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Unit 10 Present Perfect Continuous (I Have Been Doing)

The document summarizes the present perfect continuous tense in English. It provides examples of its use to describe actions that began in the past and have recent relevance, including actions that are ongoing or have just stopped. It contrasts the present continuous and present perfect continuous tenses. Key points include: - The present perfect continuous describes past actions with relevance to the present, like "I've been waiting (and I'm still waiting)." - It uses "have/has been -ing" and focuses on duration or repetition of an action over time. - Examples are given for time phrases like "for" and "since" as well as adverbial phrases connecting to present state. - A chart contrasts the present continuous

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Jasmin Manalo Aquino
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344 views

Unit 10 Present Perfect Continuous (I Have Been Doing)

The document summarizes the present perfect continuous tense in English. It provides examples of its use to describe actions that began in the past and have recent relevance, including actions that are ongoing or have just stopped. It contrasts the present continuous and present perfect continuous tenses. Key points include: - The present perfect continuous describes past actions with relevance to the present, like "I've been waiting (and I'm still waiting)." - It uses "have/has been -ing" and focuses on duration or repetition of an action over time. - Examples are given for time phrases like "for" and "since" as well as adverbial phrases connecting to present state. - A chart contrasts the present continuous

Uploaded by

Jasmin Manalo Aquino
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Present Perfect

Continuous
(I have been doing)
A. It has been raining
Study this example situation:
Is it raining?
No, but the ground is wet.
It has been raining.
Have / has been –ing is the present perfect continuous.

(= I’ve, etc) doing


I/we/they/you have been
(= he’s, etc.) waiting
He/she it has
playing

We use the present perfect continuous for an activity that has recently stopped or just
stopped. There is a connection with now:
 You’re out of breath. Have you been running? (= you’re out of breath now)
 Jason is very tired. He’s been working very hard. (= he’s tired now)
 Why are your clothes so dirty? What have you been doing?
 (on the phone) I’m glad you called. I’ve been thinking about calling you…
 Where have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.
B. It has been raining for two hours.
Study this example situation:
It began raining two hours ago, and it is still raining.
How long has it been raining?
It has been raining for two hours.
We use the present perfect continuous in this way with
how long, for, and since. The activity is still happening (as
in this example) or has just stopped
B. continuation…
 How long have you been studying English? (= you’re still studying English)
 Tim is still watching television. He’s been watching television all day.
 Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you for the last half hour.
 Christopher hasn’t been feeling well recently.
You can use the present perfect continuous for actions repeated over a period of time.
 Debbie is a very good tennis player. She's been playing since she was eight.
 Every morning they meet in the same café. They’ve been going there for years.

C.
Compare I am doing and I have been doing:

I have been doing


I am doing
Present perfect continuous
present continuous

now now

 Don’t bother me now. I’m working.  I’ve been working hard. Now I’m going
to take a break.
 We need an umbrella. It’s raining.  The ground is wet. It’s been raining.
 Hurry up! We’re waiting.  We’ve been waiting for an hour.
Exercises
10.1 What have these people been doing or what has been happening?

10.2 Write a question for each situation


1. You meet Paul as he is leaving the swimming pool.
You ask: (you / swim?) ______________________________________________________________
Have you been swimming?
2. You have just arrived to meet a friend who is waiting for you.
You ask: (you / wait / long?) ________________________________________________________
3. You meet a friend at the store. His face and hands are very dirty.
You ask: (what / you / do?) _________________________________________________________
4. A friend of yours is now working at a gym. You want to know how long.
You as: (how long / you / work / there?) _____________________________________________
5. A friend tells you about his job – he sells computers. You want to know how long.
You ask: (how long / you / sell / computers?) _________________________________________
10.3 Read the situations and complete the sentences.
1. It’s raining. The train started two hours ago.
It__________________
‘s been raining for two hours.
2. We are waiting for the bus. We got to the bus stop 20 minutes ago.
We____________________________________________________ for 20 minutes.
3. I’m studying Spanish. I started classes in December.
I________________________________________ since December.
4. Jessica is working in Tokyo. She started working there on January 18.
__________________________________________ since January 18.
5. Our friends always spend their summers in the mountains. They started going there
years ago. __________________________________________ for years.

10.4 Put the verb into the present continuous (I am –ing) or present perfect
continuous (I have been –ing)
1. _________________________ (Maria / study) English for two years.
2. Hello, Tom. ______________________ (I / look) for you all morning. Where have you been?
3. Why ___________________ (you / look) at me like that? Stop it!
4. Linda is a teacher. ______________________________ (she / teach) for 10 years.
5. ___________________________ (I / think) about what you said, and I’ve decided to take
your advice.
6. “Is Kim on vacation this week?” “No, ______________________________ (she / work).”
7. Sarah is very tired. __________________________________ (she / work) very hard recently.

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