TENSES MADE EASY

Present Perfect Continuous

We use the present perfect continuous to express actions that started in the past and continue in the present. This tense is also used to talk about actions which began in the past and have recently stopped.

USE:

1.       Actions that started in the past and continue in the present

2.       Actions that have recently stopped

Present Perfect Continuous
To Talk About actions that started in the past, have continued until now and will probably continue in the future.
POSITIVE	SUBJECT	TO BE	BEEN	COMPLEMENT
	I He	Have Has	Been Been	Working Working
NEGATIVE	SUBJECT	AUX. + NOT	VERB + ING	COMPLEMENT
	I He	Haven’t Hasn’t	Been Been	Working Working
QUESTION	AUX.	SUBJECT	VERB + ING	COMPLEMENT
	Have Has	You He	Been Been	Working? Working?

Remember

The difference between the present perfect simple and continuous

The difference is rather subtle; the present perfect focuses the attention of a listener on the result of an action

And the present perfect continuous – on the duration of an activity.

I’ve bought a new car (The Present Perfect). I’ve been buying cars for 10 years (The Present Perfect Continuous) you can earn a nice living doing it.

In Positive Sentences

What’s distinctive for this tense are: the – ING ending and the 2 auxiliary verbs.

My friend has been sleeping for 3 hours                                                             (Recently Stopped Actions)

(She is still sleeping or she has just woken up)                                              (Recently Stopped Actions)

She’s (=she HAS) been crying in her room for half an hour now                  (Started in past and continue present)

We’ve been waiting for a good offer to buy a car since March                       (Started in past and continue present)

In Questions

Have you been running?                                                                              (Recently Stopped Actions)

Has tom been walking the dong?                                                              (Recently Stopped Actions)

How long have you been learning English?                                           (Started in past and continue present)

What have you been doing there? I’ve been eating                        (1, 2)

In Negative Sentences

I haven’t been sleeping very well recently                                             (Started in past and continue present)

I haven’t been waiting for 50 minutes                                                    (Recently Stopped Actions)

John hasn’t been using his A drive for a long time                             (Started in past and continue present)

Spoken Practice

Talk about the activities you started in the past and still you are doing for example, I have been studying English for 5 years. I have been living in Lahore for 20 years etc.