ENGLISH
GRAMMAR IN USE FOR INTERMEDIATE
11. HOW
LONG HAVE YOU (BEEN) …?
A
|
Study this example situation:
Dan and jenny are married. They got married exactly 20 years ago, so
today is their 20th wedding anniversary.
They have been married
for 20 years. We say: They are married. (present)
but How long
have they been
married? (present perfect) (not How long are they married?)
They have been married
for 20 years. (not They
are married for 20 years)
We use the present perfect to talk about something that began in
the past and still continues now. Compare the present and the present
perfect:
Paul is in hospital. But He's been in hospital since Monday. (=He has been ...) (not Paul
is in hospital since Monday)
Do you know each other well? But Have you known
each other for a long time?
(not Do you know)
She's waiting for somebody. But She's been waiting all morning.
Do they have a car? But How long have they had
their car?
|
B
|
I have known/ had/ lived etc. is the present
perfect simple.
I have been learning /been
waiting /been doing etc. is the present perfect continuous.
When we ask or say
'how long', the continuous is more usual:
I've been learning English for six months.
It's been raining since Lunchtime.
Richard
has been doing the same job
for 20 years.
'How long have you been driving?' 'Since I was 17.'
Some verbs (for
example, know/like/believe)
are not normally used in the continuous:
How
long have you known Jane? (not have
you been knowing)
I've had a pain in my stomach all
day. (not I've been having)
|
C
|
You can use either the present perfect continuous or simple with live and
work:
Julia has been living /has lived here
for a long time.
How long have you been working /have
you worked here?
But use the simple (I've lived /I've done etc.)
with always:
I've always lived in the country. (not always been
living)
|
D
|
We say 'I haven't done something since/for ..
.' (present perfect simple):
I haven't seen Tom since Monday.
(= Monday was the last t ime I saw him)
Sarah hasn't phoned for ages. (=the
last time she phoned was ages ago)
|
EXERCISES
11.1
|
Are
the underlined verbs right
or wrong? Correct them where
necessary.
1
|
Ben is a friend of mine. I know him very well
|
____OK_____
|
2
|
Ben is a friend of mine. I know him for a long time.
|
____I’ve known him ____
|
3
|
Sarah and Adam are married since July.
|
_____________________
|
4
|
The weather is awful. It's raining again.
|
_____________________
|
5
|
The weather is awful. It's raining all day.
|
_____________________
|
6
|
I like your house. How long are you living there?
|
_____________________
|
7
|
Gary is working in a shop for the last few months.
|
_____________________
|
8
|
I don't know Tom well. We've
only met a few times.
|
_____________________
|
9
|
I gave up drinking coffee. I don't drink it for a year.
|
_____________________
|
10
|
That’s a very old bike. How long do you have it?
|
_____________________
|
|
11.2
|
Read the
situations and write questions from the words in brackets.
1
|
A friend tells
you that Paul is in hospital. You ask him:
(how long /be
/in hospital?) ____How long
has Paul been in hospital?_____________
|
2
|
You meet a woman
who tells you that she teaches English. You ask her:
(how long /teach
/English?) ___________________________________
|
3
|
You know that
Jane is a good friend of Katherine's. You ask Jane:
(how long /know
/Katherine?) ___________________________________
|
4
|
Your friend's
brother went to Australia some time ago and he's still there. You ask your
friend: (how long /be /in Australia?) ___________________________________
|
5
|
Tom always wears
the same jacket. It's a very old jacket. You ask him:
(how long /have
/that jacket?) ___________________________________
|
6
|
You are talking
to a friend about Joe. Joe now works at the airport. You ask your friend:
(how long /work
/at the airport?) ___________________________________
|
7
|
A friend of yours
is having guitar lessons. You ask him:
(how long /have
/guitar lessons?) ___________________________________
|
8
|
You meet somebody
on a plane. She says that she lives in Chicago. You ask her:
(always /live
/in Chicago?) ___________________________________
|
|
11.3
|
Complete B's answers to A's questions.
|
A
|
B
|
1
|
Paul is in hospital, isn't he?
|
Yes, he _____has been ____ in hospital since Monday.
|
2
|
Do you see Ann very often?
|
No, I __ haven’t seen ____for three months.
|
3
|
Is Amy married?
|
Yes, she _______________
married for ten years.
|
4
|
Are you waiting for me?
|
Yes, I _______________
for the last half hour
|
5
|
You know Mel, don't you?
|
Yes, we _______________
each other a long time.
|
6
|
Do you still play tennis?
|
No, I _______________
tennis for years.
|
7
|
Is Joe watching TV?
|
Yes, he _______________
TV all evening.
|
8
|
Do you watch TV a lot?
|
No, I _______________
TV for ages.
|
9
|
Do you have a headache?
|
Yes, I _______________
a headache all morning.
|
10
|
Adrian is never ill, is he?
|
No, he _______________
ill since I've known him.
|
11
|
Are you feeling ill?
|
Yes, I _______________
ill all day.
|
12
|
Sue lives in Berlin, doesn't she?
|
Yes, she _______________
in Berlin for the
last few years.
|
13
|
Do you go to the cinema a lot?
|
No, I _______________
to the cinema for ages.
|
14
|
Would you like to go to New York
one day?
|
Yes, I_______________
to go to New York. (use always I want)
|
|
ANSWER KEY
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