Questions tagged [present-perfect-progressive]
The present-perfect-progressive tag has no usage guidance.
178
questions
14
votes
5
answers
4k
views
Why can't we say "I have been having a dog"?
So I can say "I have been playing the guitar since I was 6" but "I have been having a dog since I was 6" sounds incorrect. Why?
Hannah
8
votes
6
answers
1k
views
Can "has been smoking" be used in this situation?
If someone has smoked one cigarette in a room and I can smell it, can I say "someone has been smoking here" even though it was only one cigarette?
Another example is if my neighbour's cat ...
- 3,909
8
votes
1
answer
2k
views
I finally watched the video YouTube HAS / HAD been recommending for weeks
I don't think this sentence is correct. Am I right?
I finally watched the video YouTube has been recommending for weeks.
Shouldn't the past perfect continuous be used there instead of the present ...
- 237
8
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Dilemma: Present Perfect Or Perfect Continuous?
I am very much confused with two aspects which are perfect aspect and present perfect continuous.
From the sentences below I am not sure what to use..
Perfect aspect:
I've lived here for ten ...
- 479
6
votes
3
answers
4k
views
"Jack {lived/has lived/has been living} in New York for ten years. Now he lives here."
Murphy's Intermediate Grammar test:
Jack ____ in New York for ten years. Now he lives here.
lived
has lived
has been living
Use of "has" and "has been" in English is pretty ...
- 163
5
votes
4
answers
568
views
Can I use the ‘Present Perfect Continuous’ if the day is not over yet?
Yesterday, my English teacher told me that if you use present perfect continuous, you need to have a connection with the present.
So, my question is, if it's 10pm, is it wrong If I say to my wife:
...
- 273
4
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Why is my hair wet?
I have finished washing my hair and it is still wet. Why is my hair wet?
Because I have washed it. (focus is on the final result)
Because I have been washing it. (focus is on the action)
To ...
- 3,909
4
votes
1
answer
450
views
what happens in the following I have been traveling since I was ten years old
I have been working on The Present Perfect Continuous Tense recently, I saw the following
I have been traveling since I was ten years old.
I have been learning that the Present Perfect Continuous ...
- 99
4
votes
1
answer
432
views
present perfect continuous for an action recently stopped
The present perfect continuous can be used for an action that has just stopped, but has a present result, for example: I have been gardening (my hands are covered in soil) or it has been raining (the ...
- 3,909
3
votes
1
answer
459
views
They do something for 20 years. Isn't the phrase grammatically wrong?
I heard Matt Damon say:
Anyway, for 20 years now people ask, what happened to Loki at the end
of Dogma?
How do you explain the usage of Present Simple here with 20 years? Could you reference to ...
- 701
3
votes
2
answers
812
views
Can Present Perfect Continuous and Present Continuous have the same meaning?
According to https://englishsentences.com/present-tense/
b. Present Continuous
The present continuous tense describes actions
and/or events that are currently happening or going on now; in ...
- 95
3
votes
2
answers
150
views
I've been reading a lot of books or I've read a lot of books?
I want to say that I started reading a lot of books when I was a child and I continue to do so. So is the present perfect continuous the right tense or should it be the present perfect simple?
I've ...
- 1,003
3
votes
1
answer
132
views
"just" in present perfect continuous
When someone says these following sentences without the word "just", I think we don't know for sure whether the action is still ongoing or has just stopped.
But when they add the word "...
- 1,555
3
votes
2
answers
365
views
Why is the sentence "Mark has finished watching TV." correct?
Mark has finished watching TV.
I have been thinking about this question for a while. Isn't the above sentence is in the present perfect continuous tense? I was thinking why "finished watching TV&...
- 31
3
votes
3
answers
84
views
why is the present perfect used in this sentence?
This is from a novel:
"We have walked along the beach and are now approaching the prom".
Why not use "we have been walking along the beach?"
It is recent and it conveys duration, so to me the ...
- 3,909
3
votes
1
answer
311
views
I haven’t liked it lately or I haven’t been liking it lately. Which is better to use?
I haven’t liked it lately
I haven’t been liking it lately.
Which one is better?
I do feel like the latter is more of a conversational form, isn’t it?
And obviously “like” is a non-continuous verb.
...
- 31
2
votes
2
answers
95
views
Present simple or present perfect continuous to express routine
If I want to ask someone about their handwashing routine, is there any difference between
"Do you wash your hands regularly?" or "Have you been washing your hands regularly?" or ...
- 3,909
2
votes
2
answers
83
views
What does a negative present perfect progressive tense imply?
I have learned the present perfect progressive on youtube and some other sources. It's clear that the tense implies something that started in the past and continues in the present.
However, what does ...
- 2,115
2
votes
2
answers
99
views
Why Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continuous? Sentences are added
thanks for paying attention to my request. There are four sentenses that drive me crazy :) The sentences and the keys are provided by a book for a CAE exam preparation.
1) She was breathing hard as ...
- 189
2
votes
2
answers
412
views
'Have you ever..' question with 'go swimming/cycling/rollerblading...' phrases
There is an exercise in our English textbook where I should ask the question "have you ever...?" about my partner's experience. The partner should answer using a set of expressions and one of them is '...
- 25
2
votes
3
answers
124
views
Present Perfect vs Present Perfect Continuous
My grammar book states that we use Perfect Continuous to make an emphasis on the duration of the action, that is why that tense usually goes with words like how long, since and for.
However, there ...
2
votes
1
answer
314
views
The present continuous vs. the present perfect continuous when talking about temporary habitual actions?
Would you please tell me if there is any difference in meaning between the present continuous the present perfect continuous when talking about temporary habitual actions? For example:
I'm going to ...
- 15.6k
2
votes
1
answer
63
views
meaning sentence present perfect continuous [duplicate]
In a movie, someone says "she has been possessing people", when speaking about a "witch".
Does this sentence mean that "she" has possessed people for a while and ...
- 97
2
votes
2
answers
77
views
Why we use present perfect continuous in the below example?
Can you tell me why we use the present perfect continuous in this example?
I have been drinking more water recently, and I feel better.
I thought it must be present perfect simple, because when we ...
- 47
2
votes
1
answer
3k
views
How long have you stayed or How long have you been staying
Are both the present perfect and the present perfect progressive correct in the following? If so, what's the difference?
I prefer the present perfect progressive because the stay seems to be going on. ...
- 5,894
2
votes
1
answer
40
views
Why is the perfect used instead of past continuous in "Every time I've visited her...she has been working hard"?
Every time I've visited her in the last month, she has been working hard.
This is a sentence from a grammar textbook. I don't understand why we use Present Perfect Continuous instead of Past ...
- 135
2
votes
2
answers
199
views
When are the present perfect simple and continuous interchangeable, and when are they not?
Let me give some examples to give you guys a good idea of my question.
My friend says that a sentence like this sounds weird.
I have built my house for 2 years.
He says I should say this.
...
- 41
2
votes
1
answer
5k
views
It's the first time he has driven or been driving a car
I had always known that we generally use the present perfect simple for things that we do for the first time. Here is a classic example from the English Grammar in Use self-study book by Cambridge ...
- 457
2
votes
1
answer
106
views
"Was never heard from ever again since" and should I be using Present Perfect Continuous
Let's say we have someone of whom we've never heard of ever again since some event.
Do I say:
"And he was never heard from ever again since" or "He has never been heard from ever again since".
The ...
- 21
2
votes
1
answer
171
views
How can I avoid using 2 different tenses instead of each other? [duplicate]
Background: My name is Ali. I live in IRAN and my mother tounge is Farsi. My reference book in studying grammar is English Grammar in Use written by Raymond Murphy and I am sure you are familiar with ...
- 21
2
votes
2
answers
597
views
Confusion in tenses
Well, I was learning present perfect tenses today and I am confused between present perfect and present perfect continuous. I have grasped majority of the uses of these sentences but I am confused ...
- 445
1
vote
2
answers
368
views
present perfect continuous to complain?
If someone has spilt coffee over my couch, can I say "who has been spilling coffee over my couch?!", using the present perfect continuous to complain?
- 3,909
1
vote
1
answer
32
views
it's been burned for two hours
The farmer has been away from home for many days. This morning, his cottage suddenly began to burn. Up to now, it's been burning for two hours.
Can I change this boldface sentence to the following ...
- 1,555
1
vote
2
answers
58
views
I have worked on these five projects since Monday
I give a few situations below:
a) Suppose today is Saturday, and I started working on all of my five projects simultaneously on Monday. I continuously worked on them for 5 days and today I might ...
- 722
1
vote
2
answers
95
views
Present Perfect Continuous VS Simple
I think, I can use Present Perfect Continuous(as it can express repeated action too) as well as Present Perfect Simple and they have similar meanings in this case. Am I right?
(I got confused ...
- 405
1
vote
1
answer
4k
views
what I have been reading vs what I have read
Can anyone explain to me why several book review sites are called "what I have been reading" when they describe books the reviewer has read? why aren't they called "what I have read"?
- 3,909
1
vote
2
answers
120
views
The verb form IN a since-clause
An example sentence in a grammar book says:
You've drunk about ten cups of tea since you've been sitting here. (M. Swan, Practical English Usage, §522.3 since-clause: since we were at school)
...
- 1,514
1
vote
1
answer
80
views
Present perfect & present continous
Are there any differences between the following sentences:
I have read this book for two weeks
I have been reading this book for two weeks
It has rained for three days
It has been raining for three ...
user223759
1
vote
2
answers
21
views
I have developed a program for two years. - it can mean a 2-year period in the past. Am I right?
Example 1
(1) I have developed a program for two years.
(2) I have been developing a program for two years.
Let's say right now is 2022. So (2) means that the developing of the program is from 2020 ...
- 1,975
1
vote
3
answers
89
views
What is the difference between present perfect and present perfect continuous in this example
I've always struggled with these two tenses, for example, is there any difference between these two sentences, or is one of them just wrong?
I have been working all my life, I should have a home by ...
1
vote
1
answer
76
views
PRESENT PERFECT/PPC for actions with duration
Context: My friend's come to visit me and I am showing him my new country house (which I am still working on in my free time, haven't finished it yet)
As far as I understand,
I've worked on this ...
1
vote
1
answer
107
views
Do I have to parallel tenses in this question?
I have just returned to my hometown after working and living in Rome for 5 years. I do not work or live in Rome anymore.
I meet someone who says: "I haven't seen you in a while, what have you ...
- 3,909
1
vote
1
answer
68
views
Have you been washing your hair in the sink?
I find some hair in the sink.
Can I ask "Have you been washing your hair in the sink?" without being angry or disapproving?
I am just asking about the activity that leads to the hair in the ...
- 3,909
1
vote
1
answer
28
views
How to emphasise that a new habit was developed?
How to talk about habit that was developed lately?
If I want to say that lately I have developed habit of running (using present perfect progressive) I would say:
I have been running a lot lately.
But ...
- 57
1
vote
1
answer
620
views
"Lately I meet" vs. "lately I have been meeting"
Is there any difference in meaning between lately I meet and lately I have been meeting? I would've thought that lately is used with the Present Perfect Continuous, but in the 23rd episode of the 8th ...
- 15.6k
1
vote
1
answer
80
views
nail clippings in the sink: has cut or has been cutting?
If you find nail clippings in the sink or on the floor of the bathroom at work for example, what would you say:
someone has cut their nails at work or someone has been cutting their nails?
I am ...
- 3,909
1
vote
1
answer
60
views
Present Perfect vs Present Perfect Continuous with the verb "find"
Which version of these two sentences is correct?
He has been finding it difficult to adjust to his new school.
He has found it difficult to adjust to his new school.
- 11
1
vote
1
answer
44
views
Equality of continuous and perfect tenses (in a certain context)
Would they be both correct and equal in the same context (just to mention the fact) if I said TODAY:
(1)It has been raining all day.
(2)It is raining all day.
Would they be both correct and ...
- 405
1
vote
1
answer
6k
views
"I haven't swum since" vs "I haven't been swimming since"
In the following text:
The last time I went swimming was when we were in Spain.
I haven't been swimming since we were in Spain.
Why is present perfect progressive tense used in the second ...
- 215
1
vote
1
answer
57
views
present perfect simple or continuous
I can`t sleep because I have been watching a scary movie (shortly before, I am not watching it anymore). Does this sentence sound okay? Or do I have to use present perfect simple?
- 3,909