9. PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS (I have been doing)

ENGLISH GRAMMAR IN USE FOR INTERMEDIATE

9. PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS (I have been doing)

A	It has been raining Study this example situation: Is it raining? No, but the ground is wet. It has been raining. Have/ has been -ing is the present perfect continuous: I/ we/ they/ you he/ she/ it have (=I’ve etc.) has (=he’s etc.) been doing waiting playing etc. We use the present perfect continuous for an activity that has recently stopped or just stopped. There is a connection with now: You're out of breath. Have you been running? (= you're out of breath now) Paul is very tired. He's been working very hard. (= he's tired now) Why are your clothes so dirty? What have you been doing? I've been talking to Amanda about the problem and she agrees with me. Where have you been? I've been Looking for you everywhere.
B	It has been raining for two hours. Study this example situation: It began raining two hours ago and it is still raining. How long has it been raining? It has been raining for two hours. We use the present perfect continuous in this way especially with how Long, for ... and since .... The activity is still happening (as in this example) or has just stopped How Long have you been Learning English? (=you're still learning English) Tim is still watching TV. He's been watching TV all day. Where have you been? I've been Looking for you for the last half hour. Chris hasn't been feeling well recently. You can use the present perfect continuous for actions repeated over a period of time: Silvia is a very good tennis player. She's been playing since she was eight. Every morning they meet in the same cafe. They've been going there for years.
C	Compare I am doing (see Unit 1) and I have been doing: Don't disturb me now. I'm working. We need an umbrella. It's raining. Hurry up! We're waiting. I've been working hard. Now I'm going to have a break. The ground is wet. It's been raining. We've been waiting for an hour.

EXERCISES

9.1	What have these people been doing or what has been happening?
9.2	Write a question for each situation. 1 You meet Paul as he is leaving the swimming pool. You ask: (you /swim?)___Have you been swimming?_________ 2 You have just arrived to meet a friend who is waiting for you. You ask: (you /wait I long?) _______________________________ 3 You meet a friend in the street. His face and hands are very dirty. You ask: (what /you I do?) 4 A friend of yours is now working in a shop. You want to know how long. You ask: (how long /you /work /there?) 5 A friend tells you about his job - he sells mobile phones. You want to know how long. You ask: (how long /you /sell /mobile phones?)
9.3	Read the situations and complete the sentences. 1 It's raining. The rain started two hours ago. It’s been raining for two hours. 2 We are waiting for the bus. We started waiting 20 minutes ago. We __________________ for 20 minutes. 3 I'm learning Spanish. I started classes in December. I __________________ since December. 4 Jessica is working in a supermarket. She started working there on 18 January. __________________ since 18 January. 5 Our friends always spend t heir holidays in Italy. They started going there years ago. __________________ for years.
9.4	Put the verb into the present continuous (I am -ing) or present perfect continuous (I have been -ing). 1 ____Maria has been learning___________ (Maria /learn) English for two years. 2 Hello, Tom. ___________________ (I /look) for you. Where have you been ? 3 Why ____________________ (you /look) at me like that? Stop it ! 4 Linda is a teacher. ________________ (she /teach) for t en years. 5 ____________________ (I /think) about what you said and I've decided to take your advice. 6 'Is Paul on holiday this week?' 'No, ______________________ (he /work) .' 7 Sarah is very tired. ___________________ (she /work) very hard recently.

ANSWER KEY