We use the Present Perfect Continuous to talk about: past action recently-stopped. past action still-continuing.
Difference between present perfect and present perfect continuous tenses. The present perfect continuous tense is used to talk about a continuous, but not necessarily finished action or situation. The present perfect tense is used to talk about a finished action or situation.
I have been writing articles on different topics since morning. He has been reading the book for two hours. They have been playing football for an hour.
8 How long you (wait) for me? ~ I (wait) about half an hour.
The present perfect tense is used to describe something that happened in the past, but the exact time it happened is not important. It has a relationship with the present. I have done my homework = I finished my homework in the past. = Exactly when in the past that I forgot it is not important.
The present continuous tense is formed with the subject plus the present particle form (-ing) of the main verb and the present continuous tense of the verb to be: am, is, are. One simple example of this tense is: He is swimming.
The present perfect of any verb is composed of two elements : the appropriate form of the auxiliary verb to have (present tense), plus the past participle of the main verb. The past participle of a regular verb is base+ed, e.g. played, arrived, looked.
We use do and does to make questions with the present simple. We use does for the third person singular (she/he/it) and do for the others. We use do and does with question words like where, what and when: Where do Angela and Rita live?
The present perfect simple expresses an action that is still going on or that stopped recently, but has an influence on the present. It puts emphasis on the result.
The simple present tense is used:
- To express habits, general truths, repeated actions or unchanging situations, emotions and wishes:
- To give instructions or directions:
- To express fixed arrangements, present or future:
- To express future time, after some conjunctions: after, when, before, as soon as, until:
The present continuous tense is a grammatical tense that can be used to describe when an action happened, or may happen. You can use it to describe both events that are happening in the present – right now, while you are talking about something, or in the future – something that may or will happen later on.
We use do/does or is/are as question words when we want to ask yes/no questions. We use does and is with third person singular pronouns (he, she, it) and with singular noun forms. We use do and are with other personal pronouns (you, we they) and with plural noun forms.
The simple present tense is when you use a verb to tell about things that happen continually in the present, like every day, every week, or every month. We use the simple present tense for anything that happens often or is factual. Here are a few examples: I go to school every day.
The simple present, present simple or present indefinite is one of the verb forms associated with the present tense in modern English. It is commonly referred to as a tense, although it also encodes certain information about aspect in addition to present time.
The present continuous with words such as "always" or "constantly" expresses the idea that something irritating or shocking often happens. Notice that the meaning is like simple present, but with negative emotion. Remember to put the words "always" or "constantly" between "be" and "verb+ing."
The future perfect continuous, also sometimes called the future perfect progressive, is a verb tense that describes actions that will continue up until a point in the future. The future perfect continuous consists of will + have + been + the verb's present participle (verb root + -ing).
The past perfect continuous (also called past perfect progressive) is a verb tense which is used to show that an action started in the past and continued up to another point in the past.
The past perfect, also called the pluperfect, is a verb tense used to talk about actions that were completed before some point in the past. The past perfect tense is for talking about something that happened before something else.
Use the past perfect to talk about an event which had happened at some point in time before something took place. The past perfect continuous is used to express how long something had been going on before something important happened in the past. Jane had been studying for four hours when he came home.
This is formed by combining 'had' with the past participle of the verb. The past perfect is very similar to the present perfect because the event also started in the past. However, the difference between the events is that the past perfect event also ended in the past.
You form the past perfect progressive by using had been followed by an –ing verb. Notice how the past perfect progressive often includes the adverbs for and since to express duration. You will also see the adverbs before, when or by the time used to introduce a second action.
The past perfect refers to a time earlier than before now. It is used to make it clear that one event happened before another in the past. It does not matter which event is mentioned first - the tense makes it clear which one happened first.
Future Continuous emphasizes interrupted actions, whereas Future Perfect Continuous emphasizes a duration of time before something in the future.
To make the positive present perfect tense, use:
- 'have' / 'has' + the past participle.
- Make the past participle by adding 'ed' to regular verbs (for example, 'play' becomes 'played')
- There are a few verbs that change their spelling when you add 'ed' (for example, 'study' becomes 'studied')
When using the Present Perfect you should call the students' attention to the consequences generated by an action, rather than just the action itself. The tense is always formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb 'to have' and then appending the verb's past participle form.
You can use the present perfect tense when you want to talk about how long you have done something, or for what amount of time you have done something. It is used to talk about an action that began in the past and continues up to the present (and will probably continue in the future).
Present Perfect Tense Examples
- Has lived: She has lived here all her life.
- Have written: They have written three letters already.
- Have worked: I have worked here since I graduated school.
- Has done: He has finished his homework.
- Have been: We have been to Canada.
- Has forgotten: She has forgotten her folder.
