A
I've had / been having this phone for two years.
I've had this phone for two years.
State / action verbs
Have is a state verb so it can’t take a continuous form.
Correct this:
I've been to Australia last year.
I went to Australia last year.
Present perfect / past simple
The action is complete and happened at a specific time in the past - last year.
When I was a child, we didn’t play / weren’t playing / didn’t use to play computer games.
When I was a child we didn’t play / didn’t use to play computer games.
Past states and past habits
This is a past habit. Both used to and the past simple can show past habits and past states. (The Past continuous shows unfinished actions in the past.)
Correct this:
I was living in the country when I was a child.
I lived / used to live in the country when I was a child.
Past situations (states)
This is a past situation. The past simple can show past states. Used to can show a past state that no longer exists.
Correct this:
I have worked for an insurance company from 2020 - 2022.
I worked for an insurance company from 2020 - 2022.
Present perfect / past simple
This is complete and happened at a specific time in the past. It doesn't matter that the specific time is a period.
I used to have / would have / was having long hair when I was little.
I used to have long hair when I was little.
Past states and past habits
This is a past state. Used to can show past states and past habits; would can only show past habits.
Correct this:
She's been to lunch. She'll be back in an hour.
She's gone to lunch. She'll be back in an hour.
Been / gone
With the present perfect tense, gone means she’s there now and hasn't come back; been means she has come back.
Correct this:
I am working for the same company since I left school.
I have worked / have been working for the same company since I left school.
Present perfect for unfinished states and actions up until now
With some verbs like live and work (be employed) there is often little difference in meaning between simple and continuous forms.
In my last job they made / used to make / would make us do overtime until seven every day.
All are possible!
Past habits
This is a past habit. Used to and the past simple tense can both show past states and past habits; would can show past habits.
Correct this:
When our new teacher walked into the room, I knew I saw her before.
When our new teacher walked into the room, I knew I had seen her before.
Past tenses
The past perfect makes it clear that see happened before know.
Correct this:
I am living here all my life.
I have lived here all my life.
Present perfect for unfinished states and actions up until now
With live and work (be employed) there is usually little difference between simple and continuous forms. For permanent situations ('all my life'), however, the simple tense is more common.
I’m tired. I had / have had / had had a busy morning so far.
I’m tired. I have had a busy morning so far.
Present perfect for unfinished time periods
The time period (this morning so far) is not yet finished, so the present perfect is used.