Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Form:
 Positive statement: has/have + been + present participle (v.ing)
e.g. He has been reading his newspaper for two hours.
 Negative statement: has/have + not + been + present participle (v.ing)
e.g. They have not been working here long.
 Question: (Question word) + has/have + subject + been + present participle (v.ing)?
How long has she been studying?

We use the present perfect continuous for:

 an action which started in the past and is still going on now, and may or may not continue in the future
e.g. He has been painting the house for three days.
(He began painting the house three days ago and is still painting it.)

has been painting

past (three days ago) present future

 an action which has recently finished and its result is evident now.
e.g. They’re tired. They have been playing tennis all morning.
(They have just finished playing tennis and the result is evident now as they look tired.)

have been playing They are tired.

past present future

 an action that has been repeated over a period of time

e.g. You’ve been calling all morning!
have been calling

X X X X X X
past present future

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Important notes:
 Some verbs do not usually occur in the continuous tense, including the present perfect continuous tense.

be believe dislike forget hate hear know like love need

own prefer remember see seem smell taste want

e.g. WRONG: I’ve been hearing of this happy news.

CORRECT: I’ve heard of this happy news.

 Compare the present perfect tense with the present perfect continuous tense:
The present perfect tense The present perfect continuous tense
focuses on the completion of an action and the focuses on an action in progress
present results

I’ve just knitted a sweater. I’ve been knitting a sweater.

can be used to say how often an action has been focuses on a repeated action over a period of time
repeated but does not mention the frequency
e.g. Mr Chan has travelled to Japan three times e.g. Mr Chan has been flying to Japan for business
this year. trips recently.
talks about a long-lasting or permanent condition talks about a more temporary action
e.g. This is our dog. We have had it for ten years. e.g. Mr Chu is on holiday and we have been
keeping his dog for a week.

 With the verbs “live, feel and work” we can use the present perfect tense or the present perfect continuous
with no difference in meaning.
e.g. He has lived here since 1990. = He has been living here since 1990.

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Exercise 1 warm-up exercise
Form questions and answers using the prompts given, as in the example.

e.g. Sam / work / for this company / two years

Question: How long has Sam been working for this company?
Answer: He has been working for this company for two years.

1. Alice / teach / English / 2010

Question: ___________________________________________________________________________
Answer: ___________________________________________________________________________

2. The robbers / hide / in a farmhouse / a week

Question: ___________________________________________________________________________
Answer: ___________________________________________________________________________

3. Jason / make / model planes / a year

Question: ___________________________________________________________________________
Answer: ___________________________________________________________________________

4. Holly / play / the guitar / 2013

Question: ___________________________________________________________________________
Answer: ___________________________________________________________________________

5. The children / watch / TV / two hours

Question: ___________________________________________________________________________
Answer: ___________________________________________________________________________

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Exercise 2
Read the following sentences. Which picture does each sentence refer to? Write the correct letter in the
brackets.
a. b.
( ) The government has cut down many trees
for land for development.
( ) The producer has been cutting down trees
for making paper.

a. b.
( ) Nathan has been working hard so that he
will get good results in his test.
( ) Howard has worked hard so he gets good
results in his test.

a. b.

( ) Andrea has seen the doctor and recovered.

( ) Mabel has been seeing the doctor
throughout the week.

a. b.
( ) We are going to Korea tomorrow morning.
We have been packing all night.
( ) The Chans are going to Korea tomorrow.
They have already packed.

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Exercise 3
What have these people been doing? Make sentences using an appropriate verb in the present perfect
continuous tense.

e.g. Violet went to the supermarket an hour ago. She’s still there.
Violet has been shopping for an hour.

1. My mum began cooking three hours ago. She hasn’t finished yet.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

2. The teams started playing football twenty minutes ago. They haven’t finished yet.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

3. The headmaster started speaking two hours ago. He hasn’t stopped yet.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

4. Boris began building his house six months ago. He hasn’t finished it yet.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

5. I started doing my homework three hours ago. I haven’t finished it yet.

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

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Exercise 4
Fill in the blanks with the time expressions from the list below.

since all morning already never how long for ever

yet so far still just always

1. The baby has been crying ______________________.

2. Venus hasn’t started school _______________________.
3. She has ______________________ washed the clothes, so they are still wet.
4. Mandy has _______________________ wanted to go to Mexico.
5. Sh has been ill _______________________ a week.
6. _______________________ has Jimmy been playing computer games?
7. She hasn’t had dinner _______________________. She has been work overtime.
8. It’s very early, but Richard has _______________________ gone to work.
9. I’ve sent ten party invitations _______________________.
10. I haven’t spoken French ______________________ 1990.
11. She ________________________ hasn’t sent the fax to the wholesaler, which made my boss furious.
12. I am extremely nervous as I have _______________________ given a presentation before.
13. Have you _______________________ appeared on television?

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Exercise 5
Complete the mobile phone text messages with either the present perfect tense or the present perfect
continuous tense of the verbs in brackets.

ANSWER COLUMN

Sam, where are you? I (1) (find) a seat at Burger (1) _________________
King. Do you need me to buy breakfast for you?
7:10 am 

I (2) (wait) for the MTR train for 25 mins.  Please wait (2) _________________
for me! And would you buy me a breakfast combo?
7:12 am 

(3) _________________
I (3) (sit) at Burger King for 30 mins!!! I (4) (try) to
call but I couldn’t reach you. We need to arrive at (4) _________________
the sports ground at 8 … 7:40 am 

(5) _________________
Oh, my phone (5) (fail) to reach the network so I (6) (not
receive) your calls. I’m stuck now because the MTR train (6) _________________
(7) (not move) for 10 mins … 7:45 am 
7:12 am  (7) _________________

I (8) (arrive) at the sports ground and most students (9) (8) _________________
(queue) up. I (10) (tell) Miss Yeung about your case so
don’t worry about being late. 7:55 am  (9) _________________

(10) ________________
Thank you Peter. The MTR train is moving again and I’ll
arrive soon. By the way, (11) (you / take) my breakfast (11) ________________
away with you? 8:05 am 

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Exercise 6
Complete the sentences below with either the present perfect tense of the present perfect continuous tense of
the verbs in brackets.
1. What ___________________________ (you / do) all week?
2. Mr Johnson is busy. He ______________________________ (talk) on the phone for almost an hour.
3. Many employers ______________________________ (experience) difficulties in recruiting staff.
4. I ____________________________ (get) a pen pal. I ____________________________ (write) to her
for five years.
5. I know you ______________________________ (visit) Europe several times, but there’s no need to show
off.
6. John won’t pass his exams. He ______________________________ (not / do) any homework lately.
7. My cousin ______________________________ (stay) with me since last month.
8. Now that they ______________________________ (come) back to Hong Kong, you may ask them how
many cities around they world they ____________________________ (travel) to.
9. We ____________________________ (work) on this project since December. I hope we’ll complete it
soon.
10. ____________________________________ (you / ever / be) to the office’s headquarters?
11. My little brother ______________________________ (learn) to swim for three months. I wonder how
much longer it takes for him to finally learn to swim.
12. ____________________________ (Dad / repair) his car all day?
13. The lift _____________________________ (break) down. We have to use the stairs to walk up to our
office.
14. You ___________________________ (work) for over 30 hours. You should take a break.
15. You are out of breath. _____________________________ (you / run)?
16. Stacy ____________________________ (not prepare) for the job interview yet.
17. ____________________________________ (you / ever / work) for a corporation?
18. It’s really cold here. It _____________________________ (snow) for more than three days.
19. Uncle Boris ____________________________ (not smoke) for a month. That’s encouraging!
20. Phoebe ____________________________ (apply) for the post of secretary recently.
21. Jason and his partner ______________________________ (work) in Taiwan recently because they have
to help with an exhibition over there.
22. Andrew ____________________________ (not finish) his work yet, so he can’t leave the office.
23. I am very tired because I ______________________________ (play) basketball with my classmates all
morning.
24. Baby Peter’s hands are all dirty. ______________________________ (he / draw) with crayons or
something?
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25. The firemen _____________________________ (fight) the hill fires for hours but
____________________________ (not put) them out yet.
26. Shops _______________________________ (not give) out plastic bags for a year.
27. I ____________________________ (wait) for ten minutes and the train
____________________________ (not come) yet.
28. ___________________________________ (you / see) my bracelet? I can’t find it anywhere.
29. Billy is in the front yard. He ______________________________ (mow) the lawn all day.
30. You ____________________________ (study) all morning. Why don’t you take a break?
31. Anna _____________________________ (exercise) a lot recently. That’s why she
_____________________________ (lose) weight.
32. Jinny’s exhausted. she ________________________________ (work) hard all week.
33. We _____________________________ (practise) all afternoon. I think it’s time to stop now.
34. Amanda ______________________________ (open) a shop which sells newspapers and magazines.
35. Danny ______________________________ (just / go) to the post office. He’ll be back soon.
36. Dave ______________________________ (learn) to drive for six months. He
_____________________________ (not pass) his test yet, though.
37. I ______________________________ (know) Alison for ten years. She is a the most kind-hearted person
I ______________________________ (ever / meet).
38. My uncle is painting his house again. Actually, he ___________________________ (paint) it three times
this year already.
39. My baby brother _____________________________ (sleep) since 10 o’clock last night. I think he will
wake up very soon.
40. I’m planning to buy a new house. I ___________________________ (look) for one for two months now.
So far I ____________________________ (look) at ten houses, but ____________________________
(not find) one I like.
41. My Spanish lessons are going very well. I _____________________________ (learn) Spanish for five
months now and I love it. I ___________________________ (learn) a lot of useful phrases and
expressions.
42. Jacky _____________________________ (be) very busy recently. He ___________________________
(re-decorate) the living room and the bedrooms, but he ___________________________ (not start)
designing the kitchen yet.

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Exercise 7
Complete the conversation below with the present perfect tense or the present perfect continuous tense.

Host: Good evening and welcome to our show. Tonight we have Steven Spills, the well-known director.

We’re glad to have you here Steven. What (1)________________________________ (you / do)

lately?

Steven:Well, I (2)_____________________________ (finish) my latest film, “Double Crossing”.

Host: That (3)______________________________ (just / come) out at the cinemas, hasn’t it?

Steven:Yes. The papers (4)______________________________ (give) it good reviews. I hope they’ll like my

next film too.

Host: (5)________________________________ (you / decide) what it’ll be about?

Steven:Yes, I (6)_______________________________ (read) an exciting book over the last few weeks and I

want to make it into a film. I (7)_____________________________ (not decide) where to film it yet,

perhaps Moscow.

Host: Aha! Is it true that you (8)___________________________________ (recently / start) learning

Russian?

Steven:Yes, I (9)______________________________ (study) it for three years now and I

(10)____________________________ (visit) the country twice.

Host: Steven, thank you very much for being with us, and good luck with your new film.

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Exercise 7
Complete the passage using the verbs in the present perfect tense or the present prefect continuous tense.

The 23rd Sports Day (1)_____________________________ (finally / come). I

(2)_____________________________ (take) part in the Sports Day six times and this one will be my final

one. I (3)_______________________________ (wait) for the event for months – everyone knows that I am a

sports lover. Besides, the Sports Day (4)______________________________ (always / be) the best way to

show our team spirit. I especially like seeing schoolmates cheering on each other. I

(5)______________________________ (have) this experience before. It was really touching.

Our schoolmates (6)_____________________________ (do) better and better over the years. For

example, our new sports star, Ricky Chan, (7)______________________________ (break) the record for the

100 m race twice. The Yellow House (8)______________________________ (improve) over the past few

years – it got fourth place two years ago but it was the overall champion last year. The girls of the Purple

House (9)______________________________ (always / be) energetic and they

(10)______________________________ (already / win) the fourth Best Cheering Team Award.

I know that all schoolmates (11)_______________________________ (practise) hard for the Sports

Day. I hope everyone of you will try your best in all events and break more records. However, always

remember that results are not the most important thing. If you can gain support from your schoolmates, you

(12)______________________________ (already / win).

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Exercise 8
Complete the letter below with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

Dear Sir,

I’m writing to you to apply for the position of Sports Editor at your newspaper. I (1) (work) as a

reporter on “The Morning Globe” for eight years, and I (2) (write) about every major sporting event

in England in that time. I (3) (also make) several important contacts within the sporting world such

as football managers and race-horse trainers, who (4) (be) of great help to me in my career. The editor

of “The World” (5) (recently / offer) me the post of Senior Sports Reporter, but as I (6) (never /

really / like) the newspaper I think I will turn it down. However, I (7) (read) your newspaper since I

was a young boy and I (8) (always / admire) it. I (9) (wait) for an opportunity like this to turn up all

my working life. My editor (10) (agree) to give me time off to attend an interview should you wish

to meet me.

Yours faithfully,

Gordon Bennett

1. 2.

3. 4.

5. 6.

7. 8.

9. 10.

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Exercise 9
Mr Lui is invited to the radio talk show, Thirty Minutes. Read the script of the radio interview below. Make
grammatical sentences using the prompts provided.

Host: Welcome to the talk show, Thirty Minutes. This is Charlotte Fung. Here with me is Mr Lui, a
senior labour officer from the Careers Advisory Service of the Labour Department. Mr Lui, (1)
how long / you / work / Labour Department / promote / career education / ? / _______________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Mr Lui: For a decade. In fact, it is my first job.
Host: Wow. That’s a long time. I believe that (2) you / organize / lot / seminars / talks / schools / . /
___________________________________________________________________________
Mr Lui: Yes, (3) I / go / over 100 secondary schools / give / talks / job search technique / mainly senior
secondary students / . / _________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Host: Well, over the past years, (4) what else / you team / do / prepare / young people / enter / job
market / ? / __________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Mr Lui: Hmm … (5) we / hold / various Education and Careers Expo / provide / latest / information /
further studies / vocational training / . / ____________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
(6) We / also / arrange / number / visits / secondary students / different companies /
organizations / . / _____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
So far, (7) we / receive / lots / positive feedback / students / regard / workplace visit programme
/ . / ________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
We are trying to provide more workplace visits in the nearest future.
Host: That would be good news for students.
Mr Lui: Also, (8) my colleagues and I / review / career handbook / Secondary 5 school leavers / recent
/ . / ________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
We hope the handbook will be ready at the end of this month.
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Host: That’s great. As you know, (9) our government / launch / Youth Work Experience and Training
Scheme / since 2002 / . / _______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
I know you are responsible for this scheme but I wonder how you feel about it.
Mr Lui: I think (10) scheme / enhance / employability / young people / . / ________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Since its launch, (11) scheme / already / benefit / thousands / students / . / _________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Host: Thanks for taking the time to speak with us, Mr Lui.
Mr Lui: It’s my pleasure.

END OF EXERCISE

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