English Grammer: Present perfect continuous tense

 

Present perfect continuous tense:

Affirmative Form:

Formula:

Subject + have/has + been + verb(ing)

Here's the breakdown:

Subject: This is the person or thing performing the action.

have/has: The auxiliary verb "have" is used with plural subjects (I, you, we, they), while "has" is used with singular subjects (he, she, it).

been: This is the auxiliary verb indicating the continuous aspect in the present perfect continuous tense.

verb(ing): This indicates the ongoing action.

Examples:

I have been working.

She has been studying.

They have been playing.

Fill-in-the-blank sentences for the present perfect continuous tense with verbs in brackets:

1. She ___ (cook) dinner since 5 o'clock.

2. We ___ (wait) for the bus for over an hour.

3. They ___ (work) on the project all day.

4. I ___ (read) that book for weeks.

5. He ___ (play) the guitar since he was a child.

6. Mary ___ (study) English for three years.

7. The children ___ (run) around the playground for hours.

8. My mom ___ (clean) the house all morning.

9. The team ___ (practice) for the competition since last month.

10. Sarah ___ (live) in this city for ten years.

Answers:

1. She has been cooking dinner since 5 o'clock.

2. We have been waiting for the bus for over an hour.

3. They have been working on the project all day.

4. I have been reading that book for weeks.

5. He has been playing the guitar since he was a child.

6. Mary has been studying English for three years.

7. The children have been running around the playground for hours.

8. My mom has been cleaning the house all morning.

9. The team has been practicing for the competition since last month.

10. Sarah has been living in this city for ten years.

 

Negative Sentence:

Formula:

Subject + have/has + not + been + verb(ing)

Here's the breakdown:

- Subject: This is the person or thing not performing the action.

- have/has: The auxiliary verb "have" is used with plural subjects (I, you, we, they), while "has" is used with singular subjects (he, she, it).

- not: This is the negation word indicating that the action has not been happening.

- been: This is the auxiliary verb indicating the continuous aspect in the present perfect continuous tense.

- verb(ing): This indicates the ongoing action.

Examples:

- I have not been working.

- She has not been studying.

- They have not been playing.

In each example:

- "I," "She," and "They" are the subjects.

- "have," "has," and "have" are the auxiliary verbs, matching the subjects.

- "not" indicates negation.

- "been" indicates the continuous aspect.

- "working," "studying," and "playing" are the present participles, indicating ongoing actions.

 

Fill-in-the-blank sentences for the present perfect continuous tense in the negative form, with verbs provided in brackets:

1. She ___ (not cook) dinner since 5 o'clock.

2. We ___ (not wait) for the bus for over an hour.

3. They ___ (not work) on the project all day.

4. I ___ (not read) that book for weeks.

5. He ___ (not play) the guitar since he was a child.

6. Mary ___ (not study) English for three years.

7. The children ___ (not run) around the playground for hours.

8. My mom ___ (not clean) the house all morning.

9. The team ___ (not practice) for the competition since last month.

10. Sarah ___ (not live) in this city for ten years.

Answers:

1. She has not been cooking dinner since 5 o'clock.

2. We have not been waiting for the bus for over an hour.

3. They have not been working on the project all day.

4. I have not been reading that book for weeks.

5. He has not been playing the guitar since he was a child.

6. Mary has not been studying English for three years.

7. The children have not been running around the playground for hours.

8. My mom has not been cleaning the house all morning.

9. The team has not been practicing for the competition since last month.

10. Sarah has not been living in this city for ten years.

Interrogative (question) sentence:

Have/Has + subject + been + verb(ing)?

Here's the breakdown:

- Have/Has: This is the auxiliary verb used to form questions. "Have" is used with plural subjects (I, you, we, they), while "Has" is used with singular subjects (he, she, it).

- Subject: This is the person or thing performing the action.

- been: This is the auxiliary verb indicating the continuous aspect in the present perfect continuous tense.

- verb (ing): This indicates the ongoing action.

Examples:

- Have I been working?

- Has she been studying?

- Have they been playing?

In each example:

- "I," "she," and "they" are the subjects.

- "Have" or "Has" is the auxiliary verb, depending on the subject.

- "been" indicates the continuous aspect.

- "working," "studying," and "playing" are the present participles, indicating ongoing actions.

The question is formed by inverting the subject and the auxiliary verb "have" or "has" at the beginning of the sentence.

Fill-in-the-blank sentences for the present perfect continuous tense in the interrogative form, with verbs provided in brackets:

1. ___ (you/teach) English for the past two hours?

2. ___ (she/work) on the project since this morning?

3. ___ (they/study) for the exam all day?

4. ___ (he/paint) the fence since yesterday?

5. ___ (it/rain) all week?

6. ___ (we/learn) Spanish for the past few months?

7. ___ (Sarah/bake) cookies for the party?

8. ___ (the children/play) outside for hours?

9. ___ (Mary/walk) the dog since this morning?

10. ___ (the team/practice) for the championship lately?

Answers:

1. Have you been teaching English for the past two hours?

2. Has she been working on the project since this morning?

3. Have they been studying for the exam all day?

4. Has he been painting the fence since yesterday?

5. Has it been raining all week?

6. Have we been learning Spanish for the past few months?

7. Has Sarah been baking cookies for the party?

8. Have the children been playing outside for hours?

9. Has Mary been walking the dog since this morning?

10. Has the team been practicing for the championship lately?