High School

1. Write 'for' or 'since' in the blanks below.

0. ____ for ____ about 200 years
00. ____ since ____ 1810
1. ____ 1987
2. ____ ten minutes
3. ____ quarter past three
4. ____ one year
5. ____ July
6. ____ I was eighteen
7. ____ nearly three months
8. ____ about twenty-five years

2. Complete each sentence in two ways using the phrases from Exercise 1.

0. They built that school a long time ago. It's been there for about 200 years / ____ since 1810 ____
1. It's 3.25 and I've been at the dentist's ____ / ____
2. My parents have been married ____ / ____
3. I'm nineteen. I started college when I was eighteen. I've been at college ____ / ____
4. It's October and the weather has been lovely ____ / ____

3. Match the two parts of the sentences. Listen and check.

0. I haven't heard from my sister this ____
A. we had that meal at the airport.
1. This film's so long! It's already ____
B. my holiday - two weeks by the beach!
lasted for ____
C. two hours and there's still another hour to go.
2. We haven't felt very well since ____
3. I haven't seen my parents for ____
4. I'm really sorry but I've been ____
D. morning and I haven't finished the report.
very busy this ____
E. week, but she usually phones on Fridays.
5. I've felt more relaxed since ____
F. two months because they live abroad now.

4. GRAMMAR IN USE

For questions 1-6, write the present perfect or the past simple of the verbs in brackets (). For A-D, write for, since or How long. Listen and check.

DOCTOR (0) How long ____ have you had this cold?
PATIENT Well, I (00) ____'ve had____ (have) it for nearly two weeks, but I've had a cough for longer.
DOCTOR How long have you had that?
PATIENT I've had it (A) ____ October, so more than a month. The thing is,
I (1) ____ (have) about five colds (B) ____ the spring.
DOCTOR That is a lot. (2) ____ (you / have) a lot of colds last year, too?
PATIENT No, not really. I think I (3) ____ (have) only two all last year.
DOCTOR Mmm, (4) ____ (you / change) anything about your life this year?
PATIENT Well, yes, my job. I work in a gym now. I'm a fitness trainer.
DOCTOR I see. (C) ____ have you worked there?
PATIENT I (5) ____ (start) the job in March, so I've been there (D) ____ eight months. We've had a few customers with colds I suppose ...
DOCTOR I see. And what was your job before?
PATIENT I was a gardener. I worked by myself.
DOCTOR Well, that's it. You (6) ____ (spend) a lot of time close to people with colds, and you've caught their colds. Now, I think you should ...

Answer :

Let's work through each exercise step by step.

Part 1: Fill in the blanks with 'for' or 'since'

  1. for about 200 years
  2. since 1810
  3. since 1987
  4. for ten minutes
  5. since quarter past three
  6. for one year
  7. since July
  8. since I was eighteen
  9. for nearly three months
  10. for about twenty-five years

Part 2: Complete each sentence in two ways

  1. It's 3.25 and I've been at the dentist's since quarter past three / for ten minutes.
  2. My parents have been married since 1987 / for about 36 years (assuming current year is 2023).
  3. I'm nineteen. I started college when I was eighteen. I've been at college since I was eighteen / for one year.
  4. It's October and the weather has been lovely since July / for about three months.

Part 3: Match the two parts of the sentences.

  1. I haven't heard from my sister this week, but she usually phones on Fridays.
  2. This film's so long! It's already lasted for two hours and there's still another hour to go.
  3. We haven't felt very well since we had that meal at the airport.
  4. I haven't seen my parents for two months because they live abroad now.
  5. I'm really sorry but I've been very busy this morning and I haven't finished the report.
  6. I've felt more relaxed since my holiday - two weeks by the beach.

Part 4: Grammar Exercise (Present Perfect or Past Simple)

  1. DOCTOR (0) How long have you had this cold?
  2. PATIENT Well, I (00) 've had' it for nearly two weeks, but I've had a cough for longer.
  3. DOCTOR How long have you had that?
  4. PATIENT I've had it (A) since October, so more than a month. The thing is, I (1) have had about five colds (B) since the spring.
  5. DOCTOR That is a lot. (2) Did you have a lot of colds last year, too?
  6. PATIENT No, not really. I think I (3) had only two all last year.
  7. DOCTOR Mmm, (4) have you changed anything about your life this year?
  8. PATIENT Well, yes, my job. I work in a gym now. I'm a fitness trainer.
  9. DOCTOR I see. (C) How long have you worked there?
  10. PATIENT I (5) started the job in March, so I've been there (D) for eight months. We've had a few customers with colds I suppose ...
  11. DOCTOR I see. And what was your job before?
  12. PATIENT I was a gardener. I worked by myself.
  13. DOCTOR Well, that's it. You (6) have spent a lot of time close to people with colds, and you've caught their colds. Now, I think you should...

I hope this helps you understand how to use "for" and "since" correctly, as well as how to choose between present perfect and past simple tenses!