Lecture (4) Unit Ten English Class

Asst. Lect. Nuralhuda A. Jasim

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

WITH "HOW LONG"

The present perfect continuous is used to refer 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).

FORMING THE PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

The present perfect continuous is made up of two elements: the present perfect of the verb 'to

Subject has/have been base+ing

She has been swimming

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?

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

I have been living
You have been living
He, she, it has been
living
We have been living
You have been living
They have been living
I haven't been living
You haven't been living
He hasn't been living
We haven't been living
You haven't been living
They haven't been living
Have I been living?
Have you been living?
Has she been living?
Have we been living?
Have you been living?
Have they been living?

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Asst. Lect. Nuralhuda A. Jasim

Interrogative negative: Hasn't she been running?

EXAMPLE: PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS, TO LIVE

VERBS WITHOUT CONTINUOUS FORMS

With verbs not normally used in the continuous form, use the simple present perfect instead
(verbs such as: know, hate, hear, understand, want).
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.

How long …?
We often use expressions with for and since to answer the question How long …+present perfect
simple. We use the How long …? question to ask about the duration of a state or activity:

A: How long have you worked there?

B: Since 21 August. So for about four months.

Yet

We use yet + the present perfect simple, mainly in questions and negative statements, to refer to
things we intend to do in the future but which are not done:

Don’t wash up that cup. I haven’t finished my coffee yet. (I intend to finish it.)

Haven’t you done your homework yet? (You intend to do it.)

Already

We use already + the present perfect simple when we want to emphasise that something is done
or achieved, often before the expected time:

I’ve already booked my flight home.

A: Will you go and clean your teeth!

B: I’ve already cleaned them.

Still

We use still + the present perfect simple when we want to emphasize that something we expected
to happen continues not to happen:

She still hasn’t said sorry to me. I feel really tired. I still haven’t recovered from the jet lag.

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Asst. Lect. Nuralhuda A. Jasim

Expressions of quantity
 Expressions of quantity tell us how many or how much of something there is.

Compare these two sentences:

We get a little rain in spring.

Many people live in London.

 We use a little with non-countable nouns like rain, snow, pollution etc. We cannot
use a little with countable nouns.

We use many with countable nouns like people, cars, chairs etc. We cannot use many
with countable nouns.

Countable and Non-countable Expressions of Quantity

1. Not any

Countable: There are not any biscuits left.

Non-countable: There is not any water in the sink.

2. No

Countable: There are no animals in the park.

Non-countable: There is no money in my purse.

3. Some

Countable: Some children play here on the weekend.

Non-countable: There is some smoke coming from that house.

4. A lot of

Countable: She has a lot of dogs.

Non-countable: There‟s a lot of traffic today.

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5. Lots of

Countable: Lots of women work here.

Non-countable: She made us lots of coffee.

6. Plenty of

Countable: There are plenty of bottles in the fridge.

Non-countable: There is plenty of information in report.

7. Most

Countable: She keeps most of her books in the shelf.

Non-countable: We spent the most time on the project.

8. All

Countable: Who ate all the apples?

Non-countable: Jennifer is the one with all the experience.

1) There are a lot ___ people here.

Any, of, in, and any

2) There were ___ any bikes in the shop.

Not, lots, much, and no.

3) ___ of people come hiking here.

No, plenty, most, and all.

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4) Some ___ are in the garden.

a cats, cats, of cats, and any cats.

5) ___ of birds drink from our birdbath.

Lots, a lots of, and lot.

COUNTABLE NOUNS

The noun is preceded by a number – a cardinal numeral.

three chairs, five trees, 124 pupils

UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

The noun is preceded by a number and a unit of measurement.

three bags of flour, 2 spoons of sugar, 5 liters of water, 1 cup of coffee, two glasses of
beer, one piece of advice

COUNTABLE NOUNS

We use expressions like: few, a few, too few, fewer, many, too many

I have few real friends, but I have quite a few acquaintances.

I have fewer friends than John.

We have too few eggs to make a cake, but we have many biscuits you can eat.

UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

We use expressions like: little, a little, too little, less, much, too much

A little wine with your meal is good for you, but you shouldn't drink too much.

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You shouldn't drink so much coffee. You should drink less of it.

Some expressions can be used with countable and uncountable nouns.

We have a lot of beer. There are a lot of people here. This house has a lot of rooms.

There are plenty of chairs inside. You should drink plenty of water.

We have some flour and some eggs, but not enough milk and barely enough nuts to make
a cake.

Here are some common quantifiers:

Much or Many
“Much” and “many” are used in negative sentences and questions. Much is used with
non-count nouns such as „money.‟ Many is used with count nouns such as „dog(s).‟

For example:

How much money do you have? OR There isn‟t much money left.

How many dogs are there in the kennel*? OR There aren‟t many dog left to be adopted.

A Lot Of or Lots Of
“A lot of” and “lots of” can be used with both count and non-count nouns. A lot of and
lots of are used in positive sentences.

For example:

There is a lot of money in my wallet. or There is lots of money in my wallet.

There are lots of dogs in this neighborhood. or There are a lot of dogs in this
neighborhood.

(A) Little or (A) Few

“A little” and “a few” indicate a quantity or number. Use “a little” with non-count nouns
and use “a few” with count nouns.

For example:

There is a little money left.

He has a few dogs.

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Note: There is an important a difference between “a little” and “little” (used with non-
count words) and between “a few” and “few” (used with count words).

A little vs. Little

If I say, “John has a little experience in coaching.” This means that although John is not
an expert he has some experience and that experience is probably enough. But, if I say,
“John has little experiencein coaching.” This means he does not have enough experience.

A few vs. Few

If I say, “Kerry owns a few books on English literature.” This means, she has some
books, not a lot of books, but probably enough. But, if I say, “Kerry owns few books on
English literature.” This means she does not have enough books and she will need more.

Here is a table of quantifiers which summarizes which types of nouns (count, non-count,
or both) these adjectives can be used with.

Count Non-count Both count & non-

count

many, a few, few, not much, little, a little, all of the, most of the,
several, a couple of, a bit of, a good deal of some, enough, a lot of,
none of the lots of, plenty of, a
lack of

When you want to say “enough of something” you use the expression plenty of. When
you want to say “more than enough of something,” use too much for mass nouns and
too many for plural count nouns.”

1. “Don't worry. We have plenty of time.”

2. “There are too many people in the elevator.”
3. “Don't put too much sugar in my coffee, please.”

When you want to say “100% of something,” use the expression all or all of.

4. “You have all the luck!”

5. “All of the coffee is gone.”
6. “Have you spoken to all of the students?”

When you want to say “a large amount of something,” use a lot of or lots of. In negative
sentences use much for mass nouns and many for plural nouns:

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7. “Darren has a lot of CDs and tapes.”

8. “We will have to make lots of sandwiches for the picnic.”
9. “Suzanne always gives us a lot of good advice.”
10. “Hurry! We don't have much time.”

“There aren't many good hotels in this city, are there?”

When you want to say “a small amount of something” in a positive way, use a little with
mass nouns and a few with plural nouns:

1. “Could you put a little milk in my tea, please?”

2. “Don't worry. There's a little time left.”
3. “The town is just a few miles down the road.”
4. “Fortunately, a few people came to see the movie.”

When you want to say “a small amount of something” in a negative way, use little for
mass nouns and few for plural nouns:

1. “We'd better hurry. There's little time left before the movie begins.”
2. “Unfortunately, few people came to see the movie.”

You can say “a really small amount of something” by using the word very in front of
little and few.

1. “We have very little money left in the bank.”

2. “Very few stores stay open after nine o'clock.”
3. Lastly, when you want to say “nothing at all,” use none of.
4. “None of the information he gave me was correct.”
5. “He left early because none of the girls would dance with him.”

The quantifiers few and a few, and little and a little seem nearly identical but they are
actually quite distinct. These expressions show the speaker's attitude towards the quantity
he is referring to as either positive or negative.

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Asst. Lect. Nuralhuda A. Jasim

POSITIVE ATTITUDE
A few (for countable nouns) and a little (for uncountable nouns) describe the quantity in
a positive way, implying that although the speaker may not have much, he has enough.

EXAMPLES

 I've got a few friends. = I have enough friends.

 I have a few flowers in my garden. = I have enough flowers.
 I've got a little money. = I have enough money.
 I have a little free time on Thursdays. = I have enough free time.

NEGATIVE ATTITUDE
Few (for countable nouns) and little (for uncountable nouns) describe the quantity in a
negative way. They may actually indicate a total lack of the noun, but are more polite
than saying so directly.

EXAMPLES

 Few people visited him in hospital. = he had almost no visitors, or perhaps no

visitors at all.
 I've seen few birds around here. = there are almost no birds, or perhaps not a
single bird
 He had little money for treats. = almost no money, or perhaps no money at all
 I have little time for TV = almost no time, or perhaps no time at all