Le present perfect continu

Document 1. Extract from a local newspaper, Inverness (Scotland).
« For three years, Morag Sinclair, 74, has been walking the same path along the river every morning at seven. But since last spring, she hasn't been walking alone: about thirty people now join her, from a nine-year-old boy to a ninety-two-year-old former sailor. « I've been doing this since my husband died, » Morag explains. « One day, a neighbour asked if she could come. Then her friends came. » The group has been growing every month; they have even been collecting litter along the river since March, and they have filled more than 200 bags so far. « We've been talking to the council for weeks about new bins, » says Ewan, 16, the youngest regular walker. « They haven't answered yet, but we haven't been waiting for them: we bring our own bags. » »

1. a)How long has Morag been walking along the river, and since when has she stopped walking alone?
2. b)Why did Morag start these walks? Quote the sentence.
3. c)What has the group been doing since March, and what result have they obtained so far?
4. d)Explain in French the difference between « we've been talking to the council for weeks » and « they haven't answered yet »: why does the journalist use two different forms?

Document 2. Notes taken by a sports teacher about four pupils preparing a 10 km race (today: 15 May).

1. a)Who has been training the longest, and for how many months? Who started the most recently?
2. b)Which pupil has run the most kilometres so far? Write the answer as a full sentence in the present perfect simple.
3. c)Write two sentences about Bilal: one with « since » (present perfect continuous) and one with « for » (present perfect continuous).
4. d)Using the table, explain in English why Chloé and Dev have run fewer kilometres than the others (two sentences with a present perfect, simple or continuous).

1. a)Conjugue au present perfect continu : « The neighbours (drill) ___ holes in the wall since seven. » / « I (not / sleep) ___ well for a week. » / « (you / wait) ___ long? »
2. b)Choisis simple ou continu et justifie en un mot (durée / résultat / état) : « She (know) ___ the answer for ages. » / « He (drink) ___ three coffees today. » / « We (talk) ___ about this for an hour. »
3. c)Complète avec for, since ou ago : « I've been learning the piano ___ 2021, ___ five years now; I started when I was ten, ___ .»
4. d)Corrige les trois erreurs : « My aunt is living in Bristol since ten years, and she has been knowing her neighbours for a long time. »

1. a)Écris la forme en -ing de : run, write, lie, travel, begin, tie, sit, argue.
2. b)Classe ces verbes en deux colonnes, action / état : wait, belong, learn, own, want, build, seem, practise.
3. c)Traduis les expressions de durée : « depuis une éternité », « ces derniers temps », « toute la journée », « depuis mon enfance ».
4. d)Explique en anglais, avec un exemple pour chaque forme, la différence entre « I've cleaned the kitchen » et « I've been cleaning the kitchen ».

You have been preparing a school project (a play, a concert, a sports event or an exhibition) for several weeks. Write an e-mail (80 words minimum) to your English pen friend to tell him or her about it. Follow the four steps.

1. a)Say what the project is and how long you have been working on it (one sentence with « since », one with « for »).
2. b)Describe two things you have been doing lately to prepare it (present perfect continuous).
3. c)Give two results you have obtained so far (present perfect simple with a quantity or « already »).
4. d)Explain how you feel now and why (one sentence with a visible result: « I've been… so… »), then close the e-mail.