The Present Perfect Simple and Continuous

The Present Perfect Simple is used to express a past action:

1. When there is no indication of time.
e.g. They have found the missing book. Oh, I have broken my
leg!
2. With an adverb (or adverbial phrase) of still unfinished time.
e.g. She has examined more than a hundred students this week.
Many important sientifi disoveries have been made during the twentieth
entury.
3. With adverbs, adverbial phrases and adverbial clauses when the mean !some time in
the past up to now!, such as: never, before, !ust, lately, yet,
reently, for years, for ages, for a long time, already, sine, so far, etc...
e.g. "e has been a very good student so far.
"bs. #resent #erfect can never be used with an adverbial expression of entirel past
completed time. $n such instances .the #ast %ense is re&uired. 'i(ewise the expression !)ust
now! is alwas connected with the #ast. %here is free choice in using either the #resent #erfect
or the #ast %ense with this month, year, autumn, etc., depending on whether the spea(er
considers the action completed or not.
e.g. Many great writers lived in the nineteenth entury.
*ut: The great writers of the nineteenth entury have largely influened modern
literature. They left !ust now. I saw him this morning.
The Present Perfect Continuous is used to indicate ontinuous activit over a
period of time extending to the present, while the #resent #erfect +imple conves
repeated activit in a period extending to the present.
e.g. I have been wathing an old movie on T#.
I have seen this movie at least twie before.
%he simple form is used to express an action in terms of its result or product. %he
ontinuous form expresses the action itself.
e.g. I have washed three shirts this morning.
I have been washing shirts this morning.
%he #resent #erfect +imple is preferred to the #resent #erfect ,ontinuous in
negative sentences.
e.g. $et%s rest a little! &e haven%t rested for ages!
%he #resent #erfect +imple and ,ontinuous are alwas associated with for and sine. 'or is
used with length of time and it answers the &uestion -ow long.... Sine refers to a period of
time in the past.
e.g. ( haven%t seen you for ages.
I haven%t seen you sine you moved to your new apartment.
/s a rule the #resent #erfect is used in the main clause, while in the sine0clause one
uses the #ast. *ut a #resent #erfect ma sometimes also be used in a since0clause if the
action expressed is still going on.
e.g. ( have seen you but one sine you%ve been staying in your new apartment.