VB035/3


Grammar: present perfect simple, present perfect continuous, present perfect vs past


A) Discuss the difference in meaning:

1.      My hands are dirty; I have been repairing the car.

The car is OK now; I have repaired it.

2.      Joe has been eating too much recently. He is getting overweight.

Joe is always eating all my chocolates.

Somebody has eaten all my chocolates. The box is empty.

Joe ate all my chocolates last night. Iam really upset.

3.      I am reading a book about the French Revolution.

How long have you been reading that book?

How much of that book have you read?

4.      They have been playing tennis since the morning.

They have played tennis three times this week.


B) Put the verb into the correct form:

1.      Sorry I'm late. That's OK …..........................................(I/not/wait) long.

2.      You see Joe fishing by the river. You ask: …..........................(catch/any fish)?

3.      I …..................(read) the book you lent me, but I ….................(I/not/finish) it
yet. It is very interesting.

4.      Do you go to the cinema a lot? No, I …...........................(not/be) for ages.

5.      I ….............................(have) pain in my stomach all day.

6.      Tom always wears the same old jacket. How long …..........................(he/have) that
jacket.

7.      How long …................................. (you/study) at the FI? When
….......................(you/start)?

8.      What do you think of my English? Do you think …............................(it/improve)?

9.      Where's my bike? It ….................(be) outside my house, but it is not there now.

10.  How many plays …..................................(Shakespeare/write)?

11.  Mary isn't at home. She ….....................(go) to Italy for holiday-

12.  Ow! I ….............(cut) my finger. Look, it ….............(bleed).

13.  A: Where dou live?    B: In Boston.

A: How long......................................(you/live) there?         B: 5 years.

A: Where …......................................(you/live) before that? B: In Chicago.

A: And how long …............................(you live) in Chicago? B: 2 years.

14.  My grandfather …...................(die) before I was born.
I...........................(never/meet) him.

15.  I ….....................(not/read) a newspaper yesterday and I …...................(not/read)
one today either.


C) Ask each other about something you haven't done today.

                                                           didn't do yesterday.

                                                           did last night.

                                                           haven't done recently.

                                                           have done a lot recently.









Effective writing:

                                   Using an appropriate register

In any piece of writing, you should use appropriate language and style, depending on what kind of
text you are writing, who you are writing for and why.


A) Look at the extracts from an informal interview with one of chef Jamie Oliver's trainees. Which
of the expressions in italics was she more likely to use?


1.      The training was really hard, wasn't it? It was very serious. / There was no messing about.

2.      We had to attend / go through a demanding / rigorous course at the college.

3.      He got us into/ We were given work placements in some top-class / reputable restaurant
kitchens.

4.      To round off / complete our training, we all worked as chefs / cooked in Jamie's
restaurants.

5.      We were shattered half the time. / It was rather exhausting.


B) Which of these features can you find in the excerpts from the interview? Which are you likely to
find in a more formal writing?


•      phrasal verbs

•      colloquial expressions

•      passive structures

•      question tags

•      clear sentence structure

•      linking words

•      contractions


C) Rewrite the parts in italics to make the sentences less colloquial. Use the words below and any
other language necessary.


1.      Everyone thought the teaching was brilliant.

2.      It wasn't the right course for people who didn't know anything.

3.      When the course was over, everyone got a certificate.

4.      The practical parts of the course were a bit of a mess – no planning.

5.      They didn't let people know about the course, so not many turned up.

6.      It was a real plus having such an experienced teacher.

7.      Unfortunately, he sometimes got bit ratty.

8.      I'd like to give a pat on the back to everyone who took part.


advantage

attend

beginners

completion

congratulate

involved

irritated

disorganized

outstanding

prepared

presented

publicised

suitable

tuition