . . ...... .. ... . . ..
6 (Emily I earn I a lot of money I this year) Emily has earned
................................ a lot .........
.................... of money this year. .............. . .
...................................
7 (she I not I earn I so much I last year) She didn't
................. earn so much last year.
..................................................... ........................................... ........................
8 (you I have I a holiday recently?) .......... Have .......you been in a holiday
............................. . . . ........ recently?
... ..... .. ..................................... ...

Put the verb into the correct form, present perfect or past simple.
1 'Whafs Madrid like?, 'I don,t know. ..... J... h.Q--Y.~nl ..P.e&n..... (I I not I be) there. '
I got.. . ...................... ... (I I get) home last night, ...............................
2 When . ... .............. ...... I was ....................... (I I be)
very tired and .....I ..............
went (I I go) straight to bed.
3 A: Have you
........... seen
... .................................... ...... (you I see) Lisa recently?
I saw
B: Yes, ... ............ ..... ..... .. ........... ...... .... .. (I I saw) her a few days ago.
4 l,m tired. I...didn't .... . ... ......... .. . .................. .... (1 I not I sleep) well last night.
.sleep
5 The bu s drivers were on strike last week. There were .. (there I be) no buses.
6 Mr Lee worked . ........ (work) in a bank for 15 years. Then ........................................
he gave (he I give)
it up. Now he works as a gardener.
7 Mary lives in Dublin. She .... ...... has lived.................. . ............ . (she I live) there all her life.
.... .. .......
8 A: ... .Did you go ..... ................... (you I go) to the cinema last night?
.. ................
it was ....... .................. . ..... (it I be) a mistake. The film .........
B: Yes, but ........ was. (be) awful.
9 My grandfather .. died ....... ........ ... .. ... ............... (die) before I was born. . I never met him.
.... ............................................. ..
(1 I never I meet) him.
10 I don't know Karen's husband. ..I..........................................................................
have never met him. (I I never I meet) him.
11 Ifs nearly lunchtime, and ..I.. haven't .. .....seen
........... ... .. ...... ...... . (I I not I see) Martin all morning.
I wonder where he is.
12 'Where do you live?, 'In Boston.'
have you lived
'How long ................................................................................. . (you I live) there?' 'Five years.'
did you live
'Where .. ....... ... .. ....... . . . . .. ..... ...... . . (you I live) before that?' 'I n Chicago.,
'And how long have ...... you lived
........... ... .. . . .... . ........... .. .... . (you I live) in Chicago?' 'Two years.'

Write sentences about yourself using the ideas in brackets.

(something you haven't done today) .... ..1. ~.QvV:~Y1. .i:.....~n CM1H ...fr.tA.~...t9~................... .. .. ......... ........ .
1

1
2 (something you haven,t done today) .... I haven't had... any
.... ... . ....... .... .snack... today. ..... .... ............. ..
3 (something you didn,t do yesterday) .... I didn't. .....work yesterday.
. ............ .. . . . ... ......... .. .. .. .............
4 (something you did yesterday evening) I ............
watched movies
... ................. .. .yesterday
.......................... evening.
..... . . ................ ....... ..... .. ............... ..
5 (something you haven't done recently) I....................................................................................................................................................
haven't gone to the cinema recently. ..
6 (something you've done a lot recently) I....have done exercise
..... .. . ...... . .. . . ..... a .lot . ......recently.
.. . ....... ............ .. ...................... .

_.Additional exercises 2- 4 (pages 303- 04) , 14- 15 (pages 310- 11) 29

Study th is example situation:

Sarah went to a party last week. Paul went to the

at 10.30 at 11.00
party too, but they didn't see each other. Paul left t he
party at 10.30 and Sarah arrived at 11 o'clock. So:
When Sarah arrived at t he party, Paul wasn't there.
He had gone home.
Had gone is the past perfect (simple):

gone
1/we/they/you (=I 'd etc.)
had seen
he/she/it (= he'd et c.)
finished etc.
PAUL SA RA H

The past perfect simple is had+ past participle (gone/ seen/ finished etc).
Sometimes we talk about something that happened in t he past:
0 Sarah arrived at the party.
This is the starting point of the story. Then, if we want to talk about th ings that happened before this
time, we use the past perfect (had ... ):
0 When Sarah arrived at the party, Paul had already gone home.
Some more exa mples:
0 When we got home last night, we found t hat somebody had broken into the flat.
0 Karen didn 't want to go to the cinema with us because she'd already seen the movie.
0 At first I thought I'd done the right thing, but I soon realised that I'd made a big mistake.
0 The man sitting next to me on the plane was very nervous. He hadn't flown before.
or ... He had never flown before.

Compare the present perfect (have seen etc.) and the past perfect (had seen etc.):

Present perfect I Past perfect

have seen had seen

past now past now

0 Who is that woman? I've seen her
before, but I ca n't remember where.
C We aren't hungry. We've just had
lunch.
0 The house is dirty. They haven't
cleaned it for weeks.
CJ I wasn't sure who she was. I'd seen her
before, but I couldn't remember where.
C We weren't hu ngry. We'd just had
lunch.
8 The house was dirty. They hadn't
cleaned it for weeks.

Compare the past simple (Left, was etc.) and the past perfect (had left, had been etc.):

0 A: Was Tom there when you arrived? 0 A: Was Tom t here when you arrived ?
B: Yes, but he Left soon afterwards. B: No, he had already Left.
0 Kate wasn't at home when I phoned. 0 Kate had just got home when I phoned.
She was at her mother/s house. She had been at he r mother's house.

Past perfect contin uous -+ Unit 16 Irregular verbs (gone/ seen etc.) -+ Appendix 1
Exercises
Read the situations and write sentences from the words in brackets.
1 You went to Sue's house, but she wasn't there.
(she I go I out) _S_h.~... h.o.-4. .99.Y1. ~... .9~t. . . . ... ·······o···· o····· .. ·o······ o ... .... . ........... 0 .. 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..

2 You went back to your home town after many years. lt wasn't the same as before.
(it I change I a lot) It ........
had changed a lot. 0 . ........... . .... .. . .. • • ...... • .... ... • . ..... ...... .. . ...................... . ................................ . .......... .... 0 .. . .......... ........... . ....... ..

3 I invited Rachel to the party, but she couldn't come.

(she I arrange I to do something else) She had arranged to doooo something
o..... o.............. else.
............................... 0 . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .

4 You went to the cinema last night. You got to the cinema late.
(the film I already I start) The ....... 0 0film
000000.. had
........ already started. ••• . • ••••••• .. .....

5 lt was nice to see Daniel again after such a long time.

(I I not I see I him for five years) I hadn't seen him for five years.
6 I offered Sue something to eat, but she wasn't hungry.
(she I just I have I breakfast) ......................
She had just had breakfast
.. ................................ ............................ ............ ....................................................................... ..

G 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. lt was his first flight.
(fly) ...oHe,4 ne:-ver flown .be.fore:-... ..o .. o......................... o.... ...... . .. ..
2 Somebody sang a song. I didn't know it.
(hear) I had never heard that
...... oooooo .... o....song
o...... o.. ooo 0 .... .. ...................... o .... 0 0 .... • ........................ o ..... o..... before.
3 Sa m played tennis yesterday. He wasn't very good at it because it was his first game.
(play) He had never played
. .. .......... 0..... .. .......tennis before. o.. 0..... 0.............. ... 0.. .. .............
.. . .. • ... . .. o • ... • • .... . ...... .. . ... .. ............ 0................... .

4 Last year we went to Mexico. lt was our first time there.

(be there) We ....had never
.. ........ been to
...................... ...... Mexico
. . .... . ...before.
.. ......................... 0........ ............ ................ ................. . ........ 0....... .... 0..... 0.. .. .........................

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 o.... ?..o.rr..~o~ . ~.% OP.r.9.~e.no ....
(b) We arrived at work in the morning. into the office during the night. So
(c) We called the police. we
... called
0 .. . ....................... .... . the police. .......... ...................... . . . .. . . . .. ..... .. . ....

2 (a) Lau ra went out this morning.

(b) I rang her doorbell. there was no
(c) There was no answer. Laura had gone out.
3 (a) Jim came back from holiday a few He had
days ago. ~u~tetJt=~f~~ come back~~~s fromago. a : . . h~liday.
(b) I met him the same day. } He looked
.. .. ... 0........ 0....... .. .. ................ .. ........... .. ... .................................. 0 very well.
(c) He looked very well.

4 (a) Kevin sent Sally lots of emails. got a phone call

Yesterday Kevin .................................... from 0 ...... ....... ...... ...... 0 ...

(b) She never replied to them. Sally. . He waso.. .......... • • • .. ....... very surprised.
0 .. ... . . . . . . . .. ..

(c) Yesterday he got a phone call from her. He had sent

.. .......... her o.... ........ ..
o................ lots of emails,
(d) He was very surprised. but she
............had never replied to them0 .............. .

Put the verb into the correct form, past perfect (I had done) or past simple (I did).
1 'Was Paul at the party when you arrived?' 'No, he ooooooh~.. ogQn~..... (go) home.'
2 I felt very tired when I got home, so I .. went . .... . .. ...... (go) straight to bed. 0 .............. .. . . . . .

had gone
3 The house was very quiet when I got home. Everybody .................................................. . (go) to bed.
broke
4 Sorry I'm late. The ca r ................. (break) down on my way here.
0 . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ....... .... . . . . . . .. .. .

5 We were driving along the road when we saw ............................o....o........o.... o(see) a car which
had
...... broken
0........ ................. (break) down, so we stopped .................. 0......... 0......... (stop) to help.

_. Additional exercises 5- 8 (pages 304-07) 31

Study this example situation:

Yesterday morning I got up and looked out of the window.

yesterday morning
The sun was shining, but the ground was very wet.
lt had been raining.
lt was not raining when I looked out of the window;
the sun was shining. But it had been rain ing before.
Had been -ing is the past perfect continuous:

1/we/you/they (= I'd etc.)

I doing
had been working
he/she/it (=he'd etc.)
playing etc.

Some more examples:

8 When the boys came into the house, their clothes were dirty, their hair was untidy and one of
them had a black eye. They'd been fighting.
C I was very tired when I got home. I'd been working hard all day.
l__ When I went to Madrid a few years ago, I stayed with a friend of mine. She hadn't been
Living there very long, but she knew the city very well.

You can say that something had been happening for a period of time before something else happened:
0 We'd been playing tennis for about half an hour when it started to rain heavily.
0 Paul went to the doctor last Friday. He hadn't been feeling well for some time.

Compare have been -ing (present perfect continuous) and had been -ing (past perfect continuous):

Present perfect continuous Past perfect continuous

I have been -ing I had been -ing

past now past now

0 I hope the bus comes soon. I've been 0 At last the bus came. I'd been waiting
waiting for 20 minutes. (before now) for 20 minutes. (before the bus came)
0 James is out of breath. He has been C James was out of breath. He had been
running. running.

Compare was -ing (past continuous) and had been -ing:

._. lt wasn't raining when we went out. The sun was shining. But it had been raining,
so the ground was wet.
0 Katherine was sitting in an armchair resting. She was tired because she'd been working
very hard.

Some verbs {for example, know and Like) are not normally used in the continuous:
~] We were good friends. We had known each other for years. (not had been knowing)
0 I was surprised when Lisa cut her hair. She'd had long hair since I first met her.
(not she'd been having)
For a list of these verbs, see Unit 4A. For have, see Unit 17.

Present perfect continuous -+ Unit 9- 10 Past perfect simple -+ Unit 15

 has just bought a new car.
has just woken up has just started.

have already seen

have already phoned him.
has already gone away.
have already read it.
has already started it.

has just gone. The train hasn't left yet.

He hasn't opened it yet. They has just finished It hasn't stopped raining yet.
dinner.

Have met your new neighbours yet?

Have you paid your phone bill yet?

Has Tom sold his car yet?

 for
since
since
for
for
for since

A few years ago.

A week ago.
An hour ago.
six months ago.

for 20 years.
20 years ago.
an hour ago.
a few days ago.
for six months.
for a long time

been here since Tuesday.

raining for an hour.

known Sue since 2002.

been married for six months.

been studying medicine for three years.

been playing the piano since he was seven years old.

I've been doing this homework for 5 hours.

I've been learning English since I was in school.
I've known my boyfriend since 2014
I've had headache for an hour.