HOMEWORK – UNIT 2.

PRESENT & PAST: PERFECT & PROGRESSIVE

Exercise 1. Underline the correct words in bold. In two places both answers are possible.
1. Jake doesn't have any family. He's always lived/ been living on his own.
2. He never answers the phone. I've called / been calling six times!
3. Sorry I'm so late. I've waited / been waiting for a call from the New York office.
4. Debbie knows Seattle really well. She's lived / been living there for two years.
5. I'm afraid the house is a mess. We've decorated / been decorating it.
6. Look at the new garden lights. Sam's just turned / been turning them on.
7. Carol's an expert on economics. She's studied / been studying it for years.
8. Harry's an old friend of mine. I've known / been knowing him since we were kids.
9. Marking essays is hard work. I've marked / been marking twenty this evening.
10. I'm curious about the food here. I haven't tried / been trying Mexican food before.
11. I hate cabbage. I've never liked / been liking it.
12. It was noisy next door last night. Our neighbours were having / had been having a party.
13. At the end of our journey we were extremely tired. We were travelling / We'd been travelling for more
than 24 hours.
14. James was on his hands and knees on the floor. He was looking / He'd been looking for his contact lens.
15. Sue was sitting on the ground. She was out of breath. She was running / She'd been running.
16. John and I went for a walk. He was walking / He'd been walking very fast and I had difficulty keeping up
with him.
17. I was sad when I sold my car. I've had it / I'd had it for a very long time.
18. I was sad when my local cafe closed. I was going / I'd been going there for many years.
19. I'm running a marathon next month. I've been training / I'd been training for it every day.
20. I had arranged to meet Kate, but I was late. When I finally arrived, she was waiting / she'd been waiting
for me. She was annoyed because she was waiting / she'd been waiting such a long time.
21. Joe and I work for the same company. He joined the company before me. When I started a few years ago,
he was already working / he'd already been working there.
22. I started working at the company a few years ago. At the time I started, Joe was already working / had
already been working there for two years.
23. Joe still works for the company. He's been working / He'd been working there a long time now.
Exercise 2. Write ‘for’ or ‘since’.
1. I haven't been to a party __________ ages.
2. I wonder where Joe is. I haven't seen him __________ last week.
3. I'm tired of waiting. We've been sitting here __________ an hour.

Homework – Grammar 1 – B2 Page 1 of 4

4. It's been raining __________ lunchtime.
5. Jane is away on holiday. She's been away __________ Friday.
6. Kevin has been looking for a job __________ he left school.
7. Paul has lived in Brazil __________ ten years.
8. The weather is dry. It hasn't rained __________ a few weeks.
Exercise 3. Put the verb into the correct form, present perfect or past simple.
1. (I/ apply) __________ for a job as a tour guide, but I wasn't successful.
2. Are you ready to go? (you / finish) __________ your coffee?
3. I studied German at school, but (I / forget) __________ most of it now.
4. It (it / stop) __________ raining for a while, but now it's raining again.
5. Quick! We need to call an ambulance. (there / be) __________ an accident.
6. The police (arrest) __________ three people, but later they let them go.
7. The town where I live is very different now. (it / change) __________ a lot.
8. What do you think of my English? Do you think (it/ improve) __________ ?
9. Where's my bike? (it / be) __________ outside the house, but it's not there now.
10. A: Ben won't be able to play tennis for a while. (He / break) __________ his arm.
B: Oh. How (that / happen) __________ ?
A: (He / fall) __________ off a ladder.
11. A: I've found my phone.
B: Oh, good.
A: Where (you / find) __________ it?
B: (It / be) __________ at the bottom of my bag.
Exercise 4. Put the verb into the correct form, present perfect or present perfect progressive. In one place,
both are possible.
1. (I / never / hear) ____________________ such nonsense!
2. (I/ not finish) ____________________ the book yet so I can't tell you what happens.
3. (I/ try) ____________________ to get in touch with Jenny all morning but I can't find her anywhere.
4. (We / live) ____________________ here for the last six years.
5. (you / already / decide) ____________________ where you're going this summer?
6. (you / ever / meet) ____________________ anyone famous?
7. It's the first time (I/ ever / eat) ____________________ octopus!
8. Poor Tracy! She (write) ____________________ that essay for hours now and she still hasn't finished!
9. Sandy (not / see) ____________________ his sister since she went to university.
10. They (go) ____________________ on holiday to Spain and won't be back until the end of the month.

Homework – Grammar 1 – B2 Page 2 of 4

 ✓
Exercise 5. Are the underlined verbs OK? If yes, put a tick ( ), otherwise correct them.
1. 'Have you been to Paris?' --- 'Yes, many times?'
2. Have you eaten a lot of sweets when you were a child?
3. I'm looking for Mike. Have you seen him?
4. I'm very hungry. I haven't eaten much today.
5. I've bought a new car last week.
6. I've bought a new car. You must come and see it.
7. I've lost my key. I can't find it anywhere.
8. Maria has left school in 1999.
9. When has this bridge been built?
10. Where have you been yesterday evening?
Exercise 6. Choose the lettered word or phrase that best completes each of the following sentences.
1. Diego _______ a shower at the moment, so could you call back in about half an hour?
A. takes B. is taking C. has been D. has been taking
2. _______ TV for the last four hours? Turn it off and get some exercise!
A. Do you watch C. Did you watch
B. Are you watching D. Have you been watching
3. Estella, _______ hockey competitively or just for fun?
A. do you usually play C. have you usually played
B. are you usually playing D. have you usually been playing
4. _______ to Venice before?
A. Do you ever go C. Have you ever been
B. Are you every going D. Have you ever been going
5. We _______ when someone knocked at the door.
A. talked B. had talked C. were talking D. have been talking
6. Jamari _______ chess before so I showed him what to do.
A. hasn’t played B. hadn’t played C. didn’t play D. hadn’t been playing
7. Unfortunately, Salem _______ a day off very often.
A. doesn’t get B. isn’t getting C. hasn’t got D. hasn’t been getting
8. By the time the teacher arrived, the students _______ their assignments.
A. finished B. had finished C. were finishing D. had been finishing
9. I _______ to all the local newspapers and TV stations to complain.
A. already write C. have already written
B. already writing D. have already been writing
10. Querida _______ at the factory long when he was made a manager.
A. hadn’t been working C. didn’t work
B. wasn’t working D. hasn’t worked
11. My sister and I _______ swimming almost every day last summer.
A. were going B. had been going C. went D. had gone

Homework – Grammar 1 – B2 Page 3 of 4

12. Jessica has _______ left, I’m afraid.
A. already B. yet C. still D. so far
13. When the robbery happened, the security guard _______!
A. was sleeping B. had slept C. slept D. has slept
14. I wasn’t sure how Belinda would react because I _______ her long.
A. didn’t know C. hadn’t been knowing
B. wasn’t knowing D. hadn’t known
15. That’s the first time I _______ an answer right today!
A. get B. am getting C. have got D. have been getting
16. Actually, I _______ a cup of tea first thing every morning but then I switch to coffee.
A. do drink B. am drinking C. have drunk D. have been drinking
17. I wanted to say goodbye to Jerry but he _______.
A. has already left B. already left C. had already leaving D. had already left
18. When we got to the airport, I realized I _______ my passport at home!
A. have left B. had left C. left D. had been leaving
19. They _______ in that house for ten years before it was demolished.
A. lived B. have lived C. were living D. had been living
20. Lee _______ in the living room while we redecorate his bedroom.
A. sleeps B. is sleeping C. has slept D. was sleeping
Exercise 7. Find ELEVEN mistakes in the email and correct them.
Subject: Hi from Kirsty
Hi Stewart 1. ________________

I'm sorry it's being so long since I wrote to you, but you know how busy I've been 2. ________________
for I last saw you. I've finished just my first month in the new job and it's really hard
3. ________________
work. But I've always want to be a mechanic so I suppose I can't complain now that
I am one! Actually, the job isn't too bad. Last week I've worked on a Ferrari and that 4. ________________
was pretty exciting! We get all kinds of cars and customers in the garage. I've met 5. ________________
never so many strange people before!
6. ________________
My boss is quite nice. He worked at the garage for years and years, so he's very
7. ________________
experienced. He gave me a lot of advice since I started and he doesn't mind helping
me when I'm not sure what to do. He's yet told me he thinks I'm going to be one of 8. ________________
their best mechanics one day. 9. ________________

Of course I need to get a lot more experience before that happens! 10. ________________
Anyway. How are you? Have you got a wedding invitation yesterday? Sarah 11. ________________
Bradshaw is getting married to Simon Wates! I've never seen her for ages but it's
fantastic news and I'm really happy for her. Are you going to the wedding?

Homework – Grammar 1 – B2 Page 4 of 4

Exercise 8. Complete the text with suitable forms of the words in brackets. Use the present perfect or past
simple. In one place, both are possible.
ELECTRIC CARS - LATEST UPDATE
A small American car manufacturer (1. just announce) ___________________ that its experimental electric
car, the Lexington X1, will go into production this year. Markton Automobiles, of Detroit, Michigan, (2. make)
___________________ the announcement at last month's Auto Show in Geneva.

Although there are now many electric cars on the market, so far manufacturers (3. not be)
___________________ able to produce one that can really compete with existing petrol cars. There are two
major problems - speed and distance. Up until now, electric cars (4. be) ___________________ either too slow
or unable to travel far enough without recharging their batteries. Markton Automobiles claim that they (5.
overcome) ___________________ these difficulties with a new type of solar panel which continually recharges
the batteries. The company (6. not give) ___________________ the press exact details yet, but they claim they
(7. already test) ___________________ the car successfully under all kinds of weather conditions. A Japanese
company (8. first design) ___________________ the engine in 2007. But over the last few years Markton (9.
adapt) ___________________ the design and increased its power.

The company (10. invite) ___________________ ten journalists to test-drive the new car last week. Their
reports (11. be) ___________________ mainly positive, although we will have to wait for the full test results
before we know if this really is the electric car that everyone is waiting for.

Exercise 9. Complete the conversation with suitable forms, present perfect or present perfect progressive, of
the words in brackets.
ROY: You look tired. (1. you work) ___________________ all day?
BEN: Not exactly, I (2. do) ___________________ some research on the Internet.
I (3. try) ___________________ to get some information about one of our old friends from college.
ROY: Who?
BEN: Dave Colston. Do you remember him?
ROY: Yes. I (4. not see) ___________________ him for years! But what do you want to find out?
BEN: Well. I (5. just get) ___________________ an email from Philip Markham. He wants to get in touch
with Dave but he doesn’t know where he is now. He thinks Dave (6. live) ___________________ in
the Far East for the last few years.
ROY: Yes. I remember he was always interested in oriental philosophy.
BEN: Exactly. I (7. look) ___________________ at six or seven different websites already, but I (8. not
find) ___________________ much information.
ROY: (9. you try) ___________________ that website that reunites old college friends?
BEN: Yes. I (10. already look) ___________________ at that one, but he’s not on it. I posted a message
for some of his other friends on some other websites and I (11. wait) ___________________ for a
reply. But so far I’ve heard nothing …

Homework – Grammar 1 – B2 Page 5 of 4

Exercise 10. Complete the conversation with suitable forms, past simple, present perfect or present perfect
progressive, of the words in brackets.
[Jake and Michael, two friends, are talking.]
J: Hello, I (1. not see) ___________________ you for ages.
M: No, it must be about two years since we last (2. meet) ___________________ . What (3. you do)
___________________ with yourself?
J: I (4. do) ___________________ all sorts of things. Life (5. be) ___________________ very busy
lately. I (6. start) ___________________ a new job at the sailing centre.
M: Really! Doing what?
J: Well, I (7. teach) ___________________ beginners’ courses to school groups this term but when those
(8. finish) ___________________ , I’ll be teaching more advanced groups on holiday courses.
M: That sounds great. What about your old job at the tourist office then?
J: Well, I (9. work) ___________________ there for ten years and I quite (10. enjoy)
___________________ the job but I (11. want) ___________________ to do something different. I
(12. always enjoy) ___________________ sailing in my spare time so I (13. think)
___________________ it would be nice to do it for a job.
M: So how long (14. you be) ___________________ at the sailing centre?
J: For about two months now. I’m sure I (15. do) ___________________ the right thing. It’s a really
enjoyable job. And what about you?
M: Well, I’m still at the Rembrandt Hotel. I (16. work) ___________________ there for fifteen years now.
But I (17. have) ___________________ a promotion so that’s good. They (18. give)
___________________ the job of head receptionist.
J: Oh, that’s good news.
M: Yes, it (19. make) ___________________ me feel much better about work. I mean, I (20. do)
___________________ a lot of different jobs at the hotel but I (21. never have)
___________________ a job with this much responsibility before. I (22. work)
___________________ on the reception desk for four years when I (23. start) ___________________
at the hotel – that was before they (24. move) ___________________ me into the office – but I (25. be)
___________________ only a junior receptionist then so I just (26. do) ___________________ what I
(27. be told) ___________________ to do.
J: So when (28. you get) ___________________ the new job?
M: A month ago, after I (29. pass) ___________________ my intermediate exams in Spanish and German
at the college. Did you know I (30. do) ___________________ language evening classes at the college
for a while now?
J: No, I didn’t realize.
M: Yes, I (31. decide) ___________________ that I (32. cannot get) ___________________ any further
at work without learning some languages.
J: And so you did! What a good idea.

Homework – Grammar 1 – B2 Page 6 of 4

Exercise 11. Put the verbs in brackets into the past simple or past perfect.
James (1. sit) ____________ outside the office waiting for the interview. He (2. feel) ____________ so nervous
that he (3. not know) ____________ what to do with himself. The person who (4. go in) ____________ before
him (5. be) ____________ in there for nearly an hour. And she (6. look) ____________ so confident when she
(7. go in) ____________ . Not like James. She (8. feel) ____________ sure that she (9. already get)
____________ the job. The problem (10. be) ____________ that he (11. want) ____________ this job so
much. It (12. mean) ____________ everything to him. He (13. think) ____________ about it such a lot before
the day of the interview. He (14. imagine) ____________ himself performing brilliantly at the interview and
being offered the job immediately. But now here he (15. be) ____________ feeling terrible. He (16. cannot
remember) ____________ all those things he (17. plan) ____________ to say. At that moment, he (18. almost
decide) ____________ to get up and leave. But no - he (19. have to do) ____________ this. He (20. spend)
____________ so much time thinking about it that he (21. cannot give up) ____________ like that. His hands
(22. be) ____________ hot and sticky and his mouth (23. feel) ____________ dry. Finally the door of the office
(24. open) ____________ . The woman who (25. go in) ____________ an hour earlier (26. come out)
____________ looking very pleased with herself. She (27. smile) ____________ sympathetically at James. At
that moment James (28. hate) ____________ her. The managing director then (29. appear) ____________ at
the office door. 'Would you like to come in now, Mr Davis? I'm sorry to have kept you waiting.' James (30.
suddenly wish) ____________ that he (31. go) ____________ home after all. He (32. get up) ____________ ,
legs shaking and forehead sweating and (33. wonder) ____________ whether he (34. look) ____________ as
terrified as he (35. feel) ____________ .

Exercise 12. Complete each second sentence using the word given, so that it has a similar meaning to the
first sentence. Write between TWO and FIVE words in each gap.
1. It’s only Taylor’s third time in an opera house. BEEN

Taylor in an opera house twice before.

2. Raul and Max got to Madrid two hours ago. HAVE

Raul and Max two hours.

3. I started writing this hours ago and it’s still not right. WRITING

I hours and it’s still not right.

4. This is my first experience of making sushi. TIME

It is the first sushi.

5. Last Friday was the first time my car ever broke down, even though it is very old. NEVER

Until last Friday, my car down, even though it is very old.

6. I hadn’t tasted Mexican food before. FIRST

It was the Mexican food.

Homework – Grammar 1 – B2 Page 7 of 4

7. While we were in London, it never stopped raining. CONTINUOUSLY

It while we were in London.

8. After walking home for a mile, they realized that someone was missing. HAD

They for a mile when they realized that someone was missing.

9. That was the only science-fiction book George had read. NEVER

George a science-fiction book before.

10. When Mark was a student, he was in the habit of forgetting his books. ALWAYS

Mark his books when he was a student.

11. Pierce made a speech and then we left the ceremony. UNTIL

We didn’t leave the ceremony a speech.

12. He has never driven another car since he started driving. ONLY

This is the since he started driving.

13. The last time I went hiking was a week ago. FOR

I a week.

14. When did Brayden start working for the city council? BEEN

How long for the city council?

15. This is Bonnie’s second visit to the dentist this month. TIME

This is the the dentist this month.

16. Let’s not go to a café as I had some coffee earlier. ALREADY

Let’s not go to a café as I some coffee.

17. Ray still doesn’t know which car to buy. MADE

Ray his mind which car to buy.

18. We have never experienced such a cold winter in Moscow before. EVER

It’s the coldest in Moscow.

19. We bought this house when Owen was born. HAD

We Owen was born .

20. As soon as we arrived at the hotel, the receptionist told us to leave. JUST

We at the hotel when the receptionist told us to leave.

Homework – Grammar 1 – B2 Page 8 of 4