What is the Present Perfect Continuous Tense?
The present perfect continuous tense is used to talk about an action that started in the past and is still happening now or an action that just finished. It is formed using the helping verbs “have” and “been,” along with the main verb ending in “-ing.”
Structure: Subject + have/has + been + verb(-ing) + object
Examples:
- She has been studying for her exams all day.
- They have been playing football since morning.
- I have been working on this project for three hours.
Subject Verb Explanation:
Use “have been” with plural subjects (e.g., “I have been,” “you have been,” “they have been”).
Use “has been” with singular subjects (e.g., “he has been,” “she has been,” “it has been”).
How to Make Sentences in the Present Perfect Continuous Tense?
The Present Perfect Continuous Tense also has simple rules for forming positive, negative, and question sentences. Let’s look at each type with easy explanations and examples:
Affirmative or Positive Sentences
Affirmative sentences in the present perfect continuous tense describe actions that started in the past and are still happening or just finished. The structure of affirmative sentences is:
Structure: Subject + has/have + been + verb(-ing) + object
Examples:
- She has been reading a book for hours.
- They have been working on the project since morning.
- He has been practicing the guitar for two weeks.
Negative Sentences
Negative sentences in the Present Perfect Continuous Tense show that an action has not been happening up to the present moment or over a period of time.
Structure: Subject + has/have + not + been + verb(-ing) + object
Examples:
- She has not been studying for her exams this week.
- They have not been playing football since the rain started.
- He has not been working on the project lately
Interrogative Sentences
To ask questions in the Present Perfect Continuous Tense, we place "has" or "have" before the subject. If question words like where, what, or when are used, they come at the beginning of the sentence, followed by "has" or "have."
Structure: Question Word + has/have + Subject + been + verb(-ing) + Object?
Examples:
- What have they been doing all day?
- Has she been working on the project since morning?
- Where have you been going lately?
