For and since

  • B1 · Intermediate
  • Grammar lesson
  • 60 min

The present perfect with for and since for things that started in the past and are still true: They have been married for sixty-five years. They have lived here since 1971. From a newspaper interview with a couple who met in 1959 to a guessing game about the long-lasting things in your own life.

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Free, no card needed. The PDF has every slide, the homework and an answer key.

has workedforsinceHow long?

What's in the lesson

  1. 1Warm-up
  2. 2In this lesson
  3. 3Reading: sixty-five years and countingReading comprehension
  4. 4What does it mean?Grammar exercise
  5. 5Find the present perfectGrammar exercise
  6. 6for and sinceGrammar rule
  7. 7for or since?Grammar exercise
  8. 8Choose the right formGrammar exercise
  9. 9Interview: the crossing guardGrammar exercise
  10. 10Find the mistakeGrammar exercise
  11. 11Questions for your teacherGrammar exercise
  12. 12Say it naturallySpeaking practice
  13. 13Guess how longSpeaking practice
  14. 14About youGrammar exercise
  15. 15Wrap-up

Homework

  1. 1Homework: a letter to the editorGrammar exercise
  2. 2Homework: How long…?Grammar exercise
  3. 3Homework: the same meaningGrammar exercise
  4. 4Homework: a newspaper profileDiscussion

Two slides from the lesson

Warm-up

Some questions about you before we start.

  1. Outside your family, who have you known for the longest time?
  2. Do you own anything that is older than you? How long has it been in your family?
  3. Is there a store or a café that you have gone to for years? Do the people there know you?

Grammar rule

for and since

have / has + past participle + for / since

Something started in the past, and it is still true now.

Example
PositiveMy cousin has worked at the airport for six months.
NegativeI haven't heard from my brother since Friday.
QuestionHow long has she taught here? — For years. / Since 2018.

for or since?

  • for + a length of time: for an hour, for six months, for years
  • since + the time it started: since Friday, since 2018, since last winter, since I was a kid (since + the past simple)
  • all + a period, with no for: all morning, all year, all my life
With the past simple, for means the time is finished: He worked in Miami for a year. (He does not work there now.) · He has worked in Miami for a year. (He still works there.)

Watch out

  • Not the present: I live here since 2020 → I have lived here since 2020. I know him for years → I have known him for years.
  • since + the start, not a length: since four months → for four months.
  • How long are you married? → How long have you been married?
  • ago goes with the past simple: I moved here a year ago. → I have lived here for a year.

Teach it live with video and a whiteboard, or print it: the PDF has every slide, the homework and the answers.

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