how long did it take you to do your homework

• Summit Language Institute

Grammar Basics: Unit 49 – How long does it take…?

If we are talking about time, we use the phrase “How long does it take…?”

When we are wondering about the time needed to travel (from place A) to place B, we can ask “ How long does it take to get (from A) to B? ”:

How long does it take to get from Chicago to Miami? —It takes about three days by car. How long does it take to get from the library to the museum? —It’s about a ten-minute walk. How long does it take to get to the airport?—About twenty minutes.

Note:   Many times we also include the method of travel.  For example, traveling by plane is quicker than traveling by car.  This makes a difference how the question is answered.

More examples:

How long does it take to get to school by bus?—It takes 45 minutes. How long does it take to get from Paris to Frankfurt by train?—About four or five hours. How long does it take to get to the beach by foot?—About fifteen minutes.  (“by foot” or “on foot” both mean “by walking”)

We can also use “ How long does it take…? ” if we are asking about doing something:

How long does it take to bake a cake? How long does it take to build a house? How long does it take to get a haircut?

Other tenses are possible:

Past tense:  How long did it take….?

How long did it take to knit that sweater? How long did it take to write the book?

Future tense:  How long will it take…?

How long will it take to mow the lawn? How long will it take to save enough money for a nice vacation?

We can also make negative sentences (usually in response to one of the above questions):  It doesn’t / didn’t / won’t take long…

It doesn’t take long to get from the library to the museum. It doesn’t take long to get a haircut. It didn’t take long to knit the sweater. It won’t take long to mow the lawn.

The questions can be personalized, as well:  How long does it take you to do something?

How long does it take you to do your homework? How long will it take Tom to clean his room? It took me forever to finish that project.

Exercise.  Using the given words, write questions with How long….?

Chicago, New York, car ==>  How long does it take to get from Chicago to New York by car?

1.    Hong Kong, Tokyo, plane 2.    School, library, foot 3.    Home, downtown, train 4.    Island, mainland, boat 5.    Train station, airport, bus

Exercise.  From the following sentences, write questions using How long did it take…?

Jack painted the picture in the hall. ==>  How long did it take him to paint the picture?

1.    The English class read the book “War and Peace.” 2.    John drove from Atlanta to Dallas. 3.    Mother made all the bridesmaids’ dresses for Edith’s wedding. 4.    Edward finally finished writing the Smith family history. 5.    Jack and Jill wrapped all the Christmas presents.

Exercise.  Read the following situations, and write sentences using It took…. Example:

I wrote a term paper.  I started it on March 3, and finished it on April 3. ==> It took me a month to write the paper.

1.    Max weeded the garden.  He started at 9 a.m., and finished at 11 a.m. 2.    We drove from Chicago to Los Angeles.  We left on Monday, and got there on Saturday. 3.    Mary knit a sweater.  She started it at the beginning of October, and finished it in time for Christmas. 4.    Steve walked home from the train station.  He got off the train at 5:30 p.m., and got home at 5:45 p.m. 5.    Kevin built his summer cottage.  He started building it in 2008, and he finished it in 2010.

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