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I. The formation of the Present Perfect Continuous Tense

 

The Present Perfect Continuous is formed by means of the Present Perfect of the auxiliary verb to be and Participle I of the notional verb. Participle I is formed by adding the suffix -ing to the stem of the verb.

 

In the interrogative formthe first auxiliary verb is placed before the subject.

 

In the negative formthe negative particle not is placed after the first auxiliary verb.

 

 

Affirmative Negative
I have been working I have not been working
You have been working You have not been working
He/she/it has been working He/she/it has not been working
We have been working We have not been working
They have been working They have not been working
  Interrogative  
  Have I been working?  
  Have you been working?  
  Has he/she/it been working?  
  Have we been working?  
  Have they been working?  
       

 

II. The contracted affirmative forms are:

 

I’ve been working

He’s been working

You’ve been working

 

The contracted negative forms are:

 

I haven’t been working

He hasn’t been working

You’ve been working

 

The negative-interrogative forms are:

 

Has he not been working?

Hasn’t he been working?

Have you not been working?

Haven’t you been working?

 

III.The use of the Present Perfect Continuous

We use the Present Perfect Continuous for action that started in the past and is still happening. Usually if the action started a few minutes or hours ago, we use the Present Perfect Continuous, and if it has been happening for longer, we can use either the simple or continuous form.

 

I have been studying for three hours.

(I started studying three hours ago and I am still studying.)

They have been living in Paris for three years.

(They have lived in Paris for three years, and are still there.)

 

We use the Present Perfect Continuous when we talk about an action (quite a long action) which began in the past and has recently stopped or just stopped.

 

You are out of breath. Have you been running?

That man over there is bright red. I think he’s been sunbathing.

 

3. We often use the Present Perfect Continuous with verbs like learn, lie (on the bed), live, rest, sleep, sit, stand, stay, which describe states of being rather than actions.

 

Alex has been sleeping for hours.

 

We can also use the continuous form when we want to emphasize how long something has been happening.

 

I’ve been learning Italian for six years and I still can’t speak it properly!

Sorry I’m late. Have you been waiting long?

Sometimes the action is a repeated action.

 

Tom has been driving for ten years.



How long have you been smoking?

The continuous or simple form can be used for actions repeated over a long period.

 

I’ve been collecting / I’ve collected stamps since I was a child.

 

We use the Present Perfect Continuous for actions that have just finished, often when we can see the result.

 

The road is wet; it has been raining.

 

For actions that are temporary, unusual or continue for some time.

I have been staying with Aunt Olga this week as my mother is in Paris.


Date: 2015-12-17; view: 992


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III. The use of the Present Perfect | Remember that some verbs are not usually used in the continuous form. So instead of the Present Perfect Continuous, they are usually used in the Present Perfect.
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