Present Perfect Continuous Tense: Structure, Usage, and Practice Exercises

The Present Perfect Continuous Tense is familiar to learners preparing for English exams, especially IELTS. However, not all learners fully grasp its nuances needed for top scores. In this article, IDP explores the structure and usage of this tense and offers practical exercises. When you feel confident, register for IELTS with IDP now!

The Present Perfect Continuous Tense expresses actions or events that started in the past, are still ongoing in the present, and will likely continue into the near future. This tense emphasizes the duration of an activity that has occurred but may not have a clear result yet.

Examples:

• You have been working as a doctor for two years.

• I have been looking for them a million times.

• They have been traveling since last October.

Like other tenses, the Present Perfect Continuous has three forms: affirmative, negative, and interrogative.

Look for these key time clues in sentences:

• For the whole + noun (e.g., for the whole morning)

• For + duration (for two days, etc.)

• Since + time point (since 2020, since Monday)

• All + time period (all the afternoon, all the week)

Exercise 1: Build sentences using the Present Perfect Continuous Tense

1. They / not / study / for the exam / so they / not / be / prepared.

2. He / not / sleep / well / recently / because / he / have / stress.

3. We / wait / for the bus / for over an hour / and it / still / not / arrive.

4. She / not / feel / well / this week / because / she / have / a cold.

5. I / not / see / John / for ages / because / he / be / away / on a business trip.

6. The children / play / in the park / for hours / so / they / be / tired.

7. Mary / be / learning / English / for a few months / and / she / make / great progress.

8. We / not / have / a holiday / for a long time / because / we / be / very busy with work.

9. The students / be / working / on the project / for weeks / and / they / finally / finish / it.

10. My sister / not / speak / to me / for days / because / we / have / an argument.

Answers:

1. They have not been studying for the exam, so they are not prepared.

2. He has not been sleeping well recently because he has stress.

3. We have been waiting for the bus for over an hour and it still has not arrived.

4. She has not been feeling well this week because she has a cold.

5. I have not seen John for ages because he has been away on a business trip.

6. The children have been playing in the park for hours, so they are tired.

7. Mary has been learning English for a few months and she has made great progress.

8. We have not had a holiday for a long time because we have been very busy with work.

9. The students have been working on the project for weeks and they have finally finished it.

10. My sister has not spoken to me for days because we had an argument.

Exercise 2: Use the information and “ever since” in Present Perfect Continuous sentences

1. Bonnie got a very bad flu. After that, she began to take vitamins. → Bonnie has been taking vitamins ever since she got a very bad flu.

2. Dave’s car broke down. Then he began to walk to work. → Dave has been walking to work ever since his car broke down.

3. Ellen’s doctor told her to lose weight. Then she began to diet. → Ellen has been dieting ever since her doctor told her to lose weight.

4. Mary’s parents received the bad news. Then they started to cry. → Mary’s parents have been crying ever since they received the bad news.

5. Diane’s husband died of cancer. Then she started to volunteer at the hospital. → Diane has been volunteering at the hospital ever since her husband died of cancer.

6. Ross got a new dog. Then he started to take long walks every day. → Ross has been taking long walks ever since he got a new dog.

Exercise 3: Choose the correct verb to complete the sentence

Verbs to choose from: talk, look, lift, work, wait, feel, rain, deliver, shop, cry, plan, read, drive, study, sit, watch

1. Maria ________ at the coffee shop for her boyfriend for the past half hour, but he still hasn’t arrived.

2. The students ________ Spanish since the semester began.

3. I ________ on this report for the past two days.

4. You should take your umbrella when you go out. It ________ all day.

5. The children ________ television all evening.

6. John’s back hurts. He ________ heavy boxes all morning.

7. The students ________ in the classroom for 20 minutes, but the teacher hasn’t come yet.

8. The girls ________ on the telephone for over an hour.

9. Frank ________ the same car for almost twenty years.

10. Mr and Mrs Barnes are very excited about going to China next summer. They ________ this trip for over a year.

Answers:

1. has been waiting

2. have been studying

3. have been working

4. has been raining

5. have been watching

6. has been lifting

7. have been sitting

8. have been talking

9. has been driving

10. have been planning

Master the Present Perfect Continuous Tense with IDP

Grammar plays a vital role in IELTS preparation. Mastering the Present Perfect Continuous Tense will boost your confidence and help you achieve higher scores across all sections. If you'd like more grammar support, IDP offers IELTS seminars, personalized courses, and expert-led videos tailored to your skill level.

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