Would you sleep in a 300-year-old inn? For and since with the present perfect and How long…?

This B1 ESL lesson plan teaches for and since with the present perfect at Longfellow's Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts, an inn whose story goes back to 1716.

Grammar: Have / has + past participle with for + a period or since + a starting point (I've been here since Monday.), and How long…? questions.
Topic: The Wayside Inn, Longfellow's book of tales and Henry Ford's grist mill, with hotel words such as check in, front desk and clerk.
Activities: A feature to read, a check-in at the front desk and a listener's question to hear, five self-checking drills, a chat at a Vermont inn and open-box questions.

What's inside

Chapter 1Check-in time!
- PictureUnlock
- Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
- Study the words: at the innVocabularyTry it
- Look at the pictures and choose the wordChoose by pictureUnlock
Chapter 2A night in 1716
- Look at the picture: tales by the firePictureUnlock
- Read the feature: a night in 1716ArticleUnlock
- Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
- Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
Chapter 3Live from the front desk
- Listen to Jade and Irving at the front deskListeningTry it
- Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
- Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
- Listen to the Listener's Take: Logan from VermontListeningUnlock
- Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
- Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
Chapter 4Grammar: I've been here since Monday
- Study the scheme: for and sinceGrammar schemeTry it
- Choose the correct option: for or sinceChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: the present perfect with for and sinceFill in the gapsUnlock
- Fill in the table: the present perfect with for and sinceFill in the tableTry it
- Drag the words into the gaps: an evening at the innDrag and dropUnlock
- Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock
Chapter 5Your turn: how long have you…?
- Choose the right replies: checking inChatTry it
- Open a box and answer: how long have you…?Open the boxUnlock
Chapter 6Homework
- Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
- Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
- Fill in the gaps with the lesson's wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Find the matching pairsMemory gameUnlock
- Sort the words into the correct columns: for or since?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: make sentences with for and sinceFill in the gapsUnlock
- Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
- Choose the correct option: a guest's reviewChoose the optionUnlock
- Drag the words into the gaps: Jade's answer to LoganDrag and dropUnlock

Hotel vocabulary

12 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+9 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

innkeeper
front desk
check in
tale
poem
grist mill
bypass
license
clerk

Grammar: for and since with the present perfect

For and since answer How long? about something that began in the past and is still true now, so the verb is in the present perfect. For measures the time; since names the moment it started. With an inn whose story goes back to 1716, learners pair each time phrase with for or since, ask How long…? and keep finished time in the past simple.

How long? I've been here since Monday.

Use the present perfect (have / has + past participle) with for or since for something that started in the past and is still true now.

For + a period, since + a starting point

For goes with a length of time: for three nights, for ages, for more than 300 years. Since goes with the moment something began: since Monday, since 1716, since four o'clock. Both work for every person: He has worked at the inn for six years.

for or since?

for + how much time	since + when it started
for three nights	since Monday
for six years	since 2020
for more than 300 years	since 1716
for ages	since I was a kid
for two hours	since four o'clock
for a long time	since last summer

Every person

Who	for + a period	since + a starting point
I	I have been here for three nights.	I have been here since Monday.
you	You have had this room for two days.	You have had this room since Monday.
he (Irving)	He has worked at the inn for six years.	He has worked there since he was nineteen.
she	She has known Meredith for ages.	She has known her since high school.
it (the diner)	It has been open for decades.	It has been open since 1958.
we	We have owned our car for a long time.	We have owned it since I was a kid.
they (the innkeepers)	They have welcomed guests for more than 300 years.	They have welcomed guests since 1716.

How long…? questions and short answers

How long comes first, then have or has, the subject and the past participle: How long has Irving worked at the inn? A short answer needs only the time phrase: For six years. Since 1716. For ages!

Question	Answer
How long have you been here?	For two days. / Since Monday.
How long has Irving worked at the inn?	For six years.
How long has the inn welcomed travelers?	Since 1716.
How long have they owned the diner?	Since 1958.
How long have you known Logan?	For ages!

Present perfect, not present simple

For time up to now, English uses the present perfect here, not the present simple, even though the situation is still true: I've been here since Monday, not I'm here since Monday. The same goes for know and be open: The diner has been open since 1958.

Present perfect, not present simple

For time up to now, use the present perfect: I've been here since Monday (not: I'm here since Monday). I've known her for years (not: I know her for years). The diner has been open since 1958 (not: It's open since 1958). Short forms: I've, you've, we've, they've; he's, she's, it's (= has).

How long have you been here? or How long are you here for?

How long have you been here? looks back from now, so the answer is Since Monday or For three days. How long are you here for? asks about a plan, and its answer looks ahead: Until Friday. Two more nights.

How long have you been here? How long are you here for?

How long have you been here? asks about the time up to now: Since Monday. / For three days. How long are you here for? asks about your plan: Until Friday. / Two more nights.

Since + a clause, and finished time

After since, a whole clause in the past simple can follow: since I was a kid, since we moved here. When the time is over, the past simple returns, even with for: Henry Ford owned the inn for more than 20 years. He doesn't own it now.

since + a sentence, and finished time

After since, you can use a whole sentence in the past simple: since I was a kid, since we moved here. For finished time, use the past simple, also with for: Henry Ford owned the inn for more than 20 years (he doesn't own it now). Longfellow visited for one day.

Common mistakes

I'm here since Monday.
I've been here since Monday.
time up to now: the present perfect
I know her for years.
I've known her for years.
time up to now: I've known, not I know
We've had this room since three days.
We've had this room for three days.
a period: for
The inn has welcomed travelers for 1716.
The inn has welcomed travelers since 1716.
a starting point: since

At the inn

The inn has welcomed travelers since 1716.
A trust has owned the inn since the 1940s.
Irving has worked at the front desk for six years.
How long have you been here? – Since six this morning.
Logan's family has owned a diner since 1958.
I've loved old buildings since I was a kid.

More lessons on this grammar: Present perfect lessons and exercises

Try the for and since exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

What's in the lesson

18 auto-checked exercises
5 games
1 article
1 grammar scheme
1 set of word cards
2 audio clips
2 pictures
2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

say how long something has been true with for + a period: Irving has worked at the front desk for six years. We've had this room for three days.
use since + a starting point, a year or a past-simple clause: A trust has owned the inn since the 1940s. I've loved old buildings since I was a kid.
ask and answer How long have you been here? – Since six this morning., and tell it from How long are you here for?, which asks about a plan
keep the present perfect for time up to now: I've known her for years, not I know her for years; for three days, never since three days

Lesson 2 continues Travel smart, unit 1 of English B1.1 · Stories That Travel. It builds on lesson 1, where the present perfect covered time that isn't finished, and lesson 3 turns to indirect questions for polite requests. An inn whose story goes back to 1716 is full of things that began long ago and are still true, which is exactly what for and since describe.

Students spin a wheel of questions about hotels and old buildings, then learn twelve words, from welcome and own to grist mill and bypass, with pictures and audio. Jade's feature on a night in 1716 comes with true-or-false statements and a quiz. Two AI-voiced listenings follow: Jade checking in with Irving, the front-desk clerk, and Logan, whose family has owned a diner since 1958. Five self-checking drills come after the scheme, among them a table of for and since for every person. Last, students check in at a Vermont inn in a chat and open boxes of How long…? questions.

All ten homework tasks check themselves: a word match, an anagram, a gap-fill with the lesson's words and a memory game, then a sort of time phrases into for and since, a choice of tense or time word, sentences to build from prompts and to put in order, a guest's review with options and Jade's reply to Logan with gaps.

Grammar:: present perfect · for and since · How long…?
Topic:: the Wayside Inn · Sudbury, Massachusetts · inns and hotels · checking in · Longfellow · the Boston Post Road · Stories That Travel

Teaching tips

Draw a timeline from 1716 to now and mark 1923, the 1940s and 1973. Students make a sentence for each date and spot the one that needs the past simple: Henry Ford doesn't own the inn now.
Before the feature, ask about the oldest building nearby: how long has it been there? Students answer with for or since, then read to find out how long the inn has stood on its road.
Pause the front-desk dialogue before each answer and let students guess Irving's reply with for or since, then play on to check. At the end, ask what Jade plans to do that Longfellow never did.
Turn the check-in chat into a role-play: one student runs the front desk and asks How long have you been on the road? and How long are you here for?, the other answers about a real trip.

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The whole course: English B1.1 · Stories That Travel

32 lessons for adults at B1 in American English, each built around a true story. Riley, Jade and Darius make a podcast in Kansas City about true American stories, and each lesson tells one, from a seaplane airport in Alaska to the Marfa Lights of West Texas. Learners compare the present perfect with the past simple, use future forms, modals and quantifiers, and give their own opinions. The practice exercises check themselves.See the course

Unit 1 Travel smart
the present perfect vs the past simple, for and since, indirect questions, be used to and get used to
1. Lesson 1Would you visit an airport just for fun?Present perfect vs past simple
2. Lesson 2 · you're hereWould you sleep in a 300-year-old inn?For and since with the present perfect
3. Lesson 3My suitcase has gone to Honolulu!Indirect questions for polite requests
4. Lesson 4Can you practice a flight?Be used to and get used to
Unit 2 Dream jobs, new jobs
will have to and won't be allowed to, the present perfect continuous, simple vs continuous, would vs used to
Unit 3 Space and discovery
it's + adjective + to, What's it like to…?, future forms compared, future time clauses, too and enough + to
Unit 4 Life online
the more…, the more…, be supposed to, ought to and had better, let, make and allow
Unit 5 Screen and page
-ed and -ing adjectives, gradable and extreme adjectives, present tenses for a plot, articles for things in general
Unit 6 Green living
few and a few, little and a little, all, most, some and none, each and every, fewer and less
Unit 7 Sporting moments
could, was able to and managed to, for, during and while, present tenses for live commentary, question tags
Unit 8 Mysteries and lost worlds
both… and, either… or and neither… nor, uncountable nouns, how sure we are about the future, unless, as long as and in case

Questions about this lesson

What's the difference between for and since?

For measures how long; since says when it started. So it's for three nights but since Monday, and for more than 300 years but since 1716. When the situation is still true, both take the present perfect: Irving has worked at the front desk for six years. The B1 lesson Would you sleep in a 300-year-old inn? on edio.ai has students sort a dozen time phrases into the two.

How do you use the present perfect with for and since?

Build the present perfect, have or has + past participle, and put the time phrase after it: We've had this room since Monday. She has known Meredith for ages. The sentence means the situation began in the past and still goes on. Would you sleep in a 300-year-old inn?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai, practices it with verbs such as be, have, know and own: Logan's family has owned a diner since 1958.

Is it "I'm here since Monday" or "I've been here since Monday"?

It's I've been here since Monday: time up to now takes the present perfect, even though you're still here. The same goes for I've known her for years, not I know her for years, and The diner has been open since 1958, not It's open since 1958. The other common slip is the wrong word: for three days, never since three days; since 1716, never for 1716.

What's the difference between "How long have you been here?" and "How long are you here for?"

How long have you been here? asks about the time from your arrival up to now, so you answer Since Monday or For three days. How long are you here for? asks about your plan: Until Friday. Two more nights. The first looks back, the second looks ahead. Meredith asks both in the check-in chat of Would you sleep in a 300-year-old inn?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai.

What is the Wayside Inn?

Longfellow's Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts, is, in its own words, one of the oldest inns still operating in the United States. Its story goes back to 1716, when David Howe added on to his family home on the Old Boston Post Road and got a license to run an inn. Henry Ford bought it in 1923 and added a chapel and a grist mill. Today a nonprofit foundation runs it, with a restaurant and guest rooms.

Did Longfellow stay at the Wayside Inn?

No: Longfellow visited for only one day, in October 1862, and never stayed overnight. A year later, in 1863, he published Tales of a Wayside Inn, a book in which travelers sit by the fire at an old inn in Sudbury and each tells a tale in verse. “Paul Revere's Ride” is one of them, told by the inn's landlord. The inn later took the poet's name.

What hotel vocabulary should B1 students know?

Start with the words for arriving at a hotel: you check in at the front desk, where a clerk hands you a key and the staff welcome you. An inn is a small old hotel, often in the country, and the innkeeper runs it. Around them come book, guest, stay and review. Would you sleep in a 300-year-old inn? teaches twelve words with pictures and audio.

How do I teach for and since to B1 students?

Start from a real start date, such as the day a student moved or started a job, and draw a line from it to now: since 2021 marks the start, for five years measures the line. Then ask How long have you…? about homes, friends and things they own. Would you sleep in a 300-year-old inn? on edio.ai moves from a reading and a check-in dialogue to a scheme and five drills.

What's a good game for practicing for and since?

A for-or-since sorting race works well: call out three nights, 1716, ages, I was a kid or last summer, and the first team to say the right word with it wins a point. For speaking, open boxes with prompts such as What's the oldest thing you own? How long have you had it? let each student answer aloud, then ask a partner.

What's good homework for practicing for and since?

Good homework moves from single phrases to a whole text: a sort of time phrases into for and since, gaps that build sentences such as My sister has wanted a dog since she was six, and a guest's review with tense and time choices. All ten homework tasks in Would you sleep in a 300-year-old inn? on edio.ai check themselves, the last one being Jade's reply to a listener.

How do you practice for and since one-to-one?

Swap How long…? questions about real life: How long have you lived in your home?, How long have you known your best friend?, then let the student ask the teacher. Ask for each answer twice, once with for and once with since. The check-in chat in Would you sleep in a 300-year-old inn?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai, works alone: the student replies to Meredith at a Vermont inn.

Are there interactive for and since exercises?

Yes. Without an account, this page plays three parts of Would you sleep in a 300-year-old inn?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai: Jade's check-in with Irving at the front desk, a table in which every person gets a for and a since sentence, and a chat at the front desk of a Vermont inn. Each drill marks the answer as soon as it's given. An account opens the rest.

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