Present Perfect Continuous

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

The present perfect continuous tense is one that is used when you want to talk about an action that began sometime in the past but is still going on at the present moment. This means that this tense emphasises the amount of time or the duration of the action that has been happening. 

For example:

I have been reading the Odyssey for two months now.

Let’s say you borrowed the book the Odyssey from a friend because you’ve heard about how it’s a great classic. But you find yourself struggling to get through it, so when your friend asks about the progress you’ve made after months, this is the response you give. That you started two months ago, and you’re still reading it.

A few more examples of this tense would be:

They have been living in London for the last ten years.

She has been playing with Jack lately.

The music has been playing since yesterday afternoon. 

Using Present Perfect Continuous Tense

The present perfect continuous tense formula is basically placing the present participle after ‘has/have’ and ‘been’. For example:

You have been sleeping well recently.

They have been playing the game for the last two hours.

In this particular tense, we see that the words ‘recently’ and ‘lately’ are used a lot, for example:

She has been taking part in the debates recently. (and will keep doing that)

Have you been seeing my red shoes lately? (I have not been able to find them)

He hasn’t been feeling too well lately. (and is still feeling sick)

Exceptions:

This is not to say that it works in all cases since not all verbs work with continuous action. Some examples would be to own, to arrive, and to be.

She has been being tardy to work lately. (incorrect)

She has been tardy to work lately. (correct)

I have been owning my house since 2015. (incorrect)

I have owned my house since 2015. (correct)

Present perfect continuous tense is also used to talk about the duration of an action that originated at a point in the past and is still continuing at the present point of time. In this case, we say things like, for two hours, since last Thursday, for three months, etc.

She has been home for the last two hours.

They have been going to the beach every day since last Thursday.

She has been in college for three years now.

Another thing to keep in mind is that when it comes to continuous tenses, non-continuous verbs simply cannot be used. There are also mixed verbs with non-continuous meanings that are not to be used with continuous tenses. You can use present perfect instead of choosing to place present perfect continuous with these particular verbs. 

For example:

Rose has been having her cat for the last three years. (incorrect)

Rose has had her cat for the last three years. (correct)

Let’s now talk about adverbs and see how the placement for words like just, still, ever, never, only, always, and such would go in a present perfect continuous sentence. 

For example:

She has only been sitting there for thirty minutes.

Has she only been sitting there for thirty minutes?

Lastly, here is how perfect present continuous tense would work in active and passive voice. 

Recently, Jackson has been painting the walls. (active)

Recently, the walls have been painted by Jackson. (passive)

But note that this tense is not used that much when it comes to its passive form, so the active voice is more common.

Making Present Perfect Continuous Tense Negative and Asking a Question

All that is needed to make the present perfect continuous tense negative is adding the word ‘not’ in between ‘has/have’ + ‘been’ and the present participle in your sentence.

For example:

You have not been living here for two years.

You have not been drinking enough water.

To form a present perfect continuous tense question, the subject needs to go in between ‘has/have’ and the present participle.

For example:

Has she been living here for two years?

Have you been drinking enough water?

Present Perfect Continuous Tense Worksheet

In this section, there is a present perfect continuous tense worksheet for you to be able to practice. There are ten questions, and the answers will be at the bottom of this section for reference.

1. She _____ (study) in this school for ten years.
2. He _____ (practice) the entire day, so he’s tired now.
3. You _____ (not/sleep) properly.
4. She _____ (not/live) here for that long.
5. It _____ (snow) here all week.
6. You _____ (exercise) regularly.
7. She _____ (not/play) lacrosse for over ten years now.
8. He _____ (not/drinking) the required amount of water.
9. They _____ (go) to the dentist twice a year.
10. You _____ (eat) well, so you look better now.

Answers:

1. has been studying 
2. has been practising
3. haven’t been sleeping 
4. hasn’t been living
5. has been snowing
6. have been exercising
7. hasn’t been playing
8. hasn’t been drinking
9. have been going
10. have been eating

Conclusion

The present perfect continuous tense is used to elucidate an act that started sometime in the past but is still happening at the moment. The formula to use this tense is to place the present participle after ‘has/have’ and ‘been.’ One example of this is:

She has been going to work every day for two years now.

If the word ‘not’ is placed between ‘has/have’ + ‘been’ and the present participle, the present perfect continuous tense is made negative. To form a question, the subject comes after the ‘has/have’, and then there is ‘been’ and the present participle.