Unit 12: Moving and migration

Present perfect with 'for' and 'since'

The present perfect is often used to talk about situations that started in the past and are
continuing now. We sometimes use the present perfect in a question with how long to ask
about how long a present situation has continued.
How long have Sasha and Tanya been married?

We talk about how long using the words for and since.
For = throughout (a period of time).
Theyve been married for six months.
Since = from (an exact point in time) until now.
Theyve been married since March.
We can also use present perfect + since + past simple.
I havent seen Tanya since we graduated.

Form
The present perfect is made with subject + have/has (positive) or havent/hasnt
(negative) + past participle.
For is used with a length of time.
ten minutes, one hour, two days, a week, three years, a long time
Since is used with a specific point in the past.
10 o'clock, Friday, November, 2013, Easter

Positive

Ive lived here since 2012.

Ive worked for this company for 20 years.
Negative
We havent seen her for ages.
She hasnt been back to the UK since 2009.

Question
Have you known Sasha since last year?
Have you lived here for more than two years?
How long have you known him?
Have you known Sasha a long time?

Take note: present simple and present continuous

We cannot use the present simple or present continuous with for and since.
WRONG: I know him for ten years.
CORRECT: Ive known him for ten years.
WRONG: Im living here since 2002.
CORRECT: Ive lived here since 2002.

Take note: present perfect / present perfect continuous

With verbs like work and live, which can describe permanent or temporary situations, we
usually use the present perfect + for / since for a long period of time. For a short period, we
use the present perfect continuous.
Ive worked for this company for 20 years. (present perfect)
Ive been working here for a week. (present perfect continuous)

Take note: present perfect / past simple

If a situation is finished, we use the past simple + for, not the present perfect:
I worked for that company for 20 years and then I retired.

Spoken English
In informal writing and in speech, we often use a contraction with the auxiliary verb.
Ive lived in Amsterdam for twelve years.
When you listen to someone using a sentence with for +a period of time, listen carefully to
the verb. It is sometimes difficult to hear the difference between, for example, Ive lived in
New York for five years and I lived in New York for five years, but it makes a big difference
in meaning. It tells us whether the speaker still lives there or not.

6 Minute Vocabulary. Adjective order

Finn
Adjectives - yes, those useful words we use to describe things. We'll look at what adjective
order is - and how to use it.
Nikki
Joe! Come and sit on this sofa!
Joe
It's really uncomfortable.
Nikki
I know... but I've always wanted a big, old, leather sofa. My grandparents had one when I was
little.
Joe
That's not a good reason to buy a horrible sofa! The one with the stripy blue cotton cushions
looks a lot nicer.
Nikki
Maybe... Ooh what's this... Look, a beautiful green and blue Turkish kilim!

Joe
Kilim? Oh, a little carpet. Sofas first, Nikki.
Finn
The phrase a big, old, leather sofa is our first example of adjective order.
Catherine
Now, when we use two or more adjectives together to describe a noun, the order we put them
in is important. For example, we don't usually say an old, leather, big sofa.
Finn
First it's size - big, then age - old, and then material - leather. A big, old, leather sofa.
Catherine
And each new adjective in the list needs to go in the right place.
Finn
For example, colour goes between age and material type. So we can say: a big, old, red,
leather sofa.
Catherine
Now some people find it difficult to remember the adjective order...
Finn
But there's a good tip which is: the adjective with the meaning most closely related to the
noun goes nearest to it.
Catherine
And in our example, the material type - leather - is most closely connected to the noun. Big,
old and red are more general. So: big, old, red, leather sofa. Another one please, Finn?
Finn
Blue stripy cotton cushions.
Catherine
So colour - blue, quality - stripy, and material type - cotton.
Finn
And Nikki got very excited about a beautiful green and blue Turkish kilim.
Finn
There we had opinion: beautiful, and then colours: green and blue, we had two colours joined
by 'and', and then country: Turkish.
Catherine
We had nice, easy quiz - with two opinion adjectives. Easy has a closer connection to the
noun quiz than nice. So we put easy next to the noun. A nice easy quiz.

Finn
And another one: a small, but meaningful tip.
Catherine
We can put 'but' between adjectives when they seem a bit unusual next to each other.
Catherine
And now it's quiz time. Put these adjectives in the right order. Number 1. I love my ... old,
smelly, big dog.
Finn
Right: I love my big, old, smelly dog.
Catherine
Number 2. This is a ... Moroccan, simple, but delicious recipe.
Finn
This is a simple, but delicious, Moroccan recipe.
Finn
Here's that tip we promised you, and it's a game this time. Now, this is a game to play with a
friend to practise describing things. Think of a noun but don't tell your friend what it is. Then
give adjective clues to help them guess the noun.

Vocabulary points to take away

Adjective order can be tricky, so it's useful to note down some examples. Writing adjectives
before a noun, separated by categories, can be a good way to help you to remember the
order. Here are some examples:
Size - age - colour - material:
A big old red leather sofa
Opinion - colour - material:
Some lovely pink and white silk curtains
Size - age - quality:
A big old smelly dog

How long...?

Here is a quick reminder of how to form the present perfect:

Positive
SUBJECT + HAVE/HAS + PAST PARTICIPLE
I have worked at the BBC since May.
We have broadcast from our new home for over two years.
Negative
SUBJECT + HAVEN'T/HASN'T + PAST PARTICIPLE
I haven't seen my boss for a few days.
He hasn't been in the office since last Monday.
They all ended with time references with either the word for or the word since. We use these
two words with the present perfect to talk about how long something has happened or the
point when it started up to now.
We have broadcast from our new home for over two years means that for two years we have
worked here, broadcasting programmes. I haven't seen my boss for a few days means the
period I haven't seen him is a few days.
We can use other time references that describe a period of time after for:
for a year, for two days, for 50 minutes, for a long time
I have worked at the BBC since May means I started working here in May. He hasn't been in
the office since last Monday means he was in the office last Monday, but after that he hasn't
been in.
We can use time references for points in time after since:
since 10 o'clock, since this morning, since January, since 1999
When we use the present perfect in this way, it usually means that the situation is still true
now. Let's compare this with the past simple:
Catherine has worked at the BBC for eight years.
Catherine worked at the BBC for eight years.

In the first sentence, the meaning is that she started eight years ago, and she's still working at
the BBC now. In the second sentence, she worked there for eight years, but she doesn't work
there now.
Questions
To find out information about the period of time something has happened or when it started,
we usually ask a question with How long. This is how we make questions with the present
perfect:
HOW LONG + HAVE/HAS + SUBJECT + PAST PARTICIPLE
How long have you worked here?
How long have you lived in London
Sometimes, especially if we're talking about temporary or unfinished actions and events, we
will ask a question with the present perfect continuous like this:
How long have you been working on your project?
Remember, we use for with periods of time and since goes with points in time.
For: 7 years, 3 months, over 10 years.
Since: 200, 9 July, January, last month.

Different jobs, different experience

So Sourena used the present perfect with a reference to an event to describe his experience.
He said:
Since I joined the BBC, my working life has changed...
The reference to the event here is in the past simple, but he could also say this:
Since joining the BBC, my working life has changed...
So with since we can use a past simple statement or a gerund and then use the present
perfect. Here are two more examples:
Since I moved to the UK, my English has improved a lot.

Since moving to London, I have started to spend more money on rent.

6 Minute Grammar. Present perfect with 'for' and 'since'

Catherine
I've worked at the BBC for 8 years.
I worked at the BBC for 8 years.
Neil
The first sentence - I've worked at the BBC for 8 years is in the present perfect tense. It
means that Catherine started work at the BBC 8 years ago and still works at the BBC now.
Sophie
The second sentence is in the past simple, and the meaning is different. I worked at the BBC
for 8 years means the speaker worked for the BBC in the past, but they don't work there now.
Let's hear those again.
Sophie
So: the present perfect helps us talk about situations that started in the past and are still
happening now. We make the present perfect tense with the subject plus have or has Neil
...Or haven't or hasn't Sophie
Yes: subject plus have, has, haven't or hasn't, plus the past participle form of the verb.
Some more examples please Catherine?
Catherine
Alisha has lived in Paris since 1996.
I've known Alex for twenty years.
Neil
So these situations are still happening - Alisha still lives in Paris...
Sophie
...and Catherine and Alex are still friends.
Neil
And both examples have a time expression. Here's the first one again.

Catherine
Alisha has lived in Paris since 1996.
Sophie
The word since gives the exact point in the past when the situation started - a particular year,
for example: since 1996.
Neil
...and the point in the past that we use with since could be a day, a month, a season or a time
of day. Catherine.
Catherine
They've been married since March.
I've been ill since last Friday.
Faruk has drunk three cups of coffee since 2 o'clock.
Sophie
The point in the past can also be a situation or event.
Catherine
I haven't eaten anything since I got up.
I've known Alex since primary school.
Neil
that's since to refer to a point in time when a situation started.
Sophie
Now let's look at for. We use for with the present perfect tense to say how long a situation
has lasted.
Catherine
I've known Alex for twenty years.
Sophie
...for twenty years. Catherine met Alex twenty years ago, and they still know each other now.
So it's present perfect, plus for, plus a length of time.
Catherine
I've known Alex for twenty years.

Sophie
The length of time could be: for six months, for a week, for two minutes, for ten
seconds...
Neil
How long have you worked at the BBC, Sophie?
Sophie
Well, Neil, I've done bits and bobs for about a year.
Neil
You can also ask this question with the present perfect continuous tense, like this:
Catherine
How long have you been working at the BBC?
Neil
It's very similar to the present perfect simple tense, and is common when we're asking about
temporary or unfinished situations and activities.
Sophie
it's quiz time. Neil will give the answers. Number 1. Which sentence is correct? a) I've lived
here since two years. Or b) I've lived here for two years.
Neil
It's b) I've lived here for two years.
Sophie
Number 2: a) Mika hasn't spoken to Jackie for they went on holiday. b) Mika hasn't spoken to
Jackie since they went on holiday.
Neil
It's b) Mika hasn't spoken to Jackie since they went on holiday.
Sophie
...and number 3: a) You have been listening to 6 Minute Grammar for the last 6 minutes b)
You're listening to 6 Minute Grammar for the last 6 minutes.
Neil
It's a) You have been listening to 6 Minute Grammar for the last 6 minutes - because you are
still listening...

Session Grammar
The present perfect is often used to talk about situations that started in the past and are
continuing now.
We talk about how long using the words for and since.
for = throughout (a period of time)
They've been married for six months.
since = from (an exact point in time) until now
They've been married since March.
We can also use present perfect + since + past simple.
I haven't seen Tanya since we graduated.
The present perfect is made with subject + have/has (positive) or haven't/hasn't
(negative) + past participle.