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.

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

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

RULES

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

We use subject + had + been + verb with –ing.

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUSUSES

•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

• For hours

• Before

• Since last …

• Until

• When

• 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.

FOR INSTANCE:

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

PAST/PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUSNOTES

• 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.

EXERCICESJoin 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.

My brother got …

2. Jack called Larry at 4.00. They are still talking.

Jack and Larry…

3. I moved to Brighton in 1998. I still live there.

I …

his licence after he had been taking

have been taking since 400.

have been living in Brighton since 1998

driving lessons for a year

4. They walked around for an hour. Then they found the shop.They found …

5. Nancy had a bad year. Then suddenly her luck changed.Nancy …

6.Kyle teaches maths. He began teaching three years ago.Kyle…

the shop after they had been walking

around for an hour.

had been having a bad year when suddenly herluch changed.

has been teaching maths for three years.