DIALOGUE

Practice by reading the dialogue with your tutor. After you are done, switch roles and do it again!

• K: I’ve been sleeping pretty late recently, so I’ve been feeling really tired.
• D: That’s too bad. Why haven’t you been getting more rest?
• K: I usually have a pretty good work-life balance, but recently I’ve been slammed at work.
• D: It sounds like that’s been difficult for you. I hope your work eases up soon!

 

NEW SKILLS

Read the following skills out loud with your tutor.

In this lesson, we’re going to cover the present perfect continuous. In this tense, you use the words “has been” or “have been.” You use it for:

1. an activity started in the past and continues to the present
2. an activity started in the past and recently finished

Examples:

• I’ve been reading the book you lent me.
• I usually work in Dubai, but I’ve been working in New York for 2 weeks.

 

Some more examples

• Affirmative: She has been running.
• Negative: He hasn’t been working out as much as he should.
• Affirmative Question: Have they been traveling a lot?
• Negative Question: Haven’t they been doing a great job?

 

Note: You may have noticed that the verb following “has been” or “have been” using ends in “-ing” (ex: She has been running.).  This tense is called the “present participle.”

 

 

EXERCISE

Make a positive present perfect continuous sentence using the words.

 

• It / rain / for two hours   It has been raining for two hours.
• The children / play / baseball / all day    (1) __________________________.
• The girl / dream / about her boyfriend   (2) ___________________________.
• They / talk / for the past 2 hours    (3) ___________________________.
• It seems like I / cook / tonight’s dinner forever    (4) _________________________.

Make a negative present perfect continuous sentence using the words.

• John/travel/lately    John hasn’t been traveling lately.
• The soccer team / practice / together recently (5)  _________________________.
• I / feel / well for several weeks. (6) _____________________________.
• The police / patrol / the neighborhood this week  (7) _______________________.
• You and I / text / for two hours (8) ___________________________.

 

 

 

Make a present perfect continuous question sentence using the words.

• you / brush / your teeth after every meal?   Have you been brushing your teeth after every meal?
• the dog / eat / all is food? (9) _____________________________.
• your mother / shop / in the mall recently?  (10) ___________________________.
• you / practice / for the marathon this month? (11) _________________________.
• patient / complain / a lot about his stomach?  (12) _________________________.

 

Discussion Questions

• What are some habits you’ve had for years? Can you describe them to your tutor?
• What are some activities your family members have been doing? Can you describe them to your tutor?
• What are some things you’ve always wanted to do? Why haven’t you been doing them?

 

 

(Source: 1. http://www.slideshare.net/marolmedo/present-perfect-continuous-29045024, 2. https://www.pinterest.com/katarzynawachel/present-perfect-continuous/)

 

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Answer Key:

(1) The children have been playing baseball all day.

(2) The girl has been dreaming about her boyfriend.

(3) They have been talking for the past two hours.

(4) It seems like I have been cooking tonight’s dinner forever.

(5) The soccer team hasn’t been practicing together recently.

(6) I haven’t been feeling well for several weeks

(7) The police haven’t been patrolling the neighborhood this week.

(8) You and I haven’t texted for two hours.

(9) Has the dog been eating all her food?

(10) Has your mother been shopping in the mall recently?

(11) Have you been practicing for the marathon this month?

(12) Has the patient been complaining a lot about his stomach?