Where Do I Belong: Present Perfect vs Past Simple

John ___________ (live) in this village since he was 4 years old. (He is still there now).

• has lived

• lived

She ____________ (live) in Ludlow until she was eighteen, and then she moved away.

• has lived

• lived

They ___________ each other since they were in high school.

• have known

• has met

• know

• has counted

They _____________ (follow) these traditions for centuries. (They still do).

• followed

• have followed

When we were in England, we ____________ many examples of local culture.

• have seen

• saw

Answer explanation

The action is finished ('When we were in England') therefore we use the simple past.

London _____________ (found) by the Romans in 43 AD.

• has been founded

• was founded

Answer explanation

This is a completed action (founded) in the past that occurred at a specific time (43 AD), so we use past simple.

Over the last 50 years, there ______________ (be) a lot of migration to the United Kingdom.

• was

• has been

Answer explanation

We use 'has been' instead of 'was' because the action is not finished (i.e. it is still happening now).

Since we came to Amsterdam, we _____________ (discover) many interesting local customs.

• discovered

• have discovered

Answer explanation

'Since we came to Amsterdam...' indicates that the action of 'discovering' is still happening now, so we use 'have discovered'.

Festivals that celebrate May Day and Hocktide ______________ (disappear) from most communities.

• disappeared

• have disappeared

Answer explanation

We use 'have disappeared' because it emphasises the present reality of the past event (i.e. it disappeared in the past and IS disappeared now).

During the industrial revolution in the 19th century, the population in the big cities _____________ (grow) as people moved from the countryside.

• has grown

• grew

Answer explanation

We use the past simple ('grew') because the action has been completed and it occurred at a specific time in the past (19th century).