The English Present Perfect Continuous: a free printable worksheet on the English Present Perfect Continuous with grammar rules and exercises
The English Present Perfect Continuous
Table of Contents
- Grammar Rules
- Exercises
Level:
This lesson can be used on all ages of elementary to intermediate students.
The present perfect continuous (also called present perfect progressive)Â is a verb tense which is used to show that an action started in the past and has continued up to the present moment.
The present perfect continuous usually emphasizes duration, or the amount of time that an action has been taking place. Read on for detailed descriptions, examples, and present perfect continuous exercises.
Present Perfect Continuous Forms
The present perfect continuous is formed using has/have + been + present participle. Questions are indicated by inverting the subject and has/have. Negatives are made with not.
- Statement: You have been waiting here for two hours.
- Question: Have you been waiting here for two hours?
- Negative: You have not been waiting here for two hours.
Uses
USE 1 Duration from the Past Until Now
We use the present perfect continuous to show that something started in the past and has continued up until now. “For five minutes,” “for two weeks,” and “since Tuesday” are all durations which can be used with the present perfect continuous.
USE 2 Recently, Lately
You can also use the present perfect continuous WITHOUT a duration such as “for two weeks.” Without the duration, the tense has a more general meaning of “lately.” We often use the words “lately” or “recently” to emphasize this meaning.
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