Unit 13 : Earning a living Teacher : Phan Canh Minh Thy

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

(HIEÄN TAÏI HOAØN THAØNH TIEÁP DIEÃN)

1. Forms : POSITITVE NEGATIVE

I, You, We, They have been + V-ing have not been + V-ing
N plural ( ’ve been V-ing) (haven’t been + V-ing)

He, She, It has been + V-ing has not been + V-ing

N singular (’s been + V-ing) (hasn’t been + V-ing)

QUESTIONS
have you/they/your parents been living here for a very long time ?
How long has he/ she/Jack been living here for a very long time?
have you/they/… been living here ?

Short answer : - Yes, I have/ No, I haven’t - Yes, she has/ No, she hasn’t
2. Usage : we use present perfect continuous when we want to :
a .Emphsize the duration of an action. This use often occurs with “all + time references”

All day, all night, all week, all month, all year,
ect
She is tired. She has been typing letters all day. You are late. I’ve been waiting for an hour.
b. Describe an action that is still incomplete
How long have you been reading that book ? (you haven’t finished yet)
Ann’s clothes are covered in paint. She has been painting the ceiling.
c. Come to a conclusion based on an evidence
Your eyes are red. You’ve been crying. (it was obvious she had been crying)
This room stinks. Someone has been smoking in here.
3. Present Perfect & Present Perfect Continuous :
Present perfect Present perfect continuous
1. The ceiling was white. Now it’s blue. 1. Ann’s clothes are covered in paint.
She has painted the ceiling. She has been painting the ceiling.
2. The car’s going again now. 2. Tom’s hands are very dirty.
Tom has repaired it. He has been repairing the car.
3. Somebody has smoked all my cigarettes. 3. You’ve been smoking too much recently.
The packet is empty. You should smoke less.
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4. Ann has written 10 letters today. 4. Ann has been writing letters all day.
5. How many papers of that book have you read ? 5. How long have you been reading that book ?
6. Jim has played tennis 3 times this week. 6. Jim has been playing tennis since 2 o’clock.
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Unit 13 : Earning a living Teacher : Phan Canh Minh Thy
4. Notes :
 With the verbs “live” and “work”, we can use both.
Have you lived here long ? = Have you been living here long ?
I’ve worked at this company for 5 years = I’ve been working at this company for 5 years
 Some verbs express action in long time, such as : learn, present perfect continuous.

I’ve been learning English for more than 15 years.

 Some verbs express action in short time, such as : cut, present perfect.

I’ve cut my finger.

 Stative verbs, such as : like,  present perfect.

I’ve always wanted to be in L.A once.

Underline the right verb forms in each sentence :
1. We’ve lived / ’ve been living here for 5 years.
2. I’ve always liked / ’ve always been liking Mozard.
3. They have worked / have been working at the factory for a year.
4. I’ve forgotten / ’ve been forgetting their names.
5. He’s a famous author. He’s written / ’s been writing two best sellers.
6. I’ve played / ’s been playing tennis all day.
7. I’ve written / ’ve been writing a letter and I’ve almost finished now.
8. Have you ever won / have you ever been winning the lottery ?
9. Good. They’ve finally arrived/ ’ve been arriving. We’ve waited/ ’s been waiting for an hour.
10. Have you seen/’ve you been seeing my glasses ? I’ve looked / ’ve been looking for them all
morning.
11. I’ve always wanted / ’ve been wanting to play the piano.
12. She’s worked / ’s been working here for years.
13. He’s watched / ’s been watching TV for 2 hours.
14. I’m tired. I’ve studied / ’ve been studying all evening.
15. She’s decorated / ’s been decorating the house, but she hasn’t finished yet.
16. Have you ever won / have you ever been wining anything on the lottery ?
17. I’ve lived / ’ve been living here since last year.
18. Paul Mc Cartney has written / ’s been writing hundreds of songs.
19. Has Jack arrived / has Jack been arriving yet ? I’ve waited / ’ve been waiting for half an hour.
20. Have you finished / have you been finishing that book ?

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Unit 13 : Earning a living Teacher : Phan Canh Minh Thy

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