You're a teacher. You're talking to the parents of one of your students, who talks loudly to her friends during your lectures. You say:
Monica's been growing increasingly disruptive in class over the past few weeks.
You ate dinner at your friend's parents' house. The food was very, very good. After eating, you say:
This was literally the best meal I've ever had.
compliments, exaggeration, food, guest, literal, meal, perfect aspect 
You won a small award, so you're being interviewed for an article in the local newpaper. The reporter asks who has motivated you. You say that you think your older brother has motivated you. Then you say:
I've always looked up to him as a role model.
perfect aspect, phrasal verb, respect, role model, 日本語サポート 
You're at a Christmas party. You're dressed up as Santa Claus. You see your girlfriend, so you walk up and ask her:
Have you been naughty or nice this year?
You have a blog. It's started to become really popular. A friend asks how it became so popular, but you didn't do any advertisement for it. You say:
It's mostly just spread through word of mouth.
advertisement, blog, marketing, perfect aspect, website, 日本語サポート 
You haven't seen your friend Matt for a few months. You're not sure why he hasn't been in touch. Now you're having a conversation with another friend of yours who also knows Matt. You remember that you wanted to ask about him, so you say:
I've been meaning to ask you: do you know what's up with Matt?
Your grandmother passed away after being sick for several years. You’re back at work now after going to her funeral, and talking to a coworker who’s come to give her condolences. You explain that your grandmother's death was not surprising:
Her health had been deteriorating for many years.
You're watching a basketball game. One team was winning before by 12 points. Now the other team is winning. There's a time out, and the game announcers say:
The Jets have let their 12-point lead going into halftime slip away.
idioms, perfect aspect, sports 
You played a trick on your brother and really surprised him. He made a funny face. Now you're telling a friend the story of what happened. You describe his reaction:
You should have seen the look on his face. It was priceless!
modal, past, perfect aspect, reaction, storytelling 
You're giving a presentation about the sales results of a product which your company recently started selling. The company has been selling more and more of the product each week. You say:
Sales have been steadily increasing since the launch.
