PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
Subject
has/have been
base+ing
She
has been
swimming
The present perfect continuous is made up of two elements: the present perfect of the verb 'to
be' (have/has been), and the present participle of the main verb (base+ing)
Affirmative: She has been / She's been running.
Negative: She hasn't been running.
Interrogative : Has she been running?
Interrogative negative: Hasn't she been running?
EXAMPLE: PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS, TO LIVE
Affirmative
Negative
Interrogative
I have been living
I haven't been living
Have I been living?
You have been living
You haven't been living
Have you been living?
He, she, it has been living
He hasn't been living
Has she been living?
We have been living
We haven't been living
Have we been living?
You have been living
You haven't been living
Have you been living?
They have been living
They haven't been living
Have they been living?
FUNCTIONS OF THE PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
The present perfect continuous refers to an unspecified time between 'before now' and 'now'. The
speaker is thinking about something that started but perhaps did not finish in that period of time.
He/she is interested in the process as well as the result, and this process may still be going on, or
may have just finished.
ACTIONS THAT STARTED IN THE PAST AND CONTINUE IN THE PRESENT
She has been waiting for you all day (= and she's still waiting now).
I've been working on this report since eight o'clock this morning (= and I still haven't finished it).
They have been travelling since last October (= and they're not home yet).
ACTIONS THAT HAVE JUST FINISHED, BUT WE ARE INTERESTED IN THE
RESULTS
She has been cooking since last night (= and the food on the table looks delicious).
It's been raining (= and the streets are still wet).
Someone's been eating my chips (= half of them have gone).
VERBS WITHOUT CONTINUOUS FORMS
With verbs not normally used in the continuous form, use the simple present perfect. For example: I've
wanted to visit China for years.
She's known Robert since she was a child.
I've hated that music since I first heard it.
I've heard a lot about you recently.
We've understood everything.
we've heard this morning.
Exceptions in Spelling
Exceptions in spelling when adding ing
Example
final e is dropped
(but: ee is not changed)
come coming
(but: agree agreeing)
after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled
sit sitting
l as final consonant after a vowel is doubled (in British English)
travel travelling
final ie becomes y
lie lying
Write the ing form of the verbs. Note the excepitons in spelling when adding ing.
1.
run
2.
arrive
3.
chat
4.
sit
5.
lie
6.
move
7.
cycle
8.
travel
9.
tie
10.
dial
Decide whether to use have or has.
1.
She
been asking questions all day long.
2.
They
3.
We
4.
You
5.
been working.
6.
It
been snowing.
7.
The boy
been climbing the mountain.
been washing the dishes.
been repairing your computer.
been playing.
8.
Caty
9.
The men
10.
Cindy and Bob
been dreaming.
been digging a hole.
been studying English.
Decide whether you have to use since or for.
1.
I have been waiting
4 oclock.
2.
Sue has only been waiting
3.
Tim and Tina have been learning English
six years.
4.
Fred and Frida have been learning French
1998.
5.
Joe and Josephine have been going out together
6.
I havent been on holiday
7.
Mary has been saving her money
8.
I havent eaten anything
9.
You have been watching TV
10.
We have been living here
20 minutes.
last July.
many years.
breakfast.
hours.
2 months.
Write positive sentences in present perfect progressive.
1.
Albert / squash / play
2.
Hannah / the match / watch
3.
we / in the park / wait
4.
you / a song / sing
5.
I / a magazine / read
Valentines Day.
6.
it / rain / all day
7.
Phil and Greg / a race / run
8.
she / her teeth / brush
9.
the Millers / in London / live / for three years
10.
we / on the lake / sail
Write negative sentences in present perfect progressive.
1.
we / not / in the mountains / walk
2.
Beatrice / not / in Boston / teach
3.
Ricky / not / the car / wash
4.
she / not / a poem / write
5.
we / not / tea / drink
6.
we / not / our rooms / clean
7.
the children / not / on the floor / sleep
8.
Jeff and Linda / not / cycle
9.
Christine / not / her home / decorate
10.
the cat / not / on the chair / lie / all day
Write questions in present perfect progressive.
1.
she / on the phone / talk
2.
his brother / dinner / cook
3.
Jane and Mary / badminton / play
4.
Sue / in the gym / exercise
5.
Robert / the room / paint
6.
they / trees / plant
7.
Henry / in the garage / work
8.
they / in the lake / swim
9.
how long / Boris / English / learn
10.
how long / you / for me / wait
Put the verbs into the correct form (present perfect progressive).
1.
He (work)
in this company since 1985.
has been w or
2.
I (wait)
for you since two o'clock.
3.
Mary (live)
4.
Why is he so tired? He (play)
5.
How long (learn / you)
6.
We (look for)
7.
I (live)
8.
The film (run / not)
in Germany since 1992.
She (not / be)
English?
the motorway for more than an hour.
without electricity for two weeks.
already.
9.
How long (work / she)
10.
tennis for five hours.
for ten minutes yet, but there's a commercial break
in the garden?
in the garden for more than an hour.
Write the ing-form of the following verbs.
1.
cry
2.
prepare
3.
lie
4.
win
5.
dial
Choose the correct form: have or has and since or for.
1.
Emma
been learning English
2.
My friends
3.
4.
Ross and Gavin
5.
Carol
been living here
been waiting for Danny
been exercising in the gym
1.
Kevin / read
2.
you / TV / watch / all day
3.
Paul / to the radio / listen / not
4.
the men / cards / play
5.
the girls / cycle / not
Write questions in present perfect progressive.
Carol / shout
2.
you / dance
3.
Kevin / run
2003.
20 minutes.
been travelling around Australia
Write sentences in present perfect progressive.
1.
five years.
2 o'clock.
six weeks.
4.
they / on the phone / talk / how long
5.
these books / lie / on the floor / how long
Write the ing form of the following verbs.
1.
cause
2.
stay
3.
refer
4.
tie
5.
travel
Choose the correct form: have or has and since or for.
1.
They
been discussing the problem
2.
The candle
3.
Ben
4.
The researcher
5.
Judith and her boyfriend
been burning
one o'clock.
two hours.
been wearing that blue shirt
been exploring the territory
been kissing
Write sentences in present perfect progressive.
1.
the cat / the mouse / chase
2.
you / the homework / copy
3.
they / a new gadget / invent
4.
we / in a forum / chat / not
5.
Lucy / on the task / concentrate / not
Friday.
last December.
ten minutes.
Write questions in present perfect progressive.
1.
Kerry / paint
2.
the secretary / the documents / print out
3.
they / a room / share
4.
the dog / run around / how long
5.
you / at the door / knock / how long
Choose the correct tense (Simple Present or Present Perfect Progressive).
1.
I never
to school on Sundays. (go)
2.
We
since 7 o'clock. (work)
3.
He
shopping twice per week. (go)
4.
We
5.
They
6.
It
7.
8.
When
9.
How long
10.
How often per month
tennis every Tuesday. (play)
English for two years. (learn)
for three days now. (rain)
TV at the weekends. (never watch)
in the mornings? (usually get up)
for Tom now? (we wait)
the bus? (you take)
Fill in the correct tense (Simple Present or Present Perfect Progressive).
1.
Carol (love)
2.
She (sing)
singing.
in the school's choir for five years.
3.
Carol (have)
a wonderful voice and she (play)
the piano,
too.
4.
She (play)
the piano for seven years.
5.
Since Carol saw a talent show on TV, she (dream)
6.
Therefore, Carol (practise)
7.
She (want)
8.
" (know / anyone)
of being a popstar.
every day.
to be in a band.
a cool band that (need)
keyboarder?" she often (ask)
a singer or a
her friends.
Fill in the correct tense (Simple Present or Present Perfect Progressive).
1.
Tom (go)
2.
He (go)
to school by bus every day.
to school by bus since he and his parents moved to a little
village.
3.
Tom (have)
4.
At least he (can / stay)
friends (be)
5.
to get up very early each day, but that (be)
at his old school where all of his
Tom (speak)
for only two years.
6.
His friends often (ask)
English very well, although he (learn)
Tom why his English (be)
7.
Every summer, Tom and his parents (spend)
8.
Tom's mum (love)
9.
Tom (have)
with them.
okay.
English
so good.
a few weeks in England.
England, especially the English gardens.
some friends in England and he (speak)
English
Fill in the correct tense (Simple Present or Present Perfect Progressive).
1.
Marvin and Joe (play)
in a football club for two years.
2.
They (practise)
3.
Marvin (be)
4.
He often (score)
5.
At the moment, the training (be)
6.
For six weeks now, the team (prepare)
four times a week.
a popular forwarder.
goals for his team.
place on Sunday.
7.
Today, the boys (doing)
very hard.
for an important match taking
strength training for forty minutes already.
8.
Joe (like/not)
that very much - he (want)
9.
However, the strength training exercises (be)
to play football.
also very important for the
young players.
Fill in the correct form (pronoun + verb).
Simple Present
they / do
she / eat
you / sit
I / speak
Present Perfect Progressive
he / write
When to use which tense?
1.
'for seven days' is a signal word for
2.
'since 6 o'clock' is a signal word for
3.
'often' is a signal word for
Fill in the correct tense (Simple Present or Present Perfect Progressive).
1.
I (read)
since two o'clock.
2.
He (meet)
3.
They (live)
4.
The weather here (be)
5.
We always (get up)
his friends after school every day.
here for just three months.
really bad in winter.
very late on Sundays.
Fill in the correct tense (Simple Present or Present Perfect Progressive).
1.
My parents (speak/not)
English very well.
2.
We (watch/not)
TV for four hours.
3.
She (play/not)
tennis on Tuesdays.
4.
He (study/not)
for his English test since he came home.
5.
You need a break? Already? We (cycle/not)
for more than half an hour.
Fill in the correct tense (Simple Present or Present Perfect Progressive).
1.
What time (start/you)
school on Mondays?
2.
When (leave/the train)
3.
How long (wait/we)
4.
(go/she)
5.
(get/they)
for Manchester?
for him?
to school for six years now?
much homework at school each day?
Fill in the correct tense (Simple Present or Present Perfect Progressive).
1.
Interviewer: Jane, how long (learn/you)
2.
Jane: I (learn)
3.
Interviewer: What other subjects (like/you)
4.
Jane: I also (love)
5.
Interviewer: How often (do/you)
6.
Jane: I (go)
English?
English for six years. It's one of my favourite subjects.
?
art and physical education.
sports per week?
jogging every morning and I (play)
schools basketball team for two years. We (train)
7.
Interviewer: And what about art? (paint/you)
8.
Jane: Oh yes, I (paint)
in my
three times a week.
a lot?
since I was just two years old.
Fill in the correct form (pronoun + verb).
Simple Present
I / look
he / live
Present Perfect Progressive
you / swim
she listen
they / take
When to use which tense?
1.
'never' is a signal word for
2.
'every Monday' is a signal word for
3.
'for eight months' is a signal word for
4.
'twice a week' is a signal word for
5.
'since yesterday' is a signal word for
Fill in the correct tense (Simple Present or Present Perfect Progressive).
1.
My friend (travel)
2.
They (sleep)
3.
She (visit)
4.
He (feed)
5.
The children (play)
around Canada for five weeks.
for more than 10 hours.
another museum every week.
his dog three times a day.
in the garden since they came home.
Fill in the correct tense (Simple Present or Present Perfect Progressive).
1.
We (see/not)
each other very often nowadays.
2.
My little brother (learn/not)
English for a year yet.
3.
They (play/not)
4.
My mum (work/not)
5.
My socks are smelly although I (wear/not)
for ten minutes, but the score is 5:1 already.
on Tuesdays.
them for a complete day yet.
Fill in the correct tense (Simple Present or Present Perfect Progressive).
1.
(go/you)
by bus very often?
2.
Since when (ski/Betty)
3.
What time (have/he)
4.
How long (rain/it)
5.
(work/you)
?
dinner in the evenings?
?
at the hospital for a long time yet?
Fill in the correct tense (Simple Present or Present Perfect Progressive).
1.
William and his parents (live)
2.
Although William was a little afraid of moving to Aberdeen, he (have)
many friends here now.
3.
Four of his best friends (go)
in Aberdeen for one year.
camping every summer.
4.
This year, William (want)
to go with them.
5.
The five boys (plan)
their holiday for a few months now.
6.
They already (know)
where to go and what to do.
7.
What they (need)
8.
William only (get)
now, is a little more money.
very little pocket money every month.
9.
That (be)
not enough.
10.
To earn some extra money, he (deliver)
newspapers for 6 weeks.
Put the verbs into the correct tense (Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect Progressive)
1.
I (play)
football for five years.
have been pla
2.
My team (win / only)
two matches so far.
3.
The others (be / always)
4.
Are we not there yet? We (walk)
5.
But we (cover / only)
6.
I (finish/just)
7.
I (work)
8.
Jane (go out)
with Bob for seven years.
9.
Martin (date)
three girls this week.
10.
How long (wait / you)
better.
for hours.
an area of five miles so far.
my homework.
on this essay since two o'clock.
for us?
Put the verbs into the correct tense (Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect
Progressive).
1.
A: (you / play / ever)
2.
B: I (play / only)
3.
A: I (learn)
4.
B: (you / take)
5.
A: I (participate)
tennis?
tennis once or twice. And you?
tennis for two years.
part in any competitions yet?
in four contests this year.
6.
B: (you / win)
7.
A: No, I (win / not)
ever)
8.
any prizes so far?
anything yet. I'm not that good yet. (you / enter /
a contest?
B: I (swim)
for seven years and I (receive / already)
some
trophies.
Use the verbs in Present Perfect Progressive, if possible. If it is not possible, use the
Present Perfect Simple.
1.
We (know)
them for 15 years.
2.
They (watch)
3.
He (have)
4.
We (work)
5.
How long (you / learn)
6.
Mr Smith (be)
7.
Steven (hear)
8.
(you / see)
9.
She (prepare)
10.
Don't worry, they (touch / not)
TV for 3 hours.
this car for 20 years.
for 7 hours without a break.
English?
in hospital for 5 days.
a mouse squeak all night.
Brona?
dinner for two hours.
your gameboy.
Which form is correct (Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect Progressive)?
1.
We want to tell how we have spent our time:
We have played football.
We have been playing football.
2.
The action is completed now:
Charly has sent the letter.
Charly has been sending the letter.
3.
I want to tell how I have spent my time:
I have watched TV.
I have been watching TV.
4.
I want to emphasise that the door is open now:
Elizabeth has opened the door.
Elizabeth has been opening the door.
5.
I want to emphasise that the house is ready now:
My friends have built a house.
My friends have been building a house.
What is emphasised?
1.
I have cooked dinner.
emphasising that dinner is ready now
emphasising how I have spent my time
2.
She has been reading a book.
emphasising that she has read the book completely
emphasising how she has spent her time
3.
He has closed all the windows.
emphasising that all windows are closed now
emphasising how he has spent his time
4.
I have tidied up my room.
emphasising that the room is tidy now
emphasising how I have spent my time
5.
We have been swimming.
emphasising, that we are not swimming anymore now
emphasising how we have spent our time
Put the verbs into the correct tense (Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect
Progressive).
1.
Why are you out of breath? - I (run)
2.
The toaster is okay again. Dad (repair)
3.
I am so tired, I (work)
4.
Your shirt is clean now. Maggie (wash)
5.
I'm afraid, I'm getting a cold. I (walk)
6.
Your clothes smell awful! (you / smoke)
7.
Peggy is ready for her exam now. I (help)
8.
It is dark in here because we (close)
it.
all day.
it.
home in the rain.
?
her preparing for it.
the curtains. We want to watch a
film and that's better in the dark.
9.
His voice is gone now because he (shout)
all morning.
Put the verbs into the correct tense (Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect
Progressive).
1.
One can see through the windows again. Jane (clean)
2.
You are absolutely sunburned. You (sit)
3.
We can watch the film now. Michael (connect)
4.
The room looks much nicer now. I (hang)
5.
Freddy is soaken wet. He (wash)
them.
in the sun too long.
the DVD player.
up some pictures.
the dog.
6.
I am not hungry. I (eat / already)
7.
Can I go outside? I (do)
8.
My eyes are red because I (cut)
something.
my homework.
onions.
Put the verbs into the correct tense (Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect
Progressive).
1.
I (play / not)
2.
Bob (drive / not)
3.
Carla (go / not)
4.
We (run / not)
5.
They (smoke / not)
6.
I (eat / not)
7.
Anna (work / not)
8.
I (read / not)
9.
You (cycle / not)
10.
Catherine (speak / not)
the computer for half an hour, only for about 5 minutes.
a car for eight years.
on holiday for three years.
for 40 minutes yet - there are still 10 minutes left.
for 10 days now.
anything since two o'clock.
here for five years, but for seven years.
for a long time - just 10 minutes, not more.
for two hours. It was only about one hour.
French for 10 years, so her French isn't very good
now.
Put the verbs into the correct tense (Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect
Progressive).
1.
Since I bought my car, I (travel / not)
by train.
2.
He (learn / not)
English for two years yet, but he speaks it very well.
3.
We (party / not)
for a long time, but there's no food left.
4.
My sister and her boyfriend (go / not)
only met three weeks ago.
5.
James (tidy / not)
out together for a long time. They
up his room for a long time. It's a complete mess.
6.
We (practise / not)
for hours - 15 minutes were enough.
7.
Louis is absolutely tired as he (sleep / not)
8.
Dana (work / not)
9.
I (play / not)
well for days.
for days because she is ill.
the piano for ages, so please don't ask me to perform
anything.
10.
We (hang / not)
about all day, we have helped grandma in the garden.
Put the verbs into the correct tense (Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect
Progressive).
1.
A: (you / take)
2.
B: I (work)
I (have / not)
the dog for a walk yet?
all day. I (come / just)
home from work and
the time yet to walk the dog.
3.
A: How long (the dog / be)
4.
B: For about 6 hours. You (walk / not)
want to go?
5.
A: Well, I (laze / not)
home alone?
the dog for a long time. Don't you
about all day either, you know. I have a very
important meeting tomorrow and I still (finish / not)
6.
B: Okay, I will go then. Where (you / put)
7.
A: They are in the kitchen. By the way, (you / eat)
could you get us something from the supermarket?
my presentation.
collar and leash?
anything yet? If not,
Put the verbs into the correct tense (Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect
Progressive).
1.
A: I (call)
are your clothes so dirty?
2.
B: I (tidy)
3.
A: (you / find)
for ages.
4.
B: I (discover / not)
yet. I (come / just)
5.
A: I (cook / not)
neighbour.
for you for half an hour. Where (be)
? And why
up the shed in the garden.
a box with old photos there? I (look)
it yet, but I (work / not)
for it
for a long time
in to eat something.
anything yet because I (talk)
to our
