PRESENT
PERFECT CONTINUOUS
1)
The
Present Perfect Continuous Inclusive
It
is used to denote an action which began in the past, has been going on up to
the present and is still going on. The emphasis is put on the continuation of a
long activity at the present moment. The period of duration is indicated by an
adverbial with for, whereas an
adverbial with since shows the
starting point of the action (if the conjunction since introduces a clause, the verb in this clause is in the Past
Indefinite), these two days, etc.
e.g. I have been
looking for your white dress for the
last ten minutes. This youth organization has been doing a lot of charity work since the mid-nineties. She has
been telling lies all her life.
With verbs not admitting of the continuous form the Present Perfect Inclusive
is the only tense possible.
2) The Present Perfect Continuous Exclusive
It
is used to denote an action which was recently in progress but is no longer
going on at the present moment. The fact of the result of a long activity
itself is more essential than the period of its duration, which may not be even
mentioned.
= Actions stopping just before the present moment.
e.g. Look! It has
been snowing. Sorry, I‘m late. Have you
been waiting for me?
The Present Perfect Continuous Exclusive is used to express repeated
actions in the past.
e.g. I have been
buying pictures. I have been getting
letters from him.
The Present Perfect Continuous
Inclusive and the Present Continuous
The
Present Continuous is used to denote an action going on at the present moment,
no previous duration is expressed. The Present Perfect Continuous Inclusive is
used when the previous duration of the action is expressed.
e.g. I‘m reading
―Dombey and Son‖.
I have been reading ―Dombey and Son‖ for three days.
The Present Perfect Continuous
Inclusive and the Present Perfect
Both these tense forms show the connection between the past and the
present through the result of the activity. However the Present Perfect
Continuous focuses on the action itself, presenting it
as a continuous
extended activity. The Present Perfect, on the other hand, emphasizes the idea
of completion of an action and importance of its result for the present.
e.g. Her feet are sore.
She has been walking all morning. I have planted a lot of new rose bushes.
The Present Perfect
is always chosen for stative verbs which are not used in the continuous aspect.
e.g. I have known Mr. Mason for some time. (―I have been knowing Mr. Mason for some time”
is unacceptable
in English.)
Ex. 1
Explain
the use of the Present Perfect Continuous in the following sentences.
1.
You look distinctly pale. I
fear you‘ve been overworking yourself lately.
2.
Your wife‘s been telling me
that you‘ve not been sleeping very well lately. I‘m sorry to hear
that.
3.
Rosemary, I‘ve been
thinking. What we need is something different.
4.
―I was the only boy in our
school
that had asthma,‖ said fat boy with a touch
of pride.
―And I have been wearing specs since I was three.‖
5.
Oh, I‘m not really hot. It‘s
just that I‘ve been running.
6.
Oh, dear, has the baby been
howling ever since we left?
Ex. 2
Put
the verbs in brackets into Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continuous.
Dear Linda,
I‘m
glad to hear that you are enjoying yourself in Australia. Things at home are
the same as usual. Your father 1) has
been working (work) very hard. Susan 2) (just/pass) her driving test. Alex
3) (not/ write) for weeks, probably because he 4) (study) very hard for his
exams. Uncle Tom 5) (build) a shed in the garden. I think it will be ready next
month. Mr. Brown 6) (not/feel) well recently. He 7) (visit) the doctor four
times this month. The dog 8) ( have) three puppies.
Mrs.
Smith 9) (not/open) her new shop yet. The decorators 10) (paint) it for weeks.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay in Australia. 11) (you/see) the famous
Opera House yet? Tina sends her love. Write to me soon.
Love, Mum.
Ex. 3
Fill
in with Pr. Simple, Pr. Cont., Pr. Perf. or Pr. Perf. Cont.
Arthur: I 1) (search) for a house for a week now but so far I 2) (not
find) anything suitable.
Sandra: Why 3)
(you want) to move?
Arthur: Well, the people living next to me 4) (be) the main problem.
They 5) (always argue), especially at night.
Sandra: Oh dear!
6) (you/ever/complain) to them?
Arthur: Yes, but they 7) (not stop).They 8) (keep on) making noise. I
9) (not be able) To sleep well lately, and I 10) (feel) sleepy all week.
Sandra: How
awful!
Fill in with Pr.
Simple, Pr. Cont., Pr. Perf. or Pr. Perf. Cont.
Tom: 1) (you see) the state of our kitchen? Someone 2) (wash) clothes
in the sink and they‘re still there!
Fred: Yes, I
know. I usually 3) (use) the bath, but it 4) (be) too dirty at the moment.
Tom: Why didn‘t you clean it? You 5) (live) here for two months now,
and I 6) never see) do any housework.
Fred: What do you mean? I 7) (wash) the dishes at least
three times and I always 8) (make) my bed.
Tom:
Rubbish! You 9) (always make) a mess and not cleaning up afterwards. Fred: What
about you? You 10) (always drink) my milk!
Tom:
Don‘t be ridiculous! Where 11) (you go)? Fred: Out! I 12) (see) my girlfriend
this evening. Tom: What about the kitchen?
Fred: Bye!
Ex. 4
Rephrase
the following sentences.
1.
I have never tasted muesli
before. It‘s the first time I‟ve ever
tasted muesli.
2.
I‘ve never seen such a
boring film. It‘s …
3.
He has never been to New
York before. It‘s …
4.
She has never had such a
delicious meal. It‘s …
5.
She‘s never flown before.
It‘s …
Ex. 5
Rephrase
the following sentences using the words in bold type.
1.
She has never been to the
club before.
first …..It‟s the first time she has ever been to the
club.
2.
She has never heard such a
funny story.
funniest….
3.
It‘s the first time she has
ever read Tolstoy.
never….
4.
It‘s the worst headache
she‘s ever had.
bad….
5.
He‘s never played cricket before.
ever….
Ex. 6
Put
the verb into the Pr. Perf. or Pr. Perf. Cont.
1.
Look! Somebody (break) that window.
2.
I (read) the book you gave
me but I (not finish) it yet.
3.
―Sorry, I‘m
late.‖ ―That‘s all
right. I (not wait) long.‖
4.
Hello! I (clean) the
windows. So far I (clean) five of them and there two more to do.
5.
There‘s a strange smell in
here. (you cook) something?
6.
My brother is an actor. He
(appear) in several films.
7.
I (be) busy since we last met.
8.
I‘m very fond of Alice but I
(not to see) much of her lately.
9. ―How quickly your
mood changes! You look
drained.‖ ―I (walk) around all
day. I (have) a few drinks and nothing to eat.‖
10. But
I (cook, clean) and (dig) for three days and I‘m tired.
11. ―I don‘t think your
mother expects you to become an
electrician.‖ ―What she (say) to
you?‖ ―Nothing.‖
12.
Imagine how much they
(learn) since they (be) here.
13. ―Shall we sit
down or do you prefer to stand?‖ ―I (sit) down
in my offise, so I‘m quite
happy to stand.‖
14. I found
him waiting downstairs at
the house door to let me in.
―I‘m sorry,‖ I said, ―I hope you (not to stand) here long.‖
15.
There (be) no guests at all
since I left?
16. The other chap is a man who threw up his job ten years ago and he (not to work) since.
17. ―My son is not a
bad boy. But he‘s going through a difficult phase.‖ ―He (go) through this difficult phase for fifteen years.‖
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
1) The Past Perfect Continuous
Inclusive is used to denote an action which began before a definite moment in the
past, continued up to that moment and was still going on at that moment. Either the starting point is
indicated (since) or the whole period
of duration (for).
e.g. We couldn‘t go out
because it had been raining since
early morning. When you saw us, we
had been running for 6 miles – and we
still had a mile to go!
The difference
between the Past Perfect and the Past Perfect Continuous Inclusive is that the
latter refers to earlier past activities of certain duration that were either
still in progress at a given later time in the past or completed by that time.
The Past Perfect Inclusive is used with verbs not admitting of the Continuous
form and in negative sentences.
The Past Perfect
Continuous shouldn‘t be confused with Past Continuous. The Past Continuous is
used to denote an action going on at a definite moment in the past, no previous
duration is expressed.
e.g. And now it was raining, had been raining for days
the miserable fall rains of Eastern France. The car was waiting at the kerb. It had
been waiting for two hours.
2) The Past Perfect Continuous
Exclusive denotes an action which was no longer going on at a definite moment in
the past, but which had been in progress not long before.
= a past action
of certain duration which had visible results in the past.
e.g. All roads were
blocked: it had been snowing all
night long. Her fingers hurt because she
had
been playing guitar all day. She looked tired because she had been exercising all morning.
Ex. 1
Explain
the use of the Past Perfect and the Past Perfect Continuous in the following
sentences.
1. I
did not remember much about the Pimpleys, whom I had not seen for about ten years.
2. It
had been freezing for the last few days, but it had not snowed.
3. He
told me he had not heard from her since the day she walked out of their office.
4. He
said that they had now been hunting hard for ten days.
5. She
was aware that they had been getting on each other‘s nerves lately.
6. I
was happy that ever since Max moved in here, the place had been ringing with laughter.
Ex. 2
Put
the verbs in brackets into the Past Simple or Past Perfect.
Last Monday Angie
1) (get up) for work as usual and 2) (go) to the kitchen to have some
breakfast. But when she 3) (open) the fridge, she 4) (find) that her flatmate
Lucy 5) (drink) all the milk- not a good start to the day! So she 6) (have) a
quick cup of black coffee, 7) (get) dressed and 8) (go) out to the car. There
she 9) (find) that she 10) (forget) to put the cover on the car the night
before and there 11) (be) thick frost all over the windscreen. She 12) (scrape)
it all off and 13) (get) into the car. However, when she 14) (turn) the key,
nothing 15) (happen)!
Someone 16)
(leave) the headlights on and the battery 17) (go) flat. She 18) (be) furious
as Lucy
19) (use) the car
last and it 20) (be) her who 21) (forget) to switch off the lights. Angie 22)
(head) for the bus stop to wait in the freezing cold.
Ex. 3
Fill
in with the Past Simple or Past Perfect.
The biggest event
in Tom‘s life 1) (happen) by chance. He 2) (be) 22 and he 3) (just/leave)
college. He 4) (get) his degree and he was looking for a job. He 5) (want) to
be a journalist but he 6) (know) he 7) (not have) enough experience. You see,
as a student, he 8) (spend) most of his time in the university theatre. He 9)
(write) to all the newspapers but he 10) (not receive) any replies. Then one day,
the phone 11)
(ring). It was a women who 12) (offer) him a job as an actor. She 13) (see) him
in a play and the university and 14) (enjoy) the performance. He 15) (take) the
job and since then he‘s been very successful. Last night he 16) (discover) he
17) (win) an award for his performance in the play.
Ex. 4
Fill
in with the Past Perfect or Past Perfect Continuous.
When I entered the
house something smelt awful. Someone 1) (cook) and 2) (burn) the meal. I 3) (visit) the house once before and 4)
(meet) the family but I didn‘t know what 5) (happen) since then. The house was
a mess. The children 6) (play) in the living-room and 7) (leave) their toys all
over the floor. someone 8) (leave) all the windows open. It 9) (rain) for hours
and all the curtains 10) (get) wet and dirty.
I asked the children where their parents were. They told me that their mother 11) (be) in hospital for the past two weeks. Their father 12) (look after) them since then. Obviously he 13) (do) his best, but he couldn‘t do any better since he worked all morning and had to leave them alone most of the day. I had to do something to help them.
Ex. 5
Use
the Past Perfect or Past Simple in the following clauses of time.
1.
He wanted her to believe
that when he (return) things would change.
2.
She knew that she would not
speak till they (reach their) house.
3.
She took her manicure set
and began to do her nails, waiting till he (finish) eating.
4.
He decided to read nothing
but the dictionary until he (master) every word of it.
5.
She asked if Grant would
wait until the doctor (see) the patient.
6.
She told him not to come
back until he (talk) to her on the telephone
first.
7.
When he (see) Bell, he
(come) straight to him, smiling.
8.
When Jimmy (get) to the café
a little late, Christine (not arrive) yet.
9.
When she (walk) she (carry)
herself like a ballet-dancer.
10. We
(not to walk) a hundred yards towards the cottage when the inspector suddenly
(go) down on his knees.
11. one afternoon I went
to play tennis with some neighbours and when I (return) my mother (disappear).
12.
When she (smile), she (seem)
friendly and simple.
13.
When Paula (tidy) up she
(go) out of doors.
14. The play (be) in
progress for about twenty minutes when Grant (find) his seat at the back of the dress circle.
15.
He (telephone) to his office
as soon as he (reach) his house.
16.
He always (dislike) anybody
as soon as he (be) appointed to a position of
authority.
17.
David (disappear) as soon as
we (have) breakfast.
18.
As soon as I (hear) the
sound I (know) what had happened.
19.
After they (have) coffee Meg
(invite) him to go over the house.
20.
She (see) him every day
after we (arrive) in New York.
21.
After we (lunch) we (go) and
(sit) out in the garden.
22.
After he (take) the girl
home, he (go) down the road to the village.
23.
Neither of us (speak) until
we (arrive) at office.
24.
She (not to speak) until the
steps (move on).
25.
Savina (say) nothing until
they (order) but Eric knew she was waiting.
26.
He (wait) until he (hear) a
hello from the other end of the telephone.
27.
She (wait) motionless until
he (finish) his speech.
28.
He (stumble) against the
chair before he (find) the lamp.
29.
He (decide) to get a present
for his children before he (leave) Rome.
30.
He (begin) apologizing
before I (pay) the driver.
31.
The noise of their footsteps
(become) distant before my father (speak) again.
32.
He (knock) and (ring) for
some time before he (make) himself (hear).
Ex. 6
Use the required past forms in the following complex sentences containing the correlatives
scarcely/ hardly/ nearly/barely… when and no sooner… then.
1.
She hardly (sit) down when a
very stout gentleman wearing a very small hat (flop) into the chair opposite hers.
2.
He emerged from the theatre
with the first of the crowd; but he scarcely (take) his position on the edge of
the sidewalk when the girls (appear).
3.
He barely (disappear) when
Dennis (come) sliding down the stairs.
4.
No sooner, however, they
(establish) themselves in their new house than he (perceive) to his dismay a
return of her absorbed and brooding manner.
5. The rain nearly (stop) when he (reach) his hotel.
6.
They barely (come) out of
the house when a sudden shouting (arise).
Ex. 7
Oral Activity
The teacher divides
the class into two teams and asks students to look at the following situations,
giving reasons for each situation. Students should use the Present Perfect,
Past Perfect or Past perfect Continuous. Each correct reason gets 1 point. The
team with the most points is the winner.
Team A S1: Jo‘s clothes are dirty because …she has been playing in the garden. Team B S2: Paul‘s head ached because … he had been sitting in the sun.
1.
Mary is furious because ………….
2.
Tom was not hungry because…….
3.
Sue was hungry because………….
4.
Mark is excited because…………..
5.
David failed his maths test because……
6.
He was out of breath because………….
7.
Frank‘s house needed tidying because….
8.
Terry felt sick because…………………..
9.
Tim had a black eye because ……………
10. Peter
is going to the police station because…
11. Mike‘s
shirt was torn because ……………...
12. Joanne‘s
feet are sore because ……………...
13. Carol is crying because……………………...
14. Trevor had ketchup on his tie because………
FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS
It is used to
denote an action which will begin before a definite moment in the future, will
continue up to that moment and will be going on at that moment.
= It denotes an action lasting for a period of time up to or including a certain future moment. This moment can be indicated by an adverbial with the preposition by or by another future action.
The Future Perfect
Continuous (not the Future Perfect) is normally used to emphasize the process
rather than the future result. As with all Continuous tenses the Future Perfect
Continuous is not used with stative verbs which take the Future Perfect instead.
e.g. By the end of the year, they will have been working at this project for two years. We will have been working at this problem for a month when you visit us for a second time. By this time next month he will have been studying the piano for 2 years.
Ex. 1
Read
the dialogue. Ask and answer questions about the situation using the Future
Perfect Continuous tense.
-
I hear you are finally retiring
at the end of the year, Bill. What will you do when you‘ve stopped work?
-
Absolutely nothing. I‘ll have been working for this company
for forty years by the end of October, and I deserve a complete rest. My wife will
have been working here for thirty years by then, but she isn‘t retiring yet.
-
As for me, I‘ll have been working here for twenty
years by January. Won‘t you be sorry to leave,
Bill?
-
No, I won‘t. I‘ve been
working too much lately and want a complete
rest.
Ex. 2
Put
the verbs in brackets into Future Perfect or Future Perfect Continuous.
1.
By 7.00 p. m. they (play)
cricket for eight hours.
2.
I (finish) painting your
room by the time you get home.
3.
By the end of next month I
(live) in London for exactly three years.
4.
Tom (write) his third novel
by the end of this year.
5.
By the time he arrives in
London, John (drive) for five hours.
6.
This film
(probably/no/finish) until midnight.
Ex. 3
Use
the Future Perfect or the Future Perfect Continuous tense.
1.
They will have completed/will have been completing the new bridge by the
end of the year.
2.
By the end of this week I will have waited/will have been waiting seven
weeks for my car to be repaired.
3.
Do you realize that on
August 15 we will have lived/will have
been living in this house for fifty years?
4.
I hope I will have finished/will have been finishing this
report by the end of the day.
5.
She will have left/will have been leaving before the children get home
from school.
6.
We will have flown/will have been flying non-stop for fourteen hours
before we get to Calcutta.
7.
They will have completed/will have been completing their work by the end
of the week. I‘m sure you‘ll like it.
8.
I will have finished/will have been finishing the housework by the
time my parents come home.
9.
Your aunt will have cooked/will have been cooking dinner
by the time we arrive.
10. It‘s the firm‘s anniversary next week. They will have made/will have been making furniture for 50 years.
