The present perfect tense The present perfect continuous

1
Grammar

• The present perfect tense
• The present perfect continuous tense
• Present perfect simple vs. Present perfect
  continuous tense
• Practice exercises.

2
Present perfect tense

• Usage The present perfect tense
• puts emphasis on the result
• Ex She has written five letters.
• expresses an action that is still going on.
• Ex School has not started yet.
• expresses an action that stopped recently
• Ex She has cooked dinner.
• expresses a finished action that has an
  influence on the present
• Ex I have lost my key.
• expresses an action that has taken place once,
  never or several times before the moment of
  speaking
• Ex I have never been to Australia.

3

• Form of present perfect

For irregular verbs, use the participle form (see
list of irregular verbs, 3rd column). For regular
verbs, just add ed.
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• The adverbs are frequently used in the present
  perfect
• For When talking about the length of time
  (duration), we use the present perfect with for
  a period of time.
• Ex I have worked here for five years. She has
  lived here for twenty years. They have been
  married for six months.
• Since When talking about a starting point, we
  use the present perfect with since a point in
  time.
• Ex I have lived here since 1998. They have been
  married since June. We have been at this school
  since last year.
• adverbs (ever, never, already, yet, still)
  'Ever' and 'never' are always placed before the
  past participle.
• Ex Has she ever met someone famous? I have
  never visited London. Ive never been so sick.
• Already, yet and still It can be placed
  before the main verb (past participle) or at the
  end of the sentence.

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Present perfect continuous

• USAGE The present perfect continuous tense
• puts emphasis on the duration or course of an
  action (not the result)
• Example She has been writing for two hours.
• action that recently stopped or is still going on
  Example I have been living here since 2001.
• finished action that influenced the present
  Example I have been working all afternoon.

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• Form of present perfect continuous

Signal Words of Present Perfect Progressive all
day, for 4 years, since 1993, how long?, the
whole week
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Reminder

• Verbs with stative meanings are not used in
  the progressive. The present perfect, NOT the
  present perfect continuous, is used with stative
  verbs to describe the duration of a state that
  began in the past and continue to the present.
• Ex I have known Alice since he was a child.
• Incorrect I have been knowing Alice since he was
  a child.

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Present perfect simple vs. Present perfect
continuous
9
Reminder

• We can use both the present perfect simple and
  the present perfect continuous to describe an
  activity that started in the past and continues
  up to the present and possibly into the future.
• Ex They have been studying English for three
  years.
• Theyve studied English for three years.
• We can use the present perfect simple and the
  present perfect continuous with lately and
  recently.
• Ex Ive been working hard lately.
• Ive done a lot of work lately.

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EXERCISES

• Present perfect simple.
• Present perfect continuous.
• Present perfect simple and present perfect
  continuous.

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Put the verbs into the correct form (present
perfect simple).

• Since classes began, I (have, not)_____ much free
  time. I (have)____ several big tests to study
  for.
• The science of medicine (advance)______ a great
  deal in the 19th century.
• We (have)_____ three major snowstorms so far this
  winter. I wonder how many more we will have.
• I (write)______ them three times, but I havent
  received a reply.
• The telephone (ring)_________ four times in the
  last hours, and each time it has been for my
  office mate.
• A What are you going to order for dinner?
• B Well, I (have, never)________
  vegeterian pizza, so I think Ill order that.
• Bill (be)_________ here since 22nd.
• So far this week, I (have)_________ two tests and
  a quiz.
• Alex is an artist. He (draw)______ many beautiful
  pictures in his lifetime.
• Fatima (see, never)_________ snow in her entire
  lifetime.

12
Put the verbs into the correct form (present
perfect progressive).

• He (work)___________ in this company since 1985.
• I (wait)_____ for you since two o'clock.
• Mary (live)_________ in Germany since 1992.
• Why is he so tired? He (play)_____ tennis for
  five hours.
• How long (learn / you)______ English?
• We (look for)_______ the motorway for more than
  an hour.
• I (live)____________ without electricity for two
  weeks.
• The film (run / not)_________ for ten minutes
  yet, but there's a commercial break already.
• How long (work / she)_________ in the garden?
• She (not / be)_________ in the garden for more
  than an hour.

13
Put the verbs into the correct tense. (present
perfect simple or present perfect progressive)

• I (play)_________ football for five years.
• My team (win / only)_________ two matches so far.
  
• The others (be / always)________ better.
• Are we not there yet? We (walk)________ for
  hours.
• But we (cover / only)__________ an area of five
  miles so far.
• I (finish/just)_______ my homework.
• I (work)________ on this essay since two o'clock.
  
• Jane (go out)______ with Bob for seven years.
• Martin (date)________ three girls this week.
• How long (wait / you)_________ for us?

14
Listen to the conversation between an interview
and Lennart Dahlgren, and complete extracts 1-4

• Mr. Dahlgren, IKEA__________ in Russia for
  several years, and you arrived at the start. How
  long_____ in Russia?
• I______ since 1998. Thats when IKEA_________
  operations in Russia.
• How many stores_______ ?
• We______ five stores so far, and we_______
  several large shopping malls in the last few
  years.
• Consumer demand________ steadily since we_____
  the first store.
• We________ the percentage of our global supply
  that comes from Russia for a number of years.
  We_____ several factories throughout Russia
  near St Petersburg, Moscow, and Karelia.

15
Listen to the second part of the interview and
complete extracts 1 and 2.

• But bureaucratic problems________ fewer recently.
  For example, the Government _____ the number of
  licences that are needed for a company to set up.
• However, we_____ a number of things in the time
  we______ here. We___ management training
  programmes to help new Russian entrepreneurs.
  We_____ to show how a modern company has to work
  to survive in the international market.