Form
We form the present perfect continuous with the auxiliary verb have / has, the past participle of the verb «to be» (been) and the main verb with the –ing suffix. We form questions by putting have / has before the subject. We form negations by putting not between have / has and been.
Use
We use the present perfect continuous to show that something started in the past and has continued up until now. “For five minutes,” “for two weeks,” and “since Tuesday” are all durations which can be used with the present perfect continuous.
James has been working at that company for five years.
What have you been doing for the last several weeks?
Nick hasn’t been practicing his Italian for two weeks.
We also use the present perfect continuous for actions which recently finished and their result is evident now.
Sharon is tired. She has been doing the shopping all morning.
You look pale. Have you been feeling alright?
Remember that non-continuous verbs (know, believe, like etc.) cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Instead of using the present perfect continuous with these verbs, you must use the present perfect simple.
We have had this car for two years.
They have known each other for ages.
Jill and Nick have been married for ten years.
With verbs live, feel and work we can use the present perfect continuous or the present perfect simple with no difference in meaning.
We have been living / have lived in this house since 2000.
I have been feeling / have felt unwell for a couple of days.
Michael has been working / has worked for Microsoft since 2005.
Time Expressions
Time expressions used with the present perfect continuous include:
For, since, all morning / afternoon / week / day etc. and how long (used in questions).
Jack has been working on this project since March.
They have been watching TV all evening.
How long have you been learning French?
Short Answers
|
Have you…? |
Yes, I / we have. |
|
No, I / we haven’t. |
|
|
Has he / she / it…? |
Yes, he / she / it has. |
|
No, he / she / it hasn’t. |
|
|
Have they…? |
Yes, they have. |
|
No, they haven’t. |
Present Perfect Continuous versus Present Perfect Simple
|
Present Perfect Continuous |
Present Perfect Simple |
|
For an action which started in the past and continues up to the present |
For an action that has just finished |
|
Mrs. Johns has been working as a secretary for ten years. |
They have just signed an important contract. |
|
To put emphasis on the duration of an action |
To put emphasis on number |
|
She has been typing letters for all morning. |
She has typed 20 letters so far. |
Упражнения
Beginner
Elementary
Упражнения на Present Tenses
Упражнения на стативные глаголы в Present Perfect
Упражнения на Present Perfect Simple
Упражнения на Present Perfect Simple и Present Perfect Continuous
Pre-intermediate
Упражнения на Present Perfect
Упражнения на Present Perfect Continuous
Упражнения на Present Perfect Simple и Present Perfect Continuous
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