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Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland. It has a beautiful old city centre and a castle that lies on a hill above the city. In the castle you can see the statues of two Scottish heroes: Robert Bruce and William Wallace (known from the film Braveheart).

Edinburgh Castle

Several famous people were born in Edinburgh, for example Alexander Graham Bell (who invented the telephone), Tony Blair (Prime Minister) and Arthur Conan Doyle (who wrote the Sherlock Holmes stories). By the way, J. K. Rowling wrote her first Harry Potter book in an Edinburgh coffee-shop.

Grammar Exercise on the Text

Simple Past – Present Perfect

We use the simple past for situations or actions in the past (often a time expression in the past indicates that we must use simple past). We use the present perfect if there is a connection with the present. For further information, check out our grammar section: Simple Past or Present Perfect

Write the verbs in the correct tense (Simple Past or Present Perfect).

  1. My friend (be) to Edinburgh three times.
  2. Some years ago he (study) English there.
  3. Last month he (visit) some friends in Edinburgh.
  4. Unfortunately, I (can / not) go to Edinburgh with him.
  5. This is a pity. They are my friends, too, and I (see / not) them for ages.