A Community Seed Library Through the Seasons
100% Original Practice Test
Follow the life of a community seed library. Practise for with durations, since with starting points, ago with finished past events, and when or how long questions. Study the guide, complete 44 questions and try three speaking tasks.
Your Quick Grammar Guide
First decide what the time expression means: a measured span, a starting point, or a finished event. The sentence tells you whether the situation continues now.
1. How to Form It
For measures a duration
Pattern: for + a length of time.
Positive: Leila has managed the seed shelf for eight months.
Negative: We have not opened that drawer for several weeks.
Question: How long has Leila managed the shelf? For eight months.
For measures the span. It also works with a finished past duration: We labelled envelopes for an hour yesterday. It is not limited to perfect tenses.
Since names a starting point
Pattern: since + date, time, event, or past-simple clause.
Positive: Leila has managed the shelf since the winter festival.
Negative: The team has not used plastic labels since the rules changed.
Question: How long have you kept a seed diary? Since I joined the group.
For a period continuing now, the main clause normally uses present perfect simple or continuous. The clause after since can name a completed past event: since I joined.
Read a timeline
starting pointContinuing durationNow
We have run the exchange since the first fair. This names the beginning. We have run it for nine months. This measures the span.
When did …? asks about a past event
Form: When + did + subject + base verb?
When did the group start? It started nine months ago.
Ago follows a duration and counts back from now. Use a finished past form here: The group did not start ten years ago.
How long have …? asks about a period to now
Form: How long + have/has + subject + past participle?
How long has the group existed? It has existed for nine months.
For an ongoing activity, continuous is also possible: How long have you been saving seeds? State verbs normally stay simple: How long have you known the coordinator?
2. Clue Words & Patterns
Same situation, two time expressions
Ravi has kept a seed journal for six weeks.
Ravi has kept a seed journal since the training session.
The first measures the length. The second names the beginning. Both describe a situation continuing now.
Finished duration or continuing duration?
We worked for an hour yesterday, then went home.
We have been working for an hour and still have two boxes left.
The word for fits both. The context and verb form tell you whether the period is finished. Likewise, How long did you work there? is a valid question about a finished role.
3. Watch Out & Common Mistakes
Measure a span with for
Wrong: The seeds have been in storage since six weeks.
Better: The seeds have been in storage for six weeks.
Six weeks is a duration, not a starting date.
Name a starting point with since
Wrong: The cupboard has been locked for the caretaker left.
Better: The cupboard has been locked since the caretaker left.
The past event identifies when the period began.
Match the question to the meaning
Wrong: When have you joined the club?
Better: When did you join the club?
Joining is a finished event. To ask about the ongoing state, say How long have you been a member?
Ago and for do different jobs
Wrong: We have built the shelves three weeks ago.
Better: We built the shelves three weeks ago.
Ago locates a finished event relative to now. For measures duration: We worked on the shelves for three days.
Three quick self-checks — unscored
The library has used paper envelopes ___ the new policy began.
since. The policy began marks the starting event.
We packed seeds ___ fifty minutes last night. Does a finished past duration rule out for?
for. For works with finished past durations too; last night makes the period finished.
Choose the question: a neighbour wants to know the date you started volunteering.
When did you start volunteering? asks for the starting event. How long have you volunteered? asks for duration if you still volunteer.
Before submitting, identify the kind of time expression, check whether the situation continues, and read the whole sentence after inserting your answer.
Speaking: make it personal
Listen to each model, repeat it, then change the details to tell your own story. Speaking practice is for self-assessment and adds no points to the 44-question test.
Practice 1
Describe an activity you still do. Give both its duration and its starting point.
Read the model
I have helped at our seed library for eighteen months. I have been a volunteer since our first autumn fair.
Practice 2
Ask a partner about a continuing role and its starting event. Give two example answers.
Read the model
How long have you been a seed steward? I have been one for nearly a year. When did you join? I joined last November.
Practice 3
Describe a finished activity using for, then say when it happened using ago.
Read the model
We sorted tomato seeds for ninety minutes yesterday. We finished the last box about an hour ago.
Ready to check your work?
Submit to grade your whole test, OR use 👁 Show Answer per part / per question.
Learning review: what can you do now?
Can you distinguish a duration from its starting point? Use for with a period and since with a starting point. Ask When did …? about a past event and How long have …? about a situation continuing now. Check the meaning before choosing the tense.