Present Perfect Continuous Tense Examples: Definition, Rules, Exercise PDF [Avaialble]

Have you ever felt like learning the Present Indefinite Tense is one thing, while mastering the Present Perfect Continuous Tense formulas is a whole lot another? If yes, then you should simply move forward from its Definition to structure; and then finally observe the Present Perfect Continuous Tense Examples. After all, this method works perfectly when it comes to reigning over the most difficult type of tense.

So, to get you going, this article focuses on highlighting the Present Perfect Continuous Tense Examples, along with the rules, examples, and practice exercises. 

Tenses Rules and Examples in English Grammar

What is the Present Perfect Continuous Tense?

While you are beginning from the basics, keep in mind that the present perfect continuous tense is best to talk about an action that started in the past and is still ongoing in the present, or an action that has recently finished. It is formed with the auxiliary verbs “have” and “been” and the present participle of the main verb.

Example: I have been working on this project for two hours.

She has been living in London for five years.

He has been studying English for three months.

Structure and Rules of Present Perfect Continuous Tense

The Present Perfect Continuous Tense Structure requires you to go through the following formulas:

Subject + have/has + been + present participle + the rest of the sentence

How to Form the Present Perfect Continuous Tense?

Once you get a hang of the Present Perfect Continuous Tense rules, you can implicate it in the formation of a grammatically correct sentence. For instance, check the formation with the correct rules given in the table below:

S.No.	Present Perfect Continuous Tense Examples
1.	She has not been sleeping.
2.	I have been walking since morning,
3.	Amisha has been writing essays for the last two hours.
4.	The child has been playing games since evening.
5.	I have been travelling since 2022.
6.	Has he been living under the bridge?
7.	They have been ploughing in the fields for five hours.
8.	Sara has been doing exercise since morning.
9.	He has not been into video games for two years.
10.	Jammy has not been playing football.

You can Read All about Regular and Irregular Verbs Here in Detail!

How to Use Present Perfect Continuous Tense?

Now let’s take a look at conditions where the usage of Present Perfect Continuous Tense is appropriate:

Usage	Example
Emphasis on duration of action	I have been working on this project for two hours.
Describes action that has happened several times over a period of time	I have been learning to play the guitar for six months.
To express anger or annoyance	Why have you been calling me?
Emphasis on time expression	He has been sleeping since 11:00 p.m.
To make an announcement in the media	The government has been trying to reduce the inflation since last month.

How to Make the Present Perfect Continuous Tense Negative?

It is quite easy to make the Present Continuous Tense Negative. All you have to do is add ‘not’ in between the auxiliary/helping verb (has/have) and past participle (been) in the sentence. While the object and indication of the time period follow thereafter. Now take a look at the rule and examples of Present Perfect Continuous Negative Tense to deepen your learnings.

Rule: Subject + has/have + been + present participle (V1+ing) + Object + for/since + period/point of time

Subject(Noun/Pronoun)	Example
I	I have not been working on this project for two hours.
She	She has not been living in New York for five years.
You	You have not been playing on the phone since the morning.
We	We have not been waiting for the bus for half an hour.
They	They have not been studying for their exams all week

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Present Perfect Continuous Tense Examples

If you found the above-mentioned examples insufficient, then you should also check out these Present Perfect Continuous examples to boost your tenses learning: 

Subject	Example Sentences
I	I have been working on this project for two hours.
She	She has been living in New York for five years.
We	We have been waiting for the bus for half an hour.
They	They have been studying for their exams all week.
I	I have been learning to play the guitar for six months.
She	She has been working as a teacher since she graduated from university.
We	We have been waiting for the train to arrive for over an hour
They	They have been living in the same house for as long as I can remember.
I	I have been feeling really stressed lately.
We	We have been having a lot of fun on our vacation

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Present Perfect Continuous Tense Exercise PDF

Rewrite the following sentences in the Present Perfect Continuous tense:

1. She (read) a novel for three hours.
2. They (study) French since last year.
3. I (write) the essay since morning.
4. He (wait) for the bus since 4 p.m.
5. We (play) football since the afternoon.

Answer: 1. She has been reading a novel for three hours. 2. They have been studying French since last year. 3. I have been writing the essay since morning. 4. He has been waiting for the bus since 4 p.m. 5. We have been playing football since the afternoon.

Download the Present Perfect Continuous Tense Exercise PDF with Answers

Types of Tenses Chart
Past Tense	Present Tense	Future Tense
Simple Past Tense	Simple Present Tense	Simple Future Tense
Past Continuous Tense	Present Continuous Tense	Future Continuous Tense
Past Perfect Tense	Present Perfect Tense	Future Perfect Tense
Past Perfect Continuous Tense	Present Perfect Continuous Tense	Future Perfect Continuous Tense
Past Unreal (Third Conditional)	Present Unreal (Second Conditional)	Future Unreal (Mixed Conditional)

Explore more exciting reads below:

More from Idioms	More from Synonyms	More from Antonyms
Idioms to Express Sadness	Synonyms of Ephemeral	Antonyms of Misogyny
Idioms to Express Surprise	Synonyms of Welcome	Antonyms of Brave
Idioms to Express Friendship	Synonyms of Cry	Antonyms of Selfish
Idioms to Express Excitement	Synonyms of Huge	Antonyms of Victim
No Pain No Gain Meaning	Synonyms of Jovial	Antonyms of Lazy

This was all about the Present Perfect Continuous Tense Example and its rules. Hope you understand the concept and where it’s used. You can also follow Leverage Edu for more exciting and informative blogs.