Ever wonder how we talk about things that started in the past and are still happening now? That’s where the Present Perfect Continuous (or Present Perfect Progressive) comes in. Let’s break it down in simple terms.
Forming Present Perfect Continuous Affirmative Sentences:
When you want to say you’ve been doing something from the past until now, you mix “have” with “been” and the -ing form of the action word.
Has/have + been + verb-ing
Examples:
I have been playing games for hours.
She has been reading that book since this morning.
In the first sentence, you’re saying you started playing games some time ago, and you’re still doing it, while in the second sentences, the person reading started in the morning and she’s still reading until now.
Forming Present Perfect Continuous Negative Sentences:
Now, if you want to say you haven’t been doing something, just throw “not” in there after “have.”
has/have + not + been + verb-ing
Example:
She has not been watching TV all day.
They haven’t been doing anything since they woke up.
Forming Present Perfect Continuous Questions:
To ask someone if they’ve been doing something, flip the order of the words. Easy, right?
Example:
Sentence: She has been reading this book.
Question: Has she been reading this book?
Here, you’re curious if they started reading the book in the past and are still reading it.
Related: Present Perfect Tense Made Easy
Let’s Keep It Simple with more Examples:
1. Affirmative Sentences: We have been cooking dinner since 5 o’clock.
2. Negative Sentence: They haven’t been studying for the test because it’s a holiday.
3. Questions: Have you been playing video games all day?
The Present Perfect Continuous helps us tell stories about what’s been going on. So, next time you want to share how long you’ve been doing something, or check in on what your friends have been up to, give the Present Perfect Continuous a try!
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