PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE AND

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

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Present perfect simple and present perfect continuous

Exercises Explanation Downloads

Exercises: 1 2 3

Present perfect simple

and present perfect
continuous

Exercise 1

Choose the present perfect simple or

present perfect continuous to complete
the sentences below. If both tenses are
possible, use the present perfect
continuous.

You have completed this test.

Correct answers: 3/10.

Your score is 30%.

Check your answers:

1 I 've cycled and my legs

are really tired now.

Correct answer: 've you been

cycling
➪ We use the present perfect
continuous with dynamic verbs for
situations which started in the past
and have not finished or have just
finished.
➪ We use the present perfect
continuous when the present
result comes from the process of
doing the action: my legs are tired
because I have been cycling.

2 I'm sorry I'm late,

have you waited for a long

time?

Correct answer: have you been

waiting
➪ We can use both the present
perfect simple or continuous to
talk about situations that started in
the past and have not finished,
but the present perfect
continuous is more common
when the verb is dynamic (action
verbs).

3 How long have you known

Peter?

➪ We can use both the present

perfect simple and the present
perfect continuous with how long,
for, since, recently, lately to talk
about situations that started in the
past and still continue.
➪ But we can only use the
present perfect simple with
stative verbs, and know is a
stative verb.

4 Somebody has eaten my

cookies. There are none left.

➪ When we use the present

perfect simple for a past finished
action, we focus on the
completion of the action; i.e. the
action has been completed
(=there are no cookies left). When
we use the present perfect
continuous we focus on the
duration of the action; the action
has been going on for some time
and maybe it's been completed or
maybe not.

5 Somebody has eaten my

cookies. There are very few left.

Correct answer: has been eating

➪ When we use the present
perfect simple, we focus on the
completion of the action, i.e. the
action has been finished . And
when we use the present perfect
continuouss we focus on the
duration of the action; the action
has been going on for some time
and maybe it’s been finished or
maybe not. If there are some
cookies left, it means that the
action has not been completed,
and this is why we need the
present perfect continuous.

6 How many books

has she been writing ?

Correct answer: has she written

➪ We use the present perfect
simple to talk about how
many things or how much of
something we have done (how
many books).

7 She must be tired. She

has written all afternoon.

Correct answer: has been writing

➪ We use the present perfect
continuous with action
verbs (dynamic verbs) to talk
about situations that started in the
past and have not
finished or have just finished.
➪ With the present perfect
continuous, we emphasise the
duration of the action: we have
been doing something all
morning, all day, etc.

8 I 've been reading all

afternoon. I 've read 5 chapters.

➪ We use the present perfect

continuous with dynamic verbs
for situations which started in the
past and are still going on or have
just finished. We focus on the
duration of the action (all
afternoon).
➪ We use the present perfect
simple when we talk about how
many things or how much of
something we have completed
(how many chapters); we are
focusing on the completion of the
action.

9 I think I 've been liking

chocolate since I was born.

Correct answer: 've liked

➪ We can use both the present
perfect simple and the present
perfect continuous with how long,
for, since, recently, lately to talk
about situations that started in the
past and still continue.
➪ But we can only use
the present perfect
simple with stative verbs,
and like is a stative verb.

10 They have travelled for

months, and they have visited

three countries so far.

Correct answer: have been

travelling/have visited
➪ We use the present perfect
continuous with action
verbs (dynamic verbs) to talk
about situations that started in the
past and have not
finished or have just finished. In
this sentence the verb travel is
dynamic and we focus on the
duration of the action (for months).
➪ We use the present perfect
simple to talk about how
many things or how much of
something we have done. We
focus on the completion of the
action, i.e. how many things we
have finished doing.

Exercises: 1 2 3

Related tests:

Present perfect – form and use

Present perfect simple or

continuous

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