Learn present perfect continuous tense with definitions, formulas, rules, exercises, structures, and examples of negative, interrogative, and interro-negative.
Table of Contents
Present Perfect Continuous Tense Definition
The Present Perfect Continuous Tense states an action that started in the past and is still continuing in the present time. It emphasizes the duration of the action.
Present =the period of time now occurring/happening
Perfect = complete
Continuous =going on
Tense = time/verb
Present Perfect Continuous Tense = any complete action is in process now
Structure of Present Perfect Continuous Tense
S+has/have+been+1V + ing+ O.
They have been doing duty.
Examples of Present Perfect Continuous Tense for Affirmative Sentences
has been =He, She, It or singular name
have been =I, We, They, You or plural name
| S | has/have | been | 1V+ing | O |
| Ahmad | has | been | do-ing | job. |
Ahmad has been doing a job.
| S | has/have | been | 1V+ing | O |
| He | has | been | do-ing | hard work. |
He has been doing hard work.
Here is a table with 20 examples of the Present Perfect Continuous Tense:
| No. | Affirmative Sentence (Present Perfect Continuous) |
|---|---|
| 1 | She has been studying for her exams all morning. |
| 2 | They have been playing football in the park. |
| 3 | He has been working on his project for three hours. |
| 4 | I have been learning Spanish for a few months. |
| 5 | The baby has been crying for a long time. |
| 6 | We have been waiting for the bus for twenty minutes. |
| 7 | The teacher has been explaining the lesson patiently. |
| 8 | John has been fixing his car for two days. |
| 9 | The chef has been cooking delicious meals. |
| 10 | The kids have been watching cartoons all evening. |
| 11 | She has been practicing the piano for hours. |
| 12 | The workers have been repairing the road all day. |
| 13 | My mother has been knitting a sweater for me. |
| 14 | The students have been discussing the topic in groups. |
| 15 | The dog has been barking at strangers. |
| 16 | He has been jogging in the park every morning. |
| 17 | I have been decorating my house for the festival. |
| 18 | The gardener has been watering the plants regularly. |
| 19 | They have been traveling across different countries. |
| 20 | The author has been writing a new novel for months. |
They have been doing duty.
Negative Sentence of Present Perfect Continuous Tense
To make a sentence negative, place “ not” right after has or have. Let us formulate it.
S+has/have+not+been+4V+O
| S | has/have | not | been | 1V+ing | O |
| We | have | not | been | go-ing | school |
We have not been going school.
| S | has/have | not | been | 1V+ing | O |
| She | has | not | been | cook-ing | food |
She has not been cooking food.
Here is a table with 20 important negative sentences in the Present Perfect Continuous Tense:
| No. | Negative Sentence (Present Perfect Continuous) |
|---|---|
| 1 | She has not been studying for the test. |
| 2 | They have not been working on the project. |
| 3 | He has not been exercising regularly. |
| 4 | I have not been reading that book lately. |
| 5 | We have not been waiting for too long. |
| 6 | The baby has not been crying this morning. |
| 7 | You have not been following the instructions. |
| 8 | The teacher has not been explaining the topic well. |
| 9 | She has not been practicing the piano. |
| 10 | He has not been attending his online classes. |
| 11 | They have not been traveling much this year. |
| 12 | I have not been feeling well for a while. |
| 13 | The dog has not been barking at night. |
| 14 | She has not been cooking dinner lately. |
| 15 | We have not been discussing the new plan. |
| 16 | He has not been calling his friends often. |
| 17 | The company has not been hiring new employees. |
| 18 | You have not been preparing for the meeting. |
| 19 | I have not been sleeping well these days. |
| 20 | They have not been cleaning the house properly. |
Interrogative Sentences of Present Perfect Continuous Tense
To make a sentence interrogative, place “has” or “have” right before the subject or at the start of the sentence. Let us formulate it.
Has / Have + S +been +1V+ing + O + ?
| Has/Have | S | been | 1V+ing | O? |
| Has | Ahmad | been | do-ing | teaching job? |
Has Ahmad been doing teaching job?
| Has/Have | S | been | 1V+ing | O? |
| Have | you | been | take-ing | fever medicine? |
Have you been taking fever medicine?
Here’s a table with 20 interrogative sentences in the Present Perfect Continuous Tense:
| No. | Interrogative Sentence (Present Perfect Continuous) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Have you been studying for the exam? |
| 2 | Has she been working on her project all day? |
| 3 | Have they been playing football in the park? |
| 4 | Has he been practicing the guitar recently? |
| 5 | Have we been waiting here for too long? |
| 6 | Has it been raining heavily? |
| 7 | Have you been feeling well lately? |
| 8 | Has the dog been barking all night? |
| 9 | Have the kids been watching TV for hours? |
| 10 | Has the baby been crying a lot? |
| 11 | Have you been learning Spanish? |
| 12 | Has she been cooking dinner? |
| 13 | Have they been discussing the issue seriously? |
| 14 | Has he been reading that book? |
| 15 | Have you been exercising daily? |
| 16 | Have the workers been fixing the road? |
| 17 | Has the teacher been explaining the topic clearly? |
| 18 | Have we been talking too loudly? |
| 19 | Have they been planning their trip? |
| 20 | Has she been designing new clothes? |
Interro-Negative Sentences of Present Perfect Continuous Tense
To make a sentence interro-negative, add “has” or “ have“ right before the subject of a negative sentence and put a sign of interrogation at the end. Let us formulate it.
(General Sentence)(Step 1)
S+has/have+been+1V+ing+O
(Negative Sentence)(Step 2)
S+has/have+not+been+1V+ing+O
(General Sentence)(Step 3)
Has/have+S+not+been+1V+O?
| Has/Have | S | not | been | 1V+ing | O? |
| Has | he | not | been | go-ing | school? |
Has he not been going school?
| Has/Have | S | not | been | 1V+ing | O? |
| Have | you | not | been | take-ing | fever medicine? |
Have you not been taking fever medicine?
Here is a table with 20 non-plagiarized examples of interro-negative sentences in the Present Perfect Continuous Tense.
| No. | Interro-Negative Sentence (Present Perfect Continuous) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Have you not been studying for the exam? |
| 2 | Have they not been playing football since morning? |
| 3 | Have we not been waiting for the bus? |
| 4 | Have you not been learning English recently? |
| 5 | Have the children not been making noise? |
| 6 | Have the workers not been repairing the road? |
| 7 | Has she not been reading that novel? |
| 8 | Has he not been working on his project? |
| 9 | Have you not been exercising daily? |
| 10 | Have they not been traveling around the country? |
| 11 | Has the teacher not been explaining the topic? |
| 12 | Have we not been discussing this matter? |
| 13 | Have you not been watching the news? |
| 14 | Has your brother not been attending classes? |
| 15 | Have the students not been preparing for the test? |
| 16 | Have the birds not been chirping all day? |
| 17 | Has the baby not been crying for hours? |
| 18 | Has she not been cooking dinner for the family? |
| 19 | Have they not been waiting outside? |
| 20 | Have you not been writing your assignment? |
Structure of Present Perfect Continuous Tense with Time Frame
S+has/have+been+1V+ ing + O + since/for + time
He has been reading a book since morning.
We have been working for one year.
| S | has/have | been | 1V-ing | O | since/for | time |
For=how long
For Example:
for two years, one month, half an hour
Since morning, last Summer, night, June.
He has been reading a book since morning.
| S | has/have | been | 1V-ing | O | since/for | time |
| We | have | been | do-ing | work | for | one year |
We have been doing work for one year.
Negative Sentence for Time Frame
To make a sentence negative, place “ not” right after had. Let us formulate it.
S+has/have+been+not+4V+O+since/for+…..
| S | has/have | not | been | 1V-ing | O | since/for | time |
| We | have | not | been | play-ing | cricket | for | four years |
We have not been playing cricket for four years.
| S | has/have | not | been | 1V-ing | O | since/for | time |
| We | have | not | been | gossip-ing | – | for | four an hour |
We have not been playing cricket for four years.
| Sajid | has | not | go-ing | school | since | Wednesday |
Sajid has not been going school since Wednesday.
Interrogative Sentence for Time Frame
To make a sentence interrogative, place“Has/Have“ right before the subject or at the start of the sentence. Let us formulate it.
Has/Have+S+been+4V+O+since/for+…… ?
| Has/Have | S | been | 1V-ing | O | since/for | time? |
| Has | he | been | reading | a book | since | morning? |
Has he been reading a book since morning?
| Has/Have | S | been | 1V-ing | O | since/for | time? |
| Have | we | been | do-ing | work | for | one year? |
Have we been doing work for one year?
| Has/Have | S | been | 1V-ing | O | since/for | time? |
| Has | Ali | been | do-ing | a job | for | two years? |
Has Ali been doing a job for two years?
Interro-Negative Sentences for Time Frame
To make a sentence interro-negative, add “has/have“ right before the subject of a negative sentence and put a sign of interrogation at the end. Let us formulate it.
S+has/have+been+not+1Ving+O+since/for+time(Simple Sentence)
S+has/have+been+not+1Ving+O+since/for+time (Negative)
Has/have+s+been+not+1Ving+O+since/for+time (Interronegative)
| Has | Sajid | not | go-ing | school | since | Wednesday? |
Has Sajid not been going school since Wednesday?
| Have | we | not | do-ing | hard work | since | morning? |
Have we not been doing hard work since morning?
