The most understandable rules of the not entirely clear Present Perfect Continuous. Present Perfect Continuous - a way of expressing an action that has lasted until the present moment
If you carefully study, you will notice that the main meaning of this time is to transfer the connection of a certain process with the present moment. To put it simply, a couple present perfect & present perfect continuous very similar to present simple & present continuous. One time in each pair serves to convey facts (results in the case of perfect simple) and the other indicates the process. But these "processes" are not similar to each other.
present perfect continuous rules and examples
So let's consider present perfect continuous rules and examples. There are 3 main cases when you can (and even need to) use present perfect continuous .
|
rule |
example |
translation |
|
To express a process that has been running for a period of time but has just ended. It is connected with the present, a certain result is visible. |
I have been tidy ing up the house for three hours so I look tired. |
I've been cleaning the house for three hours, so I look tired. |
|
To express an action that started some time ago and is still going on at the moment of speaking. |
look! She has been read ing that book since yesterday. |
Look! She has been reading that book since yesterday. |
|
To convey an action that happened regularly over a long period of time and is still happening. |
Every morning he drinks the same coffee. He has been do ing this for five years. |
He drinks the same coffee every morning. He has been doing this for five years. |
Features of the use of the present perfect continuous. Questions and negatives 
At consumption present perfect continuous very similar to the regular perfect tense. just for present perfect continuous not the 3rd form of the semantic verb is used, but the ing form. You probably noticed the ending –ing in every example. If you need to form a negation, use 'haven't been' and ‘hasn’t been’. The use of the present perfect continuous in questions it is limited by the need to put the auxiliary verb in front of the subject. Pay attention to the following examples.
(-) She hasn't been ask ing any questions for three days. She doesn't ask anything for 3 days.
(?) Has it been rain ing here? – Was it raining here?
How to train the difference between the present perfect and the present perfect continuous?
We hope this article is about present perfect continuous rules and examples' helped you figure it out. We wish you success in conquering the heights of the English language and will be happy to help you learn it!
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>> The Present Perfect Progressive Tense
Using the Present Perfect Progressive
The Present Perfect Progressive is used to express an ongoing action that started in the past, is still going on in the present, and in a certain way sums up the duration of this action.
Jeff and Emily haven"t been playing golf for three hours.
General question (OB)
HasJeff been playing tennis for two hours? - Yes, he has.
Alternative question (AB)
| AB= OB + or + OB? |
Education Present Perfect Continuous
(have/has been + …-ing)
Present Perfect Continuous (Present Perfect Progressive) formed with the help to be in the shape of ( have been, has been) and present participle forms of the semantic verb: I have been working.
When adding endings to verbs -ing sometimes there are changes in their spelling, for example have/hav ing. Additionally about.
| affirmative form | negative form | Interrogative form | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | have been working | I | have not been working | have | I | been working? |
| he she it |
has been working | he she it |
has not been working | Has | he she it |
|
| we you they |
have been working | we you they |
have not been working | have | we you they |
|
Abbreviated forms:
‘ve= have
‘s= has
haven't= have not
hasnt= has not
Using Present Perfect Continuous
1. An action that began in the past has continued for some period up to the present, and which is still ongoing at the present time. The period of time during which the action continued is always indicated or implied: marker words ( for ... hours / weeks / years - for ... hours / weeks / years, since 10 o'clock - from 10 o'clock, since morning - from the morning, since 2005 - from 2005). Often Present Perfect Continuous is translated with an adverb already.
Examples: I have been working since 9 o'clock in the morning. – I have been working since 9 o’clock in the morning.
She has been living in Venice for 2 years. She has been living in Venice for (already) 2 years.
2. The action is ordinary, permanent, i.e. happening in general, but with an indication of how long the action takes (used with marker words). If it is not indicated how long the action takes, then instead of Present Perfect Continuous, (action performed at the moment of speech) or (ordinary, constant action) is used.
Examples: It has been snowing for 2 days. It has been snowing (already) for 2 days. (indicating how long the action takes - within 2 days)
It is snowing. - Snowing. (without specifying how long the action takes)
She has been studying French for 10 years. She has been learning French for (already) 10 years. (indicating how long the action takes - within 10 years)
She is studying French. She is learning French. (without specifying how long the action takes)
3. Sometimes Present Perfect can be used instead of Present Perfect Continuous. If the speaker wants to emphasize the duration of the action, Present Perfect Continuous is used, and if the fact of the action is emphasized, Present Perfect.
Examples: I have been working there since 1997. – I have been working here since 1997. (the goal is to emphasize the duration of the action)
I have worked there since 1997. “I have been working here since 1997. (the goal is to emphasize the fact of the action)
4. Used in interrogative sentences with interrogative words ( since when - from what time, since when, how long - how long, how much time), if we are talking about the period that precedes the moment of speech.
Examples:how long have you been sitting here? - How long have you been sitting here?
5. Not used with verbs that do not have the Continuous form ( to be, to have, to love, to hate). Present Perfect Continuous is used instead of Present Perfect Continuous. Additionally about.
Examples: how long have you known her? – How long have you known her?
In any tense belonging to the Perfect Continuous category, situations are used with those long-term actions that not only show the process at a certain moment of the action, but also how long this action lasts at a particular moment in the present, past and even future time.
General information
The Present Perfect Continuous time is quite common both in written speech and in spoken spoken language. It is used not exactly to show the completed action, as is the case with . Its essence is to reflect a situation that has been going on for a certain period by a specific moment and, very likely, will continue in the future, despite the fact that this is not always mentioned in the context.
For the situation with Present Perfect Continuous sentences, the following examples can be given in the form of examples:
· I have been thinking of Mary's proposal since we parted. (I've been thinking about Mary's proposal since we broke up)
· We have been seeking for you for hours. (We have been looking for you for many hours)
· Ann has been trying to make you believe her for all her life. (Anne has been trying her whole life to make you believe her)
Examples with such a translation show that this or that action has been going on for some, and sometimes very long, period of time. It is in such cases that the use of Present Perfect Continuous is relevant, a tense that combines the features of both perfection and continuity.
Formation of time Present Perfect Continuous
The formation of Present Perfect Continuous looks quite logical, given that this time has the features of both a completed and a long action. The auxiliary words here are verbs that are typical for perfection, and these are have and has (the second is typical for personal pronouns related to the third person - “she”, “he”, “it”, i.e., according to the same principle as at Present Perfect time). Another feature that unites the perfect and the long is the presence of the verb to be, used in the form, i.e., in other words, in the form has been. Well, since we are talking about a process with a duration, then we cannot do without, or simply the –ing form, as it is often called.
Present Perfect Continuous Scheme
Given the above formation rules, the Present Perfect Continuous formula can have the following conditional form:
have
Has + been + V(–ing)
Questions in Present Perfect Continuous
The Present Perfect Continuous, if the Present Perfect Continuous can be called that, certainly takes place not only in sentences with a statement, but can also be used in situations where the speaker is interested in something. Interrogative sentences are easy in their formation: to build this type of phrase, it is enough just to slightly change the word order and make it inverted, that is, reversed, when have (has) takes the position before the subject. Interrogative sentences in Present Perfect Continuous, in particular, questions of a general type, have the following form:
· Has she been learning her speech since yesterday's evening? (She has been learning her speech since yesterday evening?)
· Have you been spending your whole weekend in this way? (Do you spend your whole weekend like this?)
Negation in Present Perfect Continuous
Negative sentences with such a kind of temporary form of complexity in their formation, it would seem, should not carry. Here it would be logical to use only one negative particle not, which would be after the auxiliary words have or has. Such constructions are often abbreviated so that the whole structure looks like this: haven't (= have not) or hasn't (= has not). But in reality, everything is somewhat more complicated.
The principle of forming a sentence with negation
The fact is that in English certain norms prohibit the use of Present Perfect Continuous with negation, and therefore a negative sentence is not formed with this tense. This can probably be explained by the fact that there is no action, the duration of which should be shown to a certain point, and the situation becomes illogical. In this situation, it is customary to use the Present Perfect tense.
The following are examples of negative sentences:
I haven't slept for 30 hours. (I've been awake for 30 hours)
· He hasn't worked in this sphere for 2 years already. (He has not been working in this field for 2 years)
Cases of using Present Perfect Continuous
The use of Present Perfect Continuous is typical for several cases, but first it should be noted that there is a division of this time into two varieties: Present Perfect Continuous Inclusive and Present Perfect Continuous Exclusive. Therefore, we should dwell on each type separately and give examples of where the present perfect continius of one or another variety is used:
Present Perfect Continuous Inclusive
This time reflects the classic application of Present Perfect Continuous, where an action whose starting point is in the past lasts until a specific moment associated with the present and, which is not excluded, will continue in the future. Popular markers in this form are prepositions such as since (shows the starting point, the action that started the process) and for (introduces a period, duration). For this type of Present Perfect Continuous, examples include the following:
· Jack and Lucy have been searching for the key for the last 40 minutes. (Jack and Lucy have been searching for their key for the last forty minutes)
· Steve has been dreaming about her since he first met you. (Steve has been dreaming about her since he met her)
But these markers are not the only ones: there are other markers that indicate that the situation has been running for some time, for example, the constructions these three / four / five days (these three / four / five days), the whole morning / day /week (all morning/afternoon/week), etc.:
· Fred has been training very hard these three days. (These three days Fred has been training very hard)
We have already been waiting for Joan the whole morning, it's high time she came. (We've been waiting for Joan all morning, it's time for her to come)
Using the Present Perfect Inclusive
For this type of Present Perfect Continuous, the rules and examples of use should be clarified that not all cases allow the use of such a temporary form. As mentioned earlier, the completed long tense in English cannot be used in negatives; instead, the correct one is Present Perfect, to which it is customary to add the term Inclusive. In addition, the situations used with Present Perfect Inclusive may be different:
1. With verbs, the use of which in Continuous is unacceptable
(emotions and feelings, desire and intention, sensory perception and some others):
I have known you for the last 5 years - I have known you for the last 5 years
She has been her since last Wednesday - She has been here since last Wednesday
Note: regardless of the fact that verbs illustrating desire and intention (wish, want, intend, etc.) are not usually used for a long time, in spoken live English there is still a tendency to put such forms in the Present Perfect Progressive:
· I have been wishing to speak to Sam ever since you returned - I want to talk to Sam since he returned
I’ve been wanting to see my sister for many months - I want to see my sister for many months
2. With indefinite verbs
With verbs that are called unlimited in English, that is, those that have no time limit and can last an indefinite amount of time - work, travel, study, live, etc.
Note: In such cases, it is also possible to use the usual Present Perfect Continuous Tense, but only if the focus is on the duration, and not on the result:
We have worked at this issue for several weeks - We have been working on this issue for several weeks (the fact of work is emphasized)
We have been working and working at this issue for weeks and I don't believe we are likely to deal with it - We are all working and working on the case for weeks, but it seems to me that we are unlikely to cope with it (attention is focused on duration)
Present Perfect Continuous Exclusive
Sentences with Present Perfect Continuous Exclusive are aimed at those cases where there is a need to show that the action was in progress, but does not continue to the present; now there is only the result of having continued somewhat earlier. Examples of the Present Perfect Continuous of this type might be as follows:
Susie has been weeping and now her eyes are red - Susie was crying and now her eyes are red
· You have a bruise on your face. Have you been fighting again? - You have a bruise on your face. Did you fight again?
Note: the use of both types of Present Perfect Continuous is possible only in the Active form, the passive form of this tense does not exist.
It is important to take into account all these factors in the use of such time, and then even such a seemingly complex construction will not cause inconvenience and will be able to convey the speaker's ability to display the desired situation in speech and writing.
In this article, we will talk about the Present Perfect Continuous tense and consider its use with real life examples.
Time is quite difficult in education, but a little practice, exercises - and you will remember its form. The Present Perfect Continuous form combines the signs of the times of the group Perfect(auxiliary verbs have/has + verb BE in the third form) and group tenses Continuous(semantic verb with the ending -ING).
Consider different types of statements:
Statement
|
have |
been |
Ving: |
|
|
has |
Negation
|
have not (haven't) |
been |
Ving: |
|
|
has not (hasn't) |
Questions general and informational
|
(how long) (what) (when) |
have |
been |
Ving: |
|
|
Has |
Meanings of Present Perfect Continuous Tense
Present Perfect Continuous combines the meanings of group tenses Perfect(action performed; action that has not yet completed) and continuous(action in progress).
Present Perfect Continuous has three main meanings. You have probably read books, studied the rules, so I will not simply rewrite them once again, but will explain the use of Present Perfect Continuous time using examples of situations that we encounter in life.
Value 1.
An action that began in the past and continues up to the present. Present Perfect Continuous is used to emphasize duration, duration of the action.
Situation 1.
You are about to go for a walk, but all of a sudden it starts to rain. You decide to wait until it ends, but an hour, two, three passes, and the rain does not stop. Are you complaining:
The rain started three hours ago and is still not over, the action is in progress, which you can watch from the window.
Situation 2.
You agreed to meet with a friend, and he is late. You've been waiting for half an hour and he's still gone. You lose patience, call him and say:
You came half an hour ago, and you are still waiting for your non-punctual friend, the action is still not completed.
Situation 3.
A teenager was bought a new computer game and he decided to play it to celebrate. The game turned out to be so exciting that after a while his parents began to worry:
You've been playing since morning! - You have been playing since morning!
Their son sat down at the computer in the morning, and until now his game is not over, he continues to play.
But not always we can observe the action right at the moment of speech. Sometimes Present Perfect Continuous denotes an action that we associate more with a habit than with a process. In this case, Present Perfect Continuous is often confused with. Let's look at situations.
Situation 4.
Anna celebrates every birthday with her friends. She started celebrating it with friends when she was a student and has been inviting friends every year since then. What time to use: sort of like a habit, but on the other hand it continues (repeated) for a while.
Ann always celebrates her birthday with her friends. Anna always celebrates her birthday with her friends.
Ann has been celebrating her birthday with her friends since she was a student. Anna has been celebrating her birthday with friends since she was a student.
Look, we used the Present Simple when we were just talking about this habit (or rather tradition). But as soon as it was necessary to indicate the period of time during which this habit exists, we use Present Perfect Continuous.
Present Perfect Continuous may be mistakenly associated exclusively with an action, the continuation of which we can observe at the moment of speech. The Present Perfect Continuous is used to emphasize the duration of an action or habit.
Situation 5.
Your friend started learning English five years ago. He has been studying English for five years now and is not going to stop. He can say:
I learn English. I have been learning English for five years. - I learn English. I have been studying English for five years.
As you can see from the examples, the translation of the sentences is identical, except that the period of time is indicated in the second sentence. Such an insignificant detail, and in English there are two completely different tenses!
Meaning 2.
Present Perfect Continuous can denote an action that has been going on for a while, has just ended, and the obvious result of this action is visible. Let's consider situations.
Situation 1.
You wake up in the morning and look out the window: the ground is wet, there are puddles everywhere, but the sun is already shining. Of course, you understand that it has recently rained.
He walked for a while (the action lasted for a while). You have not seen the rain itself, you have only seen its result. You can conclude:
It has been raining. - It's been raining.
Situation 2.
The student is late for class. The lesson is already beginning, and then he bursts into the audience: his hair is disheveled, he cannot catch his breath. It becomes clear to everyone that he fled:
He has been running. - He was running.
I hope that after analyzing the situations it became easier for you to understand and use Present Perfect Continuous Tense. Leave your comments, subscribe to our newsletter and join us in