I’ve lived here for ten years (Present Perfect +

for/since)

1. Think about yourself when you were 12 years old and decide which
adjectives you would use to describe yourself at that age. Explain why.

annoying artistic cheerful hard-working selfish shy

2. You are going to watch a video about a successful 12-year-old painter,

Aelita. Decide what three things you would like to know about her.

3. Watch the video [https://youtu.be/-9S0r27ylKc] and see if it answered your

questions in ex. 2.

4. Complete the information about Aelita. Then, watch the video again and
check.
a) Aelita Andre comes from Australia. [00:34]
b) She started painting when she was nine months old. [00:47]
c) When she was two, she had her first show. [01:07]
d) Aelita has sold paintings for around $35,000. [01:18]
e) When she paints, she thinks about the universe, animals, and everything that
is to do with nature. [01:43]
f) When Aelita’s rabbit Fluffy doesn’t like a painting, he bites her and the
painting. [02:15]

5. Discuss the questions.

• Do you like Aelita’s paintings? Would you like to
have one at home?
• What should Aelita do with the money she
earns from painting?
• Do you think Aelita will always be a painter?
Why/Why not?
• When was the last time you painted?

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 I’ve lived here for ten years (Present Perfect +
for/since)

6. Look at the sentences and questions about Aelita and complete the tables.
a) She’s been a painter for ten years.
b) She hasn’t lived in Japan.
c) Many people have loved her art since her first show.
d) How long has Aelita had Fluffy?
e) Have her parents worked as painters?

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

AUXILIARY PAST EXTRA HOW LONG?
SUBJECT (NOT)
VERB PARTICIPLE INFORMATION (FOR/SINCE)
a) She has --- been a painter for ten
years.
b) She has not lived in Japan. ---
c) Many people have --- loved her art since her
first show.

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE (QUESTIONS)

(QUESTION AUXILIARY PAST
SUBJECT EXTRA INFORMATION
WORD) VERB PARTICIPLE
d) How long has Aelita had Fluffy?
e) --- Have her parents worked as painters?

[Elicit the ways of answering yes/no questions in Present Perfect.]

7. Look at the sentences in ex. 6 again and complete the rules.

a) We use Present Perfect to talk about things which started in the past and
are/aren’t still true now.
b) We use ‘for’/‘since’ to refer to a specific point in time (e.g. ‘2015’).
c) We use ‘for’/‘since’ with a period of time (e.g. ‘two months’).

8. Complete the sentences with the verbs in Present Perfect tense.

a) Meg has worked (work) for us for two months.
b) He hasn’t said (not say) anything since 10 a.m.
c) Has your mum worn (wear, your mum) glasses for 12 years?

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 I’ve lived here for ten years (Present Perfect +
for/since)

d) Have they been (be, they) married since 2018?

e) My friends and I haven’t heard (not hear) any sounds for five minutes.
f) Have you had (have, you) your dog since December last year?
g) I’ve lived (live) here for ten years.
h) She hasn’t seen (not see) her sister for two hours.
i) I haven’t been (not be) abroad since the pandemic started.

9. Complete the information about date (today) and time (now). Look at the
sentences in ex. 8 and change ‘since’ to ‘for’ and ‘for’ to ‘since’. Make all the
other necessary changes like in the examples.
[The answers will depend on the date and time of your class.]
DATE: TIME:

EXAMPLES: DATE: May 5th, 2022 TIME: 11:42 a.m.

a) Meg has worked for us for two months.

Meg has worked for us since March.
b) He hasn’t said anything since 10 a.m.
He hasn’t said anything for one hour and forty-two minutes.

10. Ask your partner a question using one of the phrases below. They will
answer it using ‘for’ or ‘since’. Then, take turns.
EXAMPLE: How long have you had a pet?
I’ve had my dog for three years.
• have a pet • work for your company
• study English • be awake
• live in your house • know how to read
• be in this lesson • live in your town
• know your best friend • be married
• have your phone

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