Page 45 - Grasp English B1+ (Grammar Book)

Experiences 7

Present perfect continuous

We use the present perfect continuous tense to express that
something started in the past and has continued up until now.
R: You look so tired. What have you been doing?
S: I’ve been fixing my roof. (I’ve just finished it)

+ I / He have / has
been living in this town.
- I / He haven’t / hasn’t

? Have / Has you / he been living in this town?

We use been and then add the suffix –ing to the main verb to form a sentence in the present
perfect continuous tense. In negative sentences, the negation word is added to have/has, and in
questions, have/has is used before the subject at the beginning of the sentence.
It is important to remember that as in the other continuous verb tense forms, we can only use
dynamic (not stative) verbs in the present perfect continuous tense.
She has been sleeping since 11 pm. (sleep is a dynamic / action verb)
She has been having that motorbike since last year. (have is a stative verb when it is used in
the meaning of possessing, so it is a wrong
sentence)
The question words how long…? and the time expressions for and since are frequently used with
present perfect continuous verb forms.

a. For
For is followed by a period, such as twenty minutes, a long time, ten years, etc.

A: How long have you been studying Law in the US?
B: For six months.

b. Since
Since is followed by a point of time (exact time),
such as 2001, 5 o’clock, last week, etc.
We can also use when + past simple tense after since.
J: How long have you been looking for a job?
K: Since last month/when I moved here.

Grasp English B1+ Grammar Book © Prime Press, 2021 | www.primepress.com 43