Grammar Reference. Unit 10

10.0 Continuous forms

Remember, the following ideas are expressed by all continuous forms:

1. Activity in progress.

Be quiet! I'm thinking.
I was having a shower when the phone rang.
I've been working since 9 o'clock this morning.

2. Temporary activity.

We're staying with friends until we find a place of our own.
We've been living with them for six weeks.

3. Possibly incomplete activity.

I'm writing a report. I have to finish it by tomorrow.
Who's been eating my sandwich?

10.1 Present Perfect Continuous

Positive and negative forms

I've been working.
We haven't been working.
You've been working.
She's been working.
He hasn't been working.

Question

How long have you been working?
How long has she been working?

We use the Present Perfect Continuous to express:

1. An activity that began in the past and is continuing now.

I've been studying English for three years.
How long have you been working here?

Sometimes there is no difference between the simple and the continuous.

I've played the piano since I was a boy.
I've been playing the piano since I was a boy.

If the continuous is possible, English has a preference for using it.

The continuous can sometimes express a temporary activity, and the simple a permanent state.

I've been living in this house for the past few months. (temporary)
I've lived here all my life. (permanent)

Remember that state verbs rarely take the continuous form.

I've had this book for ages.
I've always loved sunny days.

2. A past activity that has caused a present result.

I've been working all day. (I'm tired now.)
Have you been crying? (Your eyes are red.)
Roger's been cutting the grass. (I can smell it.)

The past activity might be finished or it might not. The context usually makes this clear.

Look out of the window! It's been snowing! (It has stopped snowing now.)
I've been writing this book for two years. (It still isn't finished.)
I'm covered in paint because I've been decorating the bathroom. (It might be finished or it might be not. We don't know.)

10.2 Present Perfect Simple or Continuous?

1. The simple expresses a completed action.

I've painted the kitchen, and now I'm doing the bathroom.

The continuous expresses an activity over a period and things that happened during the activity.

I've got paint in my hair because I've been decorating.

Because the Simple expresses a completed action, we use it if the sentence gives a number or quantity. Here, the Continuous isn't possible.

I've been reading all day. I've read ten chapters.
She's been eating ever since the arrival. She's eaten ten biscuits already.

2. Some verbs don't have the idea of a long time, for example, find, start, buy, die, lose, break, stop. These verbs are more usually found in the simple.

Some verbs have the idea of a long time, for example, wait, work, play, try, learn, rain. These verbs are often found in the continuous.

I've cut my finger. (One short action.)
I've been cutting firewood. (Perhaps over several hours.)