UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH-EAST ASIA Teach By Out Chanthea

Contents
I. PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE(1)...................................................................2
I. FORM:...........................................................................................................................3
II. Time Expressions:..........................................................................................................4
III. PRONUNCIATION:......................................................................................................4
IV. PRACTICE:...................................................................................................................5
II. PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE (2).....................................................................5
I. PRACTICE:...................................................................................................................5
III. THE PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS (3)............................................6
I. Definition.......................................................................................................................6
II. Examples and Observations:..........................................................................................6
III. FORM:...........................................................................................................................7
IV. USE:...............................................................................................................................8
V. EXERCISES:...............................................................................................................10
IV. Important:....................................................................................................................13
VI. Remember Non- Continuous Verb:..............................................................................13
VII. Adverb Placement:.......................................................................................................13
V. REFERENCE (4)...........................................................................................................14

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I. PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE (1)

 You can use present perfect to talk about unfinished action or situation.
 I’ve always known my best friend.
 I’ve never been to Africa.
 I’ve lived in my flat for five years.
 I’ve been a teacher since 2006.
 You can also use the present perfect to talk about finished action which is important
now.
 I’ve just heard the news about the fire. Isn’t it awful?
 We’ve painted the house. It looks lovely.
 Don’t use the present perfect which finished time in the past.
Use the past simple:

 We painted our house last week.

 He saw this film on Monday.
 They went to Africa in 1999.
 Time expressions:

 You often use these time expression with present perfect:

For Since Always Never yet Recently Just Already

You can use:

 Always and never to talk about the whole of your life until now.
 For and since to talk about part of your life until now.
 Recently and just to talk about the short time ago.
I’ve just seen Sopheak. If you hurry you can go with her.
 Yet to talk about something that you expect to happen.
Have you finished your homework? No, I’ve started it yet.
 Already to talk about something that happened sooner the expect.
He’s already seen this film.
 Ever in question means at any time in your life.

. Have you ever had Thai food?

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I. FORM:

We can use present perfect:

PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE

Sentences Form Example

Positive S +Have/Has +Past I’ve lived in Siem Reap for

Participle 5 years

Negative S +Have/Has +Not +Past I haven’t lived in Siem Reap

Participle

Question How long have you live in

Siem Reap
Have/Has +S + Past
Participle

II. Time Expressions:

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Present perfect + Time expressions

In mid position: For +period of the time At the end of the

Auxiliary Time Since +point in time Sentences
expression+
Past participle

.I has always known my I’ve live in my flat for I ‘haven’t written the
best friend. five years. essay yet.

He’s live in his flat since We have seen her

.I’ve never been to
2005. recently.
Africa.

.I’ve just heard the news

.I has already written the
essay.

 Note: some time expression can go in more than one position. Already can also go at
the end of the sentences. I have written essay already. Recently can also go in mid
position in positive sentences. We’ve have recently seen her. It can go in mid position
in negative sentences. We haven’t recently seen her.

III. PRONUNCIATION:
 You usually stress the adverb in mid position and at the end of the sentence.

. I’ve always known my best friend.

. I haven’t written the essay yet.

 But you don’t stress for or seen

. I’ve lived the flat for five years.

. He’s live in his flat since 2005

IV. PRACTICE:

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Add these time expression to the sentences:

For Since Always Already Yet Just Never

1. You have done the homework, haven’t you? Could you help me? You’ve already
done homework....
2. I haven’t finished the report for today’s meeting. I’m very worried.
3. He’s lived in the same house. He was born there.
4. They’ve had that car ten years. It’s broken down.
5. We’ve come back from safari in Kenya. It was an amazing experience.
6. We haven’t seen each other university, but it seems like yesterday.
7. I’ve seen this film. I saw it years ago, when it first came out.
8. I’ve liked spicy food. It’s too hot for me.

II. PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE (2)

The basic purpose of the present perfect simple is to say something about the present by
describing something which happen or start in the past.it can be useful to thing about the
present perfect simple as having more three meaning uses:

1. Describing the period from sometime in the past until now.

I’ve been to Singapore (For whole life)
I’ve seen him a few times since July.
You can use the present perfect simple in this way to summaries experiences and
achievement

2. Describing an activity, state or habit which start in the past and is still going on.
I’ve lived here since 1990.
They’ve learned with the same teacher for ten years.
You often use present perfect simple in this ways to answer the question “How
long.....?”

3. Emphasizing the present result of past events.

I thing I’ve lost my key. (Now I lost it)
I’ve leant a lot so now I can earn a lot of money. (Now I’m rich)
Because the present perfect simple is about the present, you can’t use it with
finished past time expressions. I have been to Thailand in 2000

I. PRACTICE:
Make question and sentences. Use the present perfect simple.

1. have / been/always/I/good at /playing football

2. a couple of degrees/done/in psychology and social work/have/I
3. recently/passed/my driving liecen /I/ have

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III. THE PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS (3)

I. Definition:
A verb construction (made up of has been or have been plus the present participle) that
emphasizes the ongoing nature of an action that began in the past and continues in the present.
(The decision to use has been or have been is determined by agreement with the subject.)

The present perfect progressive tense usually conveys the meaning of recently or lately. The
action reported by the present perfect progressive may or may not have been completed.

The present perfect progressive (continuous) is use for an action, which began sometime in
the past and it is still going on at the presence in the moment.

See Examples and Observations below. Also see:

 Aspect
 Present Perfect
 Progressive Aspect
 Present Progressive

II. Examples and Observations:

 Try to understand how hard he has been trying to make everything better for his family.
(Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun, 1959)
 I have been painting with a palette knife because I don't like to wash the brushes.
(Flannery O'Connor, summer 1953. The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O'Connor,
1979)
 I have been waiting. I have been searching. I am a man under the moon, walking the
streets of earth until dawn. There's got to be someone for me."
(Henry Rollins, Solipsist, 1998)
 The ocean has been singing to me, and the song is that of our life together."
(Nicholas Sparks, Message in a Bottle, 1999)
 [Even Jerry] Garcia might have been surprised by how many scholars have been
studying the cultural furniture in the Grateful Dead outback."
(Nicholas G. Meriwether, Studying the Dead. Scarecrow, 2013)
 My friends and I are a little worried because Stacey hasn't been feeling too great lately.
But she seems to be coping."
(Ann M. Martin, The Baby-Sitters Club: Poor Mallory. Scholastic, 2014)

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The PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE TENSE indicates a continuous action that

has been finished at some point in the past or that was initiated in the past and continues to
happen. The action is usually of limited duration and has some current relevance: "She has been
running and her heart is still beating fast." The present perfect progressive frequently is used to
describe an event of the recent past; it is often accompanied by just in this usage: "It has just
been raining."

This tense is formed with the modal "HAVE" or "HAS" (for third-person singular
subjects) plus "BEEN," plus the present participle of the verb (with an -ing ending): "I have been
working in the garden all morning. George has been painting that house for as long as I can
remember."

Singular Plural
I have been walking We have been walking
You have been walking You have been walking
He /she /it has been walking They have been walking

Singular Plural
I have been sleeping We have been sleeping
You have been sleeping You have been sleeping
He/she/it has been sleeping They have been sleeping

Singular Plural
There is no present perfect progressive for the "to be" verb. "Have been being" is expressed
simply as "have been": "We have been being successful in the past."

III. FORM:
1. The Form of Present Perfect Progressive (Continue) has or have + been + verbing
(Present Participle).

Subject have/has + been + verb ing rest of sentence

I / You / We / They have been watching TV for three hour

He / She / It has been playing football for two hour

IV. USE:

A. Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect Progressive (Continuous)-

Which to use?

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In general, use the present perfect simple when the action started in the past and is
relevant to the present.
Ex: This is the third time I’ve written to you. (I wrote twice in the past and now I am writing
again – in the present.)

If it’s an action that started in the past and that same action is still happening now, use the
present perfect progressive.
Ex: I have been meeting for you since 8 am.

Some actions can be expressed in either tense, especially those that started in the past and
still occur in the present on a habitual basis.
Ex: I have lived in this house for 20 years. / I have been living in this house for 20 years.
Both sentences are correct.

B. Contractions in the Present Perfect Progressive (Continuous)

In general, we contract the subject (the person or thing doing the action) and form of have:

1. I have > I’ve – I’ve been thinking about you since you called.

2. He has > He’s / She has > She’s / It has > It’s – He’s been singing for two hours.

3. We have > We’ve / You have > You’ve / They are > They’ve – We’ve been helping her
out for a few months.

You may have noticed that the 3rd person singular (he, she, it) contractions look like those in
the present progressive. You can tell them apart by the use of been and from the context of the
sentence: he is > He’s eating now. / he has > He’s been eating for two hours.

C. Negative Sentences in the Present Perfect Progressive (Continuous)

Spelling Tip
When shortening the 3rd person (he, she, it) negative, just remove the o in not and add an
apostrophe (‘)

has not > hasn’t

When creating negative sentences, we use hasn’t or haven’t together with been and the ing
(present participle) form of the verb. Save the long forms (has not, and have not) for when you
want to create emphasis. When speaking, put the stress on ‘not’.

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Subject Axillary verb Been verbing Rest of sentence

I / We / You / They haven’t (have not) been lying to you

He / She / It hasn’t (has not) been sleeping well since the accident

1. I haven’t been feeling well lately.

2. Simon hasn’t been attending class regularly since he got a job.

3. The sales team hasn’t been performing at the top of their game.
4. He has not been paying attention!

D. Yes/No Questions in the Present Perfect Progressive (Continuous)

To create a question that will be answered with a yes or no, start the question with Have or
Has, (Haven’t or Hasn’t for a negative question) then add a subject (the person or thing that has
been doing the action) followed by been and the ing (present participle) form of the verb and
only then add the rest of the sentence.

auxiliary Verb Subject Been + Verbing Rest of Sentence

Have I/you/we/ they Been working Since this morning
Has he / she / it been earning since this morning
Hasn’t he / she / it been helping you clean the house

1. Have you been keeping track of sales?

2. Has Jerry been picking fruit from my trees again?

E. Wh-Questions in the Present Perfect Progressive (Continuous)

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Wh- questions are questions that require more information in their answers. Typical wh- words
are what, where, when, why, which, who, how, how many, how much.
To create a wh-question, start with the wh-word, then add have or has, then the subject (a person
or thing that has been doing the action), followed by been and the ing (present participle) form of
the verb, and only then add the rest of the sentence.

Wh-Word Auxiliary Verb Subject Been+ verbing Rest of

Sentence
What have I/you/we/ they Been doing Lately
Why has he/she/it Been copying Documents all
day

1. What have you been doing since I left?

2. Why has the phone been ringing for the last two hours?

3. How long has he been waiting?

V. EXERCISES:

Exercises – Present Perfect Progressive (Continuous)

Fill in the correct for of the Present Perfect Progressive as in the examples.

1. I‘ve been gardening for three hours. (garden) My back is killing me!

2. Tony has been listening to the news non-stop since the conflict began. (listen)

3. Have you been saving the coupons for me? (save)

1. Roger ______ at his mother’s house since his divorce. (stay)

2. How long _____ the dogs ________ like that? (bark)

3. I _______ the football score. (not follow) Are we winning?

4. The students ______ plans for the school party for several weeks. (make)

5. Rachel ________ at that studio for very long. (not dance)

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6. _________ Tim _______ that book since January? (not read) I’m waiting to borrow it.

7. The project manager ________ us to finish the work since Tuesday. (push)

8. ________ you ________ TV all morning? (watch)

9. I_________ to Paris twice a month since the project started. (travel)

10. Jenny ________ customer deadlines since she arrived here. (not meet.) The boss may fire
her.
Answers:

1. has been staying

2. have/been barking

3. haven’t been following

4. have been making

5. hasn’t been dancing

6. Hasn’t/been reading

7. has been pushing

8. Have/been watching

9. I’ve been traveling

10. has not been meeting

F. Examples – Present Perfect Progressive (Continuous)

1. Positive:

1. I have been living in this house for 40 years. (I started living in it 40 years ago and I am
still living in it today.

2. I have been climbing up this mountain for over two hours. (I started climbing up it two
hours ago and at this moment I’m still climbing.)

3. I have been waiting for you since 10 am.

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4. I’ve been thinking about you since you called.

5. He’s been singing for two hours.

6. We’ve been helping her out for a few months.

7. I’ve been gardening for three hours. My back is killing me!

8. Tony has been listening to the news ever since the conflict began.

2. Negative:

1. I haven’t been feeling well lately.

2. Simon hasn’t been attending class regularly since he got a job.

3. The sales team hasn’t been performing at the top of their game.

4. He has not been paying attention!

3. Yes/No Questions:

1. Have you been keeping track of sales?

2. Has Jerry been picking fruit from my trees again?

3. Have you been saving the coupons for me?

4. Wh Questions:

1. What have you been doing since I left?

2. How long has he been waiting?

3. Why has the phone been ringing for the last two hours?

 Use 1 Duration From The Past Until Now

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Past Present Future

 We use the present perfect progressive to show that something started in the past and has
continued up until now “For five minutes” “For two week” and “Since Tuesday” are all
duration which are can be used with the present perfect progressive.
Example:
 They have been talking for the last hour.
 She has been working at that company for three years.
 What have you been doing for the last 30 minutes?
 Yamin has been teaching at the university since June.
 We have been waiting here for over two hour.
 Why has Nancy not been talking her medicine for the last three day?

 Use 2 Recently lately

Past Present Future

 You can also use the preset perfect continuous without a duration such as “Without the
duration; the tense has a more general meaning of “We after use the words” “Lately” or
“Recently” to emphasize meaning.

Example:
 Recently, I have been feeling really tired.
 She has been watching too much television lately.
 Have you been exercising lately?
 Yamin has been feeling a little depressed.
 Lisa has not been practicing her English.
 What have you been doing?

VI. Important
Remember that the present perfect progressive has the meaning of “Lately” or
“Recently” If you use the present perfect progressive in a question such as “Have you been
feeling alright?” it can suggest that the person look sick or Unhealthy. A question such as “Have
you been smoking?” Can suggest that you smell the smoke on the person. Using the tense in a
question suggest you can see, smell, hear, or feel the result of the action. It is possible to result
someone by using this tense on currently.

VII. Remember Non- Continuous Verb

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It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verb cannot be used in any continuous

tense. Also certain non-continuous meaning for mixed verb cannot be used in continuous tense.
Instead of using present perfect continuous with these verbs, you must use present perfect.

Example:

 Sam has been having his car for two years.

= Not Correct
 Sam has had his car for two years.
= Correct

VIII. Adverb Placement

The example below show the placement for grammar adverb such as: always; only;
never; ever; still; just; etc.

Example:

 You have only been waiting here for one hour.

 Have you only been waiting here for one hour?
 Active/Passive

Example:

 Recently, John has been doing the work. Active

 Recent, the work has been done by John. Passive
 Note: Present Perfect continuous is less commonly used in it passive for

IV. REFERENCE (4)

 English Grammar For You By TUT BU In 2001
 Cambridge Intermediate
 Cambridge Upper-Intermediate
 http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/tenses/present_perfect_progressive.htm
 http://www.gingersoftware.com/content/grammar-rules/verbs/the-present-perfect-
progressive-tense/
 http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/presentperfectcontinuous.html

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