PRESENT PERFECT

CONTINUOUS.
A. Study this example Situation:

Is it raining?
No, it isn't, but the ground is wet.

It has been raining.

This is the Present Perfect Continuous tense:

I / we / they / you / have (= I've etc.)

been doing
he / she / has ( = he's, etc.)
We use the present perfect continuous when we talk about an
action that began in the past and has recently stopped. Here are
some examples:
You're out of breath. Have you been running?
Why are your clothes so dirty? What have you been
doing?
I've been talking to Tom about your problem, and he
thinks…
B. We also use the present perfect continuous to ask or say how long
something has been happening. This time the action or situation
began in the past and is still happening or has just stopped.

Study this example:

It is raining now. It began to rain two hours ago, and

it is still raining.

It has been raining for two hours.

We often use the present perfect continuous in this

way, especially with

How long,
For and
Since.
Here are some more examples:

How long have you been studying English?

They've been waiting here for over than an hour.
I've been watching television since 2 p.m.
George hasn't been feeling very well lately.
Have you been working hard today?

You can also use the present perfect continuous (with how long,
for and since) for actions repeated over a period of time:

She has been playing tennis since she was eight.

How long have you been smoking?
EXERCISES.
Read the situation and then write the present perfect continuous (I have
been doing).

EX: Carlos is out of breath.(He/run). He has been running.

1. Jane is very tired. (She/work/hard) ……………………………………………………………

2. Bob has a black eye, and Bill has a cut lip. (Bob and Bill/fight)

…………………………………………………………………………………………..............

3. George has just come back from the beach. He is very red. (He/lie/in the sun)

……………………………………………………………………………………………..........

4. Janet is hot and tired. (She/play/tennis)

………………………………………………………………………………............................

5. There are wet umbrellas at the door. (It/rain)

……………………………………………………….............................................................
Ask a question for each situation.
EX: Your friend's hands are covered with grease.

(You/work/on the car?). Have you been working on the car? .

1. You see a little boy. His eyes are red and watery. (You/cry?)…..

……………………………………………………………………………………….

2. You just arrived to see a friend who is waiting for you. (You/wait/long?)

……………………………………………………………………………………

3. Your friend comes in. Her face and hands are dirty. (What/you/do?)

……………………………………………………………………………………

4. Your friend's breathe smells to onion.

(You/eat/tacos?)…………………………………………………………………………………..
Say how long something has been happening.
EX: It is raining now. It began raining two hours ago.

It has been raining for two hours.

1. Kevin is studying. He began studying three hours ago.

He…...............…………….…..........………….. three hours.

2. I'm learning Spanish. I started learning Spanish in December.

I………………………………..………..…… December.

3. Ann is looking for a job. She began looking six months ago.

She………………………………………….. six months.

4. Mary is working in Toronto. She started working there on January 18th.

She…………………………………….……. January 18th.

5. Mark smokes. He started smoking five years ago.

He………………………………..…………... five years.

6. The workers are unhappy. They began to complain last month.

They……………………….…….…………... a month.
 Ask questions with how long.
EX: It is raining. How long has it been raining?

1. Sue is reading War and Peace. How

long………………………………………………………………………………

2. Mike plays chess.

How………………………………………………………………………………

3. Jim sells washing machines.

……………………………………………………………………………………

4. Linda is living on Main Street.

……………………………………………………………………………………
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
vs
PRESENT PERFECT
A. Study these example situations:
Albert's clothes are covered in paint.
He has been painting the wall.
Has been painting is the present perfect
Continuous tense.
We are interested in the action. It does not
matter whether something has been finished or
not. In the example, the action has not been
finished.
Here are some pairs of examples:
Tom's hands are very dirty. He has been fixing
the car.
You've been smoking too much lately. You
should smoke less.
We use the continuous form to say how long
something has been happening:
Ann has been writing letters all day.
How long have you been reading that book?
Jim has been playing tennis since 2:00.
The wall was white. Now it's grey.
He has painted the wall.
He has painted is the present perfect simple
tense.
This time, the important thing is that
something has been finished. We are
interested in the result of the action, not in
the action itself.
Here are some more examples:
The car is working again now. Tom has fixed
it.
Somebody has smoked all my cigarettes.
The packet is empty.
We use the simple form to say how much
we have done, how many things we have
done, or how many times we have done
something:
Anna has written ten letters today.
How many pages of the books have you
read?
Jim has played tennis three times this week.
EXERCISES.
Read the situation and then write two sentences, one with Present Perfect (I
have done) and one with Present Perfect Continuous (I have been doing).
EX: Tom is reading a book. He started two hors ago, and he is on page 53.
(He/read/for two hours) He has been reading for two hours.
(He/read/53 pages so far) He has read 53 pages so far.

1. Linda is from Canada. Now she is traveling around Europe. She began her trip three months ago.

(She/travel/around Europe for three months)…………………………………………………………………

(She/visit/six countries so far)………………………………………………………………………………….

2. Sue is a tennis champion. She began playing tennis when she was 11 years old.

Now she has just won the national championship for the fourth time.

(She /play / tennis since she was 11)…………………………………………………………………...........

(She/win/the national championship four times)……………………………………………………………..

3. Bill and Andy make films. They started making films together when they left college.

(They /make/films since they left college)……………………………………………………………...........

(They/make/ten films since they left college)……………………………………………………….............

Imagine that you are talking to a friend. Read the situation and ask a
question beginning in the way shown.
EX: Your friend is studying Arabic.

How long have you been studying Arabic?

1. Your friend is waiting for you

How long………………………………………………………………………………..

2. Your friend writes books.

How many books………………………………………………………….…………..

3. Your friend writes books.

How long………………………………………………………………………………

4. Your friend is fishing by the river.

How many…………………………………………………………………………….
Put the verb in the correct form: present perfect simple or continuous.
EX: I have lost (lose) my key. Can you help me look for it?

You look tired. Have you been working (you/work) too hard?

1. Look! Somebody ………………………… (break) that window.

2. I ………………….(read) the book you gave me, but I ……………………..…. (not/finish)

it yet.

3. MARY: Sorry I'm late.

TED: That's all right. I …………………………….. (not/wait) long.

4. Hello! I……………………….(clean) the windows. So far I…………………………..

(clean) five of them and there are two more to do.

5. There's a strange smell in here……………..………………. (you/cook) something?

6. My brother is an actor. He………………………………(appear) in several movies.

GREAT JOB !