2.4: Present Perfect vs Present Perfect Progressive
- Page ID
- 273139
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Form of the Present Perfect Progressive (Continuous)
Present Perfect Progressive: Positive and Negative
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I We You They |
've haven't |
been driving. |
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He/ She/ It |
has hasn't |
been working. |
Present Perfect Progressve: Questions
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How long |
have |
I We You They |
been driving? |
|
has |
He/ She/ It |
been working? |
Present Perfect vs. Present Perfect Progressive
Continuing vs. Recurring Activity
| DURATION |
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A verb in the present perfect expresses that an activity, event, or state has duration. The activity went on for some time in the past and continued or continues up to the very recent past or present. |
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Engineers have worked to save the Tower of Pisa. (unspecified past) |
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Engineers have studied the foundation since 1817. (unspecified past) |
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Engineers have applied steel braces. (unspecified past) |
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Engineers have stabilized the foundation. (unspecified past) |
| REPETITION |
|---|
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A verb in the present perfect progressive expresses that an activity, event, or state has duration or repetition; it started in the past and went on either continuously (without stopping) or repetitively (again and again) up to the present. In some cases, we can choose between the present perfect and the present perfect progressive. The present perfect progressive can be used in place of the present perfect to focus on duration. |
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Engineers have been working to save the Tower of Pisa for centuries. |
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Engineers have been studying the foundation since 1817. |
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Engineers have been applying steel braces for several months. |
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Engineers have been stabilizing the foundation since 1838. |
Key Words and Phrases for the Present Perfect Progressive Tense
Some key words and phrases that are often used with the present perfect progressive tense include:
- Recently or lately: Used to describe temporary situations or habits
- All day or all night: Used to describe a single period of time in the past
- Every day or every morning: Used to describe a repeated action in the past
- How long: Used to begin questions
- For: Used with a period of time
"Leaning Tower of Pisa–Exterior." By Jordiferrer. Wikimedia, 7 Aug. 2016. Licensed under CC BY-SA4.0 International.
Use of the Present Perfect Progressive
We use the present perfect continuous to express:
1) an action or activity that began in the past and is still in progress.
- Jimmy is very quiet. He's been watching videos all morning (it is still morning, he's still watching videos).
- I've been playing the guitar for five years. (and I am still studying guitar).
- We've been waiting for Mark for two hours (we are still waiting now).
- She's been listening to Radiohead for nearly an hour. She feels sad.
2) A past activity or action with a duration that has caused present effects. The activity might be finished or might not. The sentence usually gives you the meaning.
- Where have you been? I've been waiting for you for the last half hour.
- They have been studying all day so they are tired.
- A - Why are you out of breath?
B - I've just been playing football. - A - You look great! Have you been on vacation?
B - No, but I've been watching my diet.
Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the Present Perfect Progressive (Continuous) tense.
1. My friend __________________________ (hold) his baby for 20 minutes.
2. My sister ________________________ (live) in Rhode Island for many years.
3. My sons ________________________ (play) video games all day long.
4. My neighbor, who is an astronomer, _________________________ (look) at stars all night long.
5. I __________________________ (drive) around Chinatown looking for a parking space for 10 minutes.
6. Microsoft _________________________ (sell) computer software since the early 1980s.
7. The students _______________________ (use) books in the library for their research project all semester.
8. People _____________________________ (record) their thoughts on paper for many centuries.
9. Scientists ______________________________ (think about) going to Mars for a number of years.
10. You _____________________________ (use) my handouts in this class this semester.
Exercise 2: Present Perfect Progressive-Negative Forms
Fill in the blanks with the negative form of the Present Perfect Progressive. Use the verb in brackets (listed first). Spelling and punctuation count! USE A
CONTRACTION whenever possible.
1. Leah _______________________ [come] to work lately.
2. The students _______________________ [achieve] high scores on their tests lately.
3. My mom and dad _______________________ [make] as much homemade food this month. They’ve
been enjoying dining at restaurants.
4. The dog _______________________ [play] as much as he usually does. I wonder if she’s sick.
5. We _______________________ [shop] yet this month. We’ve been saving our money.
Exercise 3: Writing Questions: Past Activity with Present Effects
Use the following to write a question in the Present Perfect Progressive (Continuous) tense for each situation.
Example:
Mark looks sunburnt. (you / sit in the sun)
"Have you been sitting in the sun?".
1. Sharon looks tired. (you / exercise)
2. Barney looks sick. (you / take some medicine)
3. Jack is asleep. (he / working hard all day)
4. Iris is typing. (she / write a letter)
5. Some monkeys are climbing a tree. (they / look for bananas)
6. The girls are talking. (they / chat for a long time)
7. Ted looks sad. (he / cry)
8. Laura is covered in flour. (she / bake)
Exercise 3: Combine the following sentences or ideas by using the Present Perfect Progressive Tense.
1. The men are building a fence now. They started building the fence early this morning.
The men have been building a fence since early this morning.
2. My wife is preparing for a party at our house tomorrow. She started preparing for the party yesterday.
3. My sons and I are trying to decide on which restaurant to go to for Mother’s Day. We started talking about this last week.
4. I started writing this exercise about ten minutes ago.
5. The sun is shining today. In fact, the sun was shining on Friday and Saturday, and Sunday, too.
6. I am listening to some music as I write this exercise. It started playing about two minutes ago.
7. I put on a short-sleeved shirt this morning. I am still wearing it right now. I won’t take it off until I get home this afternoon.
8. My friend and his wife always argue. Last week they were arguing about where to go during summer vacation. They are still arguing about it today.
9. A baby is crying in another room. She started crying about ten minutes ago.
10. I started teaching at this college in 1989. I am still teaching here now.
Exercise 4: Present Perfect or Present Perfect Progressive
Fill in the blanks with he correct form of present perfect or present perfect progressive tense.
- I (listen) ____________________ to that new podcast several times this week.
- She (think) ____________________ about starting a new job for a while now.
- They (had) ____________________ this house since they moved here last year.
- We (want) ____________________ to visit Japan for a long time.
- He (work) ____________________ at the company for five years.
- She (live) ____________________ in Paris since January.
- I (run) ____________________ five miles, and I am exhausted.
- They (write) ____________________ five emails to the customer service department so far.
- I (study) ____________________ for my chemistry test all afternoon.
- He (sleep) ____________________ for several hours.
- She (call) ____________________ her friend several times, but she hasn’t answered yet.
- We (hike) ____________________ in Big Bend National Park all day.
- They (travel) ____________________ around Europe this summer.
- He (feel) ____________________ much better since he started exercising regularly.
- I (eat) ____________________ at this restaurant several times this year.
- They (work) ____________________ on the project all week, but they aren’t finished yet.
- She (drive) ____________________ over 300 miles since the beginning of her trip.
- Farah and Ali (look) ____________________ for a new apartment near downtown for weeks.
- I (wait) ____________________ for my sister to arrive for two hours.
- They (believe) ____________________ in this method for a long time.
Exercises 1 and 2 from We Love Teaching English licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 International. license
Exercise 3 from Libretext licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 International.
Exercise 4 Original Work written with the assistance of ChatGPT