Unit Eleven: Since and For
Grammar explanations:
1. Use the present perfect with since or for to talk about something that began in the past
and continues into the present (and may continue into the future). For examples:
Martina Hingins has been a professional tennis player since 1994. she has been a
professional tennis player for years. (She began her professional career years ago, and
she is still a professional player.)
2. Use the present perfect with since + point in time (since 5:00, since Monday, since
1994) to show when something started. For example:
She has earned million s of dollars since 1994.
3. Since can also introduce a time clause. When the action in the time clause ended in the
past, use the simple past tense. When the action in the time clause began in the past but
continues into the present, use the present perfect. For example:
Martina has loved sports since she was a child.
She has won many tournaments since she moved from Slovakia.
(She doesn’t live there anymore.)
She has become extremely successful since she has been in Switzerland.
(She still lives in Switzerland.)
4. Use the present perfect with for + length of time (for ten minutes, for two weeks, for
years, for a long time) too show how long a present condition has lasted. For example:
Martina’s mother has been her coach for many years.
1. IDENTIFY. Read about tennis star Martina Hingis. Underline all the verbs in the
present perfect. Circle all the time expressions with since or for.
Martina Hingis picked up her first tennis racket at the age of two. Since then, she
has become one of the greatest tennis players in the world. Born in Slovakia, she has
lived in Switzerland for many years. She became the outdoor Swiss champion at the age
of nine. Since then she has won many international competitions including Wimbledon,
the U.S. Open, and the Australian Open.
For young star like Martina, life has his difficulties. They are under constant
pressure to win, and they don’t have time to just hang out with classmates. In fact,
Martina hasn’t attended school since 1994, and she has been in the publis spotlight for
years. But she seems to be handling her success well. Since she turned professional, she
has played tennis al over the world and has earned millions of dollars. She sees her life
as normal because tennis has been the most important thing to her since she was the
little girl.
2. Complete & Choose. Read this magazine excerpt about a child genius. Complete it with
the present perfect form of the verbs in parentheses. Choose between since and for.
Thirteen-year-old Ronnie Segal ___________ (love) math ________ he was a little boy. “I
_________ (be) interested in numbers ______ nine years, five months, three weeks, and two
days,” says Ronnie. ________ the past year, Ronnie ___________ (attend) graduate-level
classes at the university. He ___________ (not do) badly. ________ January he _________
(take) five exams and _____________ (not get) a grade of less than 100 on any of them.
________ Ronnie began classes, he ___________ (meet) an average of 1.324 people a
month. And his future? Young Ronnie ____________ (not think) about it for years. He
__________ (know) _______ he was a little boy that he is going to become a famous sports
announcer, get married, and have exactly2.2 kids.
3. Ask & Answer. Complete the interview about Martina Hingis. Use the words in
parentheses to write questions. Then answer the questions with information from
Exercise 1.
1. (How long/ she / play tennis?) Q: ___________________________________________
A: _______________________________________________________________________
2. (How long/ live / she / live in Switzerland?) Q: ________________________________
____________________ A: __________________________________________________
3. (she/ win any competitions / since the outdoor Swiss championship?) Q: ____________
_________________________ A: ______________________________________________
4. (she / attend school / since 1994?) Q: ________________________________________
A: _______________________________________________________________________
5. (How much money / she / learn / since she began her career?)
Q: _______________________________________________________________________
A: _______________________________________________________________________
4. EDIT. Read this student’s paragraph. Find and correct seven mistakes in the use of
the present perfect.
I am in Mr. Lin’s physical education class since two months. I enjoy it a lot and have
only miss two classes since the beginning of the semester. I especially like tennis, but
since September we don’t play because the weather have been too cold. I also like
volleyball, and my team has win two games since we have started to compete with
Lincoln High School, I am looking forward to the next game.