Present Perfect

Simple vs

Present Perfect

Continuous

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Form:

Present Perfect Simple

(+) have/has + V3 (-ed)(-) haven’t/hasn’t + V3 (-ed)(?) Have/Has + V3 (-ed)

Present Perfect Continuous

(+) have/has been + V-ing(-) haven’t/hasn’t been + V-ing(?) Have/Has + been V-ing

I have written the letter.I haven’t written the letter.Have you written the letter?

I have been writing the letter.I haven’t been writing the letter.Have you been writing the letter?

PPC Uses

1) To talk about an action in progress that started in the past, but is still happening.

We’ve been waiting for the bus for twenty minutes.

(We are still waiting)

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It has been raining for two hours. (It began raining two hours ago.)

(It is STILL raining now.)

2) Repeated actions started in the past up to now (not an action in progress...)

Jane has been playing the piano since she was five.

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3) An action which ends just before the present

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I’ve been

swimming

Key words

FOR & SINCE (with action verbs)

HOW LONG (in questions)

LATELY, RECENTLY (in the last few days or weeks)

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Present perfect simple Present perfect continuous

• Emphasis on RESULT

•State verbs

•How many/ how much

•Emphasis on ACTIVITY

•Action verbs

•How long

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Present perfect simple Present perfect continuous

• Emphasis on RESULT• He’s repaired the car

•Emphasis on ACTIVITY• He’s been repairing the car

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Present perfect simple Present perfect continuous

• Emphasis on RESULT

•I’ve run 5 kilometers

•Emphasis on ACTIVITY

•I’ve been running all morning

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Present perfect simple Present perfect continuous

• Emphasis on RESULT

•How many?• I’ve read 20 books on economy

•Emphasis on DURATION

•How long?•I’ve been reading all the month.

HOW MANY, MUCH /HOW LONG

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Present perfect simple

•How much/many

I’ve ironed 29 shirts

Present perfect continuous

•How long

I’ve been ironing since 10

o’clock

LIVE & WORK

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Live & work can be

continuous or simple,

with no difference in

meaning

We’ve been living in

Spain since 2001.

We’ve lived in Spain

since 2001.

I’ve worked for this

company for 6 years.

I’ve been working for

this company for 6 years.

a) I came here at 3.00 and now it’s 5.00.

I______________________________________ two hours.

b) This is our seventh wedding anniversary.

We __________________________________ seven

years.

c) Mark is asleep.

Mark _____________________________________ to

bed.

d) I began to work here in 1999.

I ______________________________________ since

1999.

e) Anna isn’t here yet.

Anna _______________________________________

Rewrite the sentence so that it means the same as the

first sentence. Use present prefect or continuous.

f) We don’t know each other.

We ____________________________ before.

g) There isn’t any food left.

Someone ______________________all the

food.

h) We started waiting in this queue half an hour

ago.

We ________________________for half an

hour.

i) It’s a long time since I was last here.

I _____________________________ a long

time.

Practice

http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/present-perfect-present-perfect-continuous-1.html

http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/present-perfect-present-perfect-continuous-2.html

http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/present-perfect-present-perfect-continuous-3.html

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Watch the video

http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/gra

mmar-vocabulary/grammar-videos/present-

perfect-simple-and-continuous

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