“Had been + ing” or “have been + ing”

Question

I’ve learned to use present perfect continuous for an action that began in past and is still continuing and past perfect continuous for an action that began in past and ended in past too before something else happened. So my question is that how precise one would have to be if he were to use it in sentences:

1. I’ve been waiting to drive the car since morning, I’m glad I’m driving it now
2. I’ve not been watching since morning, I’ve just switched it on
3. I had not been studying since morning, got back on it an hour ago/few minutes back.”

So the usage is correct here.?

Answer 1

I’ve been waiting to drive the car since morning, I’m glad I’m driving it now

If you are driving it now, then the waiting ended in the past. Therefore "I’d been waiting to drive the car since morning, I’m glad I’m driving it now"

I’ve not been watching since morning, I’ve just switched it on

If you have just switched it on, a split second ago, then it's on the cusp of saying either "I had not been watching" or "I have not been watching".

I had not been studying since morning, got back on it an hour ago/few minutes back.

Ok

So the usage is correct here.?

Should be: So is the usage correct here?

Answer 2

English can be quite forgiving of slight changes of time perspective between sentences, and even between clauses within single sentences.

"He's been wanting to make a speech to the shareholders for years, so he's delighted to be finally standing there now at the lectern."

"I've been boring myself to death all morning, so I'm glad you called!"

You might even get away with "I've only just received the package a few minutes ago." in spoken language at least. (Even though "a few minutes ago" is clearly a point in the finished past.)

but with (say) ...

"Caroline has been seeking a doctor for her complaint for decades now. She found the right specialist a year ago."

... the jump might be just a little too big.

To sum it up, all three of your sentences look perfectly natural and perfectly correct, though the first one at least contains an implicit change of time perspective.

The second sentence, by the way, is a little ambiguous. At first the speaker seems to be denying that she's been watching ever since the morning ... she's only just switched it on. Only later do you realise she's saying that she'd not even looked at the telly all morning, and had only switched it on a couple of minutes ago.