Alba Buj, Andrea Fernández, Aina Costa
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
USES
• An
action that started in the past and which
continuous in the present.
Such as : I have been living in Manchster for 3
years.
• An action whose results are still apparent.
For instance : We are happy. We have been
dancing all night.
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
RULES
We use subject + has/have+
been + verb with –ing.
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
The present perfect continuous suggests duration.
- For example : Have you been waiting long?
Yes, I have been waiting for two hours.
Some verbs can be used in continuous tenses when
the verb expresses an activity not a state.
-Such as : I have been taking excercise and I
have been watching my diet
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
RULES
We use subject + had + been +
verb with –ing.
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
USES
•Expresses longer activities that had been going
and continuously up to definite time in the past.
Such as: She had been watching TV for twenty
minutes when they arrived.
TIME EXPRESSIONS
• All morning
• Since last …
• For hours
• Until
• Before
• When
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
FOR INSTANCE:
• Michael had been looking for a job for three
months when he finally found one.
• The cat was tired as it had been playing in the
garden.
• They had been studying several hours when they
fell asleep.
PAST/PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
NOTES
• We don’t usually use stative verbs such as know
and hate in the Perfect Continuous.
I’ve hated my neighbour for years.
• If the number of times something has happened can
be counted, we don’t use the Perfect Continuous
They have been diving in the beach this morning.
They have written six pages of notes this morning.
EXERCICES
Join each of the pairs of sentences below to make one sentence without
changing the original meaning.Use the Present or Past Perfect Continuous.
1. My brother started taking driving lessons. After a year, he
got his licence.
his licence after he had been taking
My brother got …
driving lessons for a year
2. Jack called Larry at 4.00. They are still talking.
have been taking since 400.
Jack and Larry…
3. I moved to Brighton in 1998. I still live there.
have been living in Brighton since 1998
I…
4. They walked around for an hour. Then they found the
shop.
They found …the shop after they had been walking
around for an hour.
5. Nancy had a bad year. Then suddenly her luck changed.
Nancy … had been having a bad year when suddenly her
luch changed.
6.Kyle teaches maths. He began teaching three years ago.
Kyle… has been teaching maths for three years.