Grammar: Present Perfect vs. Simple Past, For/Since & the Passive

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Lesson idea

Use the present perfect for actions that began in the past and continue, contrast it with the simple past, use for and since and How long…?, and form the passive in the simple present, present perfect and simple past.

Key points

• Present perfect: I have had this phone for two years / since 2023.
• for + period (for three years); since + point in time (since 2020, since Monday).
• Simple past for a finished time: I bought it in 2023.
• Passive: Paper is made from wood. / The telephone was invented by Bell. / Millions of phones have been sold.

Vocabulary

Lesson questions (12)

1. I ____ this laptop since 2022.
   Answer: have had
2. She has lived in Jeddah ____ ten years.
   Answer: for
3. We have known each other ____ we were children.
   Answer: since
4. "____ have you studied English?" – "For six years."
   Answer: How long
5. I ____ my new bike last Friday.
   Answer: bought
6. "Have you ever ____ a robot?" – "No, never."
   Answer: seen
7. The telephone ____ by Alexander Graham Bell.
   Answer: was invented
8. Paper ____ from wood.
   Answer: is made
9. Millions of smartphones ____ sold since 2007.
   Answer: have been
10. The first car ____ in Germany in the 1880s.
    Answer: was built
11. He ____ in this company since he graduated.
    Answer: has worked
12. They ____ to Makkah three times so far this year.
    Answer: have been

More lessons in Unit 5: Since When?

• Unit 5 Vocabulary: Inventions
• Reading & Real Talk: A History of Special Effects
• Unit 5 Test