Present Perfect Continuous tense is used to express a task that started in past and still continues with a reference of time. Reference/start of time is important here.
Note – If start time of the action is not given it is Present Continuous Tense.
For Example:- ‘Ram is writing a letter.’
Here Letter writing started in past and still continues so it is Present Continuous Tense.
But when we say ‘Ram has been writing a letter since Morning.’
Now we have specified the start time of ‘writing letter’. So this is Present Perfect continuous.
Formation of Present Perfect Continuous tense:
Subject + HAS/HAVE + been + verb + ing + Start time of Action (generally with Since/For) +rest of the sentence.
He + has + been + writing + letter+ since Morning.
- Here we are adding ‘ing’ with ‘write’ verb.
- Has been is used as it is singular object.
- Start time is specified using ‘since morning’.
How to use ‘has been’ and ‘have been’ ?
⇒ ‘has been’ is used with Singular Subject (He, She, It, Any Name).
⇒ ‘have been’ is used with I and Plural Subjects (They, We).
Present Perfect Continuous tense is used in below scenarios:
1. Ongoing Action That started in past:
We use this tense to express a task that started in past and is still going on and not completed yet with the reference of start time of the action.
Start time of the action is generally referenced using ‘Since’ or ‘For’.
Example:
He has been playing cricket for two hours.
Explanation:
- He started playing in past and is still playing.
- This task is not complete yet.
- Along with that we know the start time of the action.
- It started two hours ago.
So it is Present Perfect Continuous tense.
Another Example :- I have been working for this company since 2010.
Here also , start time of action is specified as 2010.
2. With Certain keywords:
Apart from ‘Since’, ‘For’, this tense is used with ‘All day’, ‘all morning’ to indicate the duration of an activity. With ‘How Long’ to ask a question. With ‘Recently’ ‘lately’ without mention of time.
Example:
She has been waiting for you all day.
I have been feeling very tired recently.
How long have you been playing?
3. Finished actions without mentioning Start time of the action:
In some cases, we use this tense without giving the start time of the action for tasks that are completed. But for such cases, result of the action is known at the time of speaking.
Example:
He looks so dirty. He has been playing in the mud.
How to Choose between Since and For ?
we use ‘For’ and ‘Since’ to indicate the start time of the action:
We use for when start time of the action is a period. Below are the examples :-
- Three hours
- One month
- Five years
- Ever
We use since when start time of the action is not a period but a specific point of time. Below are the examples :-
- Morning
- Evening
- 10 O’clock
- 12 March
- 2014
Types of Present Perfect Continuous Tense:
1. Affirmative Present Perfect Continuous:
Rule to form Affirmative Present Perfect continuous Tense:
Subject + HAS/HAVE + been + verb + ing + Start time of Action (generally with Since/For) +rest of the sentence.
He + has + been + writing + letter+ since Morning.
Here we are adding ‘ing’ with ‘write’ verb.
‘Has been’ is used with Singular Subject (He, She, It, Any Name)
‘Have been’ is used with I and Plural Subjects (They, We)
2. Negative Present Perfect Continuous tense:
Rule to form Negative Present Perfect Continuous Tense:
Subject + HAS/HAVE + not + been + verb + ing + Start time of Action (generally with since/for) +rest of the sentence.
He + has + not + been + writing + letter+ since Morning.
Note: not is added after Has/Have and before been.
3. Interrogative Present Perfect Continuous tense:
Rule to form Interrogative Present Perfect Continuous Tense:
Has/Have + Subject + been + verb + ing + Start time of Action (generally with since/for) +rest of the sentence?
Has + he + been + writing + letter + since +morning?
4. Interrogative Negative Present Perfect Continuous tense:
Rule to form Interrogative Negative Present Perfect Continuous Tense:
Has/Have + Subject + not + been + verb + ing + Start time of Action (generally with since/for) +rest of the sentence?
Has + he + not + been + writing + letter + since +morning?
To ask question with a Negative form, not is added after Subject and before Been.
Examples of Present Perfect Continuous Tense:
| Affirmative Present Perfect Continuous Tense
He has been playing cricket for two hours. Seeta has been waiting for you all day. They have been living in this apartment since 1987.
|
Negative Present Perfect Continuous TenseHe has not been playing cricket for two hours.
Seeta has not been waiting for you all day. They have not been living in this apartment since 1987. |
| Interrogative Present Perfect Continuous TenseHas he been playing cricket for two hours?
Has Seeta been waiting for you all day? Have they been living in this apartment since 1987? |
Interrogative Negative Present Perfect Continuous TenseHas he not been playing cricket for two hours?
Has Seeta not been waiting for you all day? Have they not been living in this apartment since 1987? |
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