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The Present Perfect Continuous

The document discusses the present perfect continuous tense in English. It is used to describe an action that began in the past, continues in the present, and may or may not continue into the future. Examples are given of using the present perfect continuous with "for" and "since" to indicate duration. The formation of the tense in affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences is explained. Examples are provided of how the present perfect continuous differs from the present perfect simple tense. An exercise follows with blanks to be filled in using the present perfect continuous form of verbs provided in parentheses.

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35 views

The Present Perfect Continuous

The document discusses the present perfect continuous tense in English. It is used to describe an action that began in the past, continues in the present, and may or may not continue into the future. Examples are given of using the present perfect continuous with "for" and "since" to indicate duration. The formation of the tense in affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences is explained. Examples are provided of how the present perfect continuous differs from the present perfect simple tense. An exercise follows with blanks to be filled in using the present perfect continuous form of verbs provided in parentheses.

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54tfp56zts
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Present Perfect Continuous

We use the Present Perfect Continuous to:


- describe an action which ended recently, with a close relation to the present time;
Ex: You’re out of breath. Have you been running? (you are out of breath now)
- Is it raining? - No, but the ground is wet. It has been raining.
- describe actions which started in the past and are still happening.
Ex: Where have you been? I have been looking for you for an hour.
It is raining now. It began raining two hours ago and it is still raining. It has been raining for two hours.

The Present Perfect Continuous is usually used with for and since to describe repeated actions, expressing anger or criticism.
For (há) Since(desde)
two hours a week 8 o’clock 1977
20 minutes 50 years Monday Christmas
five days a long time 12 May lunchtime
six months ages April he was at school

To form the affirmative, negative and interrogative forms we use the auxiliary To have, in the Simple
Present, plus the past participle of the verb To be (been) and the main verb in the gerund (-ing):
Affirmative Negative Interrogative
subject + auxiliary + been + main verb Subj. + auxiliary in the neg.+ been + main verb auxiliary verb + subj.+ been + main verb?
(has/have) (p.p. to be) (ing) (hasn’t/haven’t) (p.p. to be) (ing) (has/have) (p.p. to be) (ing)
I have been working I haven't been working Have I been working?
You have been working You haven't been working Have you been working?
He / She / It has been working He / She / It hasn't been working Has he / she / it been working?
We have been working We haven't been working Have we been working?
You have been working You haven't been working Have you been working?
They have been working They haven't been working Have they been working?

Has Painted is the present perfect simple.


The action is finished. We are interested in the result of the action, not in the action itself.
Ex: The ceiling was white. Now it is blue. Ann has painted the ceiling.
Has been painting is the present perfect continuous.
We are interested in the action. It doesn’t matter if the action was finished or not, but it is usually unfinished.
Ex: Ann’s clothes are covered in paint. She has been painting the ceiling.

Fill in the blanks with the Present Perfect Continuous of the verbs in brackets. Put the adverbs in the
correct place when necessary.
1. This room is a mess! What have you been doing (you/do) all day?
2. Look at that man over there. He has been standing (to stand) there for hours.
3. He _________________ (to clean) the windows and he _________________ (not/to finish) yet.
4. The magazine _________________ (to publish) a report on English-speakers. It’s excellent!
5. The teacher was late. When he arrived, the students said “We _________________ (to wait) for you for
half an hour, teacher!”.
6. The teacher was late. When he arrived, someone told him “The students _________________ (to wait)
for you for half an hour and then they have gone! You were so late!”.
7. They _________________ (to live) there for ages but they moved last week.
8. They _________________ (to live) here for ages and they love this place.
9. Peter _________________ (to finish) his book at last.
10. They _________________ (to queue) since midday and they are still waiting for their turn.
CLEFT SENTENCES WITH “WHAT”
INSTRUCTIONS: Rewrite the sentences using Cleft Sentences with What. Make sure that the
complement and the verb to be match correctly.
EXAMPLE: Adriana doesn’t like pop music.
What Adriana doesn’t like is pop music.

1. They really love rock music.

2. I can’t stand politicians’ publicity.

3. The clown made everyone laugh.

4. I don’t understand the lyrics.

5. Carlos enjoyed the concert.

FIVE MINUTES AT THE BUS STATION

1. What kind of person was Isaac? What kind of music did he like to listen to?

2. How is Julissa physically described?

3. Why do Jony and Carlos make fun of Isaac?

4. What kind of things did Isaac learn to do for Julissa once he almost lost her?

5. How does the story end? Was it a surprising ending?

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