The formation of the Present Perfect Continuous.1. The Present Perfect Continuous is formed by means of the Present Perfect of the auxiliary verb to have and Participle I of the notional verb. 2. In the interrogative form the first part of the auxiliary verb is placed before the subject. In the negative form the negative particle not is placed after the first part of the auxiliary verb. 3. The contracted affirmative forms are: I've been reading. She's been reading. We've been reading. The contracted negative forms are: She hasn't been reading. We haven't been reading. 4. The negative-interrogative forms are: Have I not been reading? Has she not been reading? Hasn't she been reading? The Use of the Present Perfect Continuous: a) to put emphasis on the duration of an action which started in the past and continues up to the present, especially with time expressions such as “for, since, all morning/day/ year,” etc. e.g. Sam has been talking on the phone for half an hour. (He began talking on the phone half an hour ago and he is still talking) b) for an action which started in the past and lasted for some time. The action may have finished or may still be going on. The result of the action is visible in the present. e.g. Her feet hurt. She has been walking all morning. (The result of the action is visible in the present - her feet hurt) c) to express anger, irritation or annoyance. e.g. Somebody has been giving away our plans. (The speaker is irritated) Note: With the verbs “live, work, teach and feel” (= have a particular emotion) we can use the present perfect or present perfect continuous with no difference in meaning. e.g. We have lived/have been living here for twenty years. The present perfect continuous is used with the following time expressions: for, since, how long, lately, recently. Ex. 1 Read the text and retell it. Find the cases of the Present Perfect Progressive and comment on them. In the evening Mrs. Dursley told her husband that s had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!"). When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news: "And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunshine. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?" "Well, Ted," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people were celebrating Bonfire Night early — it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight." Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? (from "Harry Potter" by J.K. Rowling) Ex. 2 Read the situation and then write a sentence with the Present Perfect Continuous denoting an action which began in the past and has recently stopped. Example:Ann is very tired. (work/hard) – She has been working hard. 1. Tom has just come back from the beach. He’s very red. (lie/in the sun) 2. Janet is hot and tired. (play/tennis) 3. Mary’s got paint on her hands. (decorate) 4. Bob has a black eye and Bill has a cut lip. (fight) 5. You see a little girl. Her eyes are red and watery. (cry) 6. Your son’s shoes are dirty. (walk/in the forest) 7. Tony’s got oil on his hands. (repair/his car) 8. Nick’s lost his voice. (shout/at the football match) 9. Your mother’s got flour on her hands. (cook) 10. She’s got a sore throat. (eat/ice-cream/too much) 11. Your colleague looks very enthusiastic. (discuss/the question if his wages increase/with the boss) 12. The boss looks exhausted. (have a talk/with the customer/be always displeased/with the service). Ex. 3 Complete the sentences with the given verbs, using only the Present Perfect Progressive: cry, learn, live, play (twice), rain, wait(twice), walk, work 1) It __ all day. 2) I __ English since I was six. 3) She __ tennis professionally for ten years. 4) We __ not __ in this house for very long. 5) That man __ up and down the street for ages. 6) I __ very hard this week. 7) She __ non-stop since she got his letter. 8) He __ that music for hours. I wish he’d stop. 9) __ you __ long, sir? 10) They call me waiter, but you __ for half an hour. Ex. 4 Combine the two sentences into one by introducing the Present Perfect Continuous. Example:It started raining last Sunday. It is still raining. – It has been raining since last Sunday. 1. Kevin is studying. He began studying two hours ago. 2. My family and I moved to Canada in 1978. We are still living in Canada. 3. Our tourist group began to travel in the Crimea a week ago. We’re still traveling in the mountains. 4. In 1990 Dories went to Helsinki to teach children English. She is still teaching them. 5. the guest from room 1207 started bathing at 7 o’clock. It’s 8 o’clock, and he’s still bathing. 6. Mary’s dream is to make a tour round the United States. Two years have passed but her dream hasn’t come true yet. So Mary is still looking forward to it. 7. The college lecturers were sent to study at Pace University eight months ago. They are still studying there. 8. Ann is looking for a job. She began looking six months ago. 9. George is working in Cardiff. He started working there on 22 March. 10. Harry began working out a business plan on Monday this week. He is still working at it. 11. They’re discussing the terms of the treaty. They began discussing them at noon. 12. According to the contract the plant started delivering cement to our construction site three years ago. It is still delivering it. Ex. 5 Put together the beginnings and ends of the conversations: - Aren’t you hungry? - Helen’s been looking at them. - Is it true that Philip’s been arrested? - I’ve been gardening all afternoon. - She’s very dirty. - I’ve been talking to Henry, and he just goes on. - Why are my books all over the floor? - No, I’ve eating all day. - Why is your hair wet? - She’s been cleaning the cellar. - You all look very miserable. - She’s been skiing with Roger for the last week - You look tired. - Yes, he’s been stealing things from shops. - You’re very late. - Yes, I’ve been painting the ceiling. - Your hair is all white. - Yes, we’ve been telling each other our life stories. Ex. 6 Use the Present Perfect Progressive to say what has just been happening to cause the state of things expressed in the following sentences: 1) His clothes are wet. to walk in the rain. 2) You look upset. to say dreadful things about. 3) I’m so glad to be able to talk to someone. to have a very dull time. 4) Why do you think I ought to give up my work? to talk to the doctor. 5) You look excited. to try to talk someone out of doing something. 6) He is very tired. to overwork. 7) The streets are wet. to rain. 8) I can’t write a loving letter now. to write too many officials papers. 9) The air in the room is hazy. to smoke a great deal. Ex. 7 Complete the sentences by using the right tense of the given hints.
Ex. 8 Rewrite each sentence using the Present Perfect Continuous form of an appropriate verb from the list below and for or since. go on invest Example:Henry moved to California three years ago. – Henry has been living in California for three years. 1. The project to send astronauts to Mars began in 1991. - ……………………………… 2. Campbell began a life sentence for murder in 1992. - ………………………………… 3. Colin James took over as head of the company six months ago. - …………………… 4. Graham’s knee injury began at the US Open earlier this year. - ……………………… 5. Local authorities began to invest heavily in new computer systems at the beginning of the 1990s. - ………………………………………………………………………………. Ex. 9 Translate these sentences into English. Mind the use of the Present Perfect Continuous. 1. Де ти був? Батько шукає тебе з самого ранку. 2. Я давно хочу поговорити з твоїм братом, а у нього все немає часу вислухати мене. 3. „Скільки часу ви живете в цьому місті?” – „Мої батьки переїхали сюди, коли мені виповнилось 10 років. З тих пір ми тут і живемо.” 4. Кейт виглядає дуже стомленою. І це не дивно, адже останнім часом вона багато працювала, щоб гарно підготувати дипломний проект. 5. „Чому нікого з персоналу готелю немає на місці? Мені потрібно попрасувати брюки.” – „Персонал готелю зараз обговорює питання покращення сервісу.” – „Цікаво, скільки часу вони обговорюють це питання? Я уже півгодини чекаю, щоб мені хтось допоміг.” 6. „Що у тебе тут відбувається? Тебе не видно за паперами, довідниками і калькуляторами.” – „Я шукав помилку в фінансовому звіті однієї фірми і знайшов її. Зараз відпочиваю.” – „І довго ти шукав?” – „Віриш чи ні, але мені знадобилося 2 години, щоб знайти її.” 7. –„Що це наш босс не в настрої?” – „А він біля години розмовляв з одним покупцем. Та ти її знаєш, це місіс Браун, яка завжди усім незадоволена. Вона щойно пішла.” 8. Ми слухали тебе дуже уважно останні дві години, і тепер ми впевнені, що ти говориш правду. 9. Ти зустрічаєшся з ким-небудь останнім часом? 10. Ти можеш все мені розповісти. Ти довіряла мені всі свої таємниці з того часу, як навчилася говорити. 11. ми живемо поруч з Романовими двадцять чотири роки. І ми завжди були добрими сусідами. 12. Не можу передати, що відчували твої батьки весь той час, коли тебе не було. 14. – Давно ми не зустрічаємо (to see) цю дівчину. – Так, ми не бачили (to meet) її з того часу, як повернулися з Парижу. 15. Мій син збирає машинки (toy cars) з трьох років. 16. Я готую з ранку, сподіваюсь, що обід усім сподобається. 17. Все своє життя я працюю, як раб, щоб мої діти отримали гарну освіту. 18. – Як давно ти носиш ці окуляри? – Вони у мене уже два роки. 19. Що тут відбувається, хлопці? Ви що, билися? 20. Є дещо, про що я уже давно хочу (to mean) запитати тебе. 21. Останні декілька тижнів вона ілюструє дитячу книжку. 22. – Як давно ви стоїте в черзі? – Ми тут з того часу, як каса відкрилась Ex. 10 Underline the correct alternative: 1) Bullfighting is going on/has been going on in Spain for centuries. 2) I always find/have always been finding it difficult to get up on winter mornings. 3) I have been wanting/want to meet you since I saw your concert. 4) Over the last six months I have been learning/am learning how to play the flute. 5) The phone has been ringing/is ringing. Can you answer it? 6) How long have you learned/have you been learning Japanese? 7) During the last few days the company has been working/works hard to modernize its image. Ex. 11 Replace the infinitives in brackets using the Present Perfect or the Present Perfect Continuous. Translate the sentences into Ukrainian. 1. Ralph is getting frustrated because the meal he ordered hasn’t been served yet. He (to wait) for his meal. 2. The estate agent is taking down ‘For Sale’ sign in front of the house. He (to sell) the house. 3. Jerry is travelling to Moscow on Tuesday. He (to book) a plane ticket. 4. Samantha is reading a letter from Maureen. She (just/to receive) it from her. 5. John started fixing the washing machine this morning. He (to repair) it since 9 am. 6. Rachel is getting out of bed. She (just/to wake up). 7. Lisa started working for us in 1992. She (to work) for us since 1992. 8. Elaine is still waiting for the bus. It (not to come) yet. 9. Since they were very young, the children (to enjoy) travelling by plane. 10. It (to snow) heavily since this morning. 11. I’m pleased to say that the team (to play) well all season. 12. I never (to understand) why we have to pay so much tax. 13. I (not to read) any of Dickens’ novels. 14. In recent years, Brazilian companies (to put) a lot of money into developing advanced technology. 15. That man (to stand) over there for hours. 16. The castle (to stand) on that hill for 900 years. 17. Ann (to garden) all afternoon. She (to plant) a lot of rose bushes. 18. James (to go) out every night this week. 19. He (to see) a lot of Alexander recently. 20. How long you (to wait)? 21. I (to wait) long enough. I’m going. 22. Her family (to farm) this land since the tenth century. 23. She only (to farm) for two years, but she is doing very well. 24. I (to learn) German for six years. 25. I (to learn) most of the irregular verbs. 26. My mother (to do) all her Christmas shopping. 27. I (to do) Christmas shopping all day. 28. I (to clean) the car. Doesn’t it look nice? 29. You look tired. I (to wash) clothes all day. Ex. 12 Complete the sentences with these verbs, using the same one for each sentence in the pair. Use the Present Perfect in one sentence and the Present Perfect Continuous in the other.
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