GE|Pre-Int|HW||12. Talents

Grammar reference

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Present Perfect with since and for

We use Present Perfect with since and for to talk about situations and events in a period of time from the past until now.

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I‘ve had this cold since Monday.
I‘ve felt ill for three days.

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We use since with a point in time (when the situation or event started).

Present Perfect	since	Point in time
I’ve been here	since	7.30 a.m.
She’s played the violin	since	she was four.

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We use for with a length of time (the duration of the event or situation).

Present Perfect	for	Length of time
I’ve been here	for	two hours.
She’s played the violin	for	20 years.

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Present Perfect and Past Simple

We use Present Perfect to talk about past events when the exact time of the event is either not obvious or not important.

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I‘ve finished this book.
Have you ever ridden a horse?
I‘ve never eaten sushi.

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When the past time is important, we use Past Simple and an exact time expression. We also use Past Simple when we give extra information about an event.

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I finished this book yesterday.
Did you ride a horse at the weekend?
I didn’t do that when I was a child.

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We use recently with Present Perfect to talk about events in the near past.

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Have you spoken to Frank recently?
I haven’t played much basketball recently.

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We often use ever and never with Present Perfect when we ask and talk about experiences.

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Have you ever spoken to Frank?
I‘ve never played basketball.

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We can also use these expressions: once, twice (= two times), lots of times.

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I‘ve eaten Japanese food once.
He‘s climbed that mountain lots of times.