2
LESSON
Present perfect and present perfect continuous
GRAMMAR
STUDY
Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous
I
’ve taken
several classes.
I
’ve been working
here for a few years.
They
haven’t seen
each other for a long time.
He
hasn’t been playing
soccer lately.
Have
you
finished
your MBA?
Have
you
been taking
business classes?
●
Use the present perfect to describe an action that was completed at
an indefinite time in the past.
●
Use the present perfect or the present perfect continuous to describe
an action that began in the past and continues to the present.
●
Remember that non-action verbs
(see p. 155)
cannot be continuous.
Grammar Note
PRACTICE
A
Circle the correct form of the verb. Use the present perfect continuous
if the action is continuing.
1.
Ahmed
hasn’t seen / hasn’t been seeing
Ben since City College.
2.
Ben
has studied / has been studying
business for two years.
3.
Ben
hasn’t gotten / hasn’t been getting
married yet.
4.
Ben
has won / has been winning
a lot of soccer games lately.
5.
Ben
hasn’t asked / hasn’t been asking
his boss about the promotion yet.
6.
Ahmed
has already received / has already been receiving
his acceptance letter.
B
Complete the paragraph with the present perfect or the present perfect continuous.
Use the present perfect continuous if the action is continuing.
It takes four years for a full-time student to complete a BA at Sundale University.
Ben
1. not study
full-time. He
2. take
two
classes every semester for the last three years. He
3. already / finish
all of the general business classes, and he can now start management classes.
He
4. look forward
to studying management because that’s the area
he’s most interested in. He
5. always / want
to start his own business.
PAIRS
Quickly make a note of four things you have done several times and four things you
have been doing lately. Share your ideas with a partner. Then find a new partner and talk
about what your first partner has done/has been doing.
Present Perfect
Present Perfect Continuous
hasn’t been studying
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
UNIT 2
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