Present perfect continuous vs simple

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 3

Welcome!

Please have a seat, take out your material and put your bag on the floor

Lesson plan

1. Grammar time
2. DIY
3. If possible: game

Grammar time!

Present perfect continuous

 + VS present perfect simple

Examples

I have been working on my house for weeks now. It's still not done!

 She has been waiting for the bus for a while now. She's still hopeful. I'm not.

Someone's been eating my chips!

What does the present perfect continuous consist of?

Create a negative sentence:
They have been cooking all day

Create a question:
They have been cooking all day

When do we use the present perfect continuous?

1. I have been travelling since October
2. We've been working  out so we're a bit sweaty

1. Unfinished actions = started in the past and is still continuing
2. A long action in the past with a consequence

Up next:

present perfect simple VS present perfect continuous

Compare

I have lived here since 2016

VS

I have been living here for five years

Present perfect simple

have/has + past participle (voltooid deelwoord) 

What's the same?
I have lived here since 2016
VS I have been living here for five years

1. Finished action
2. Past action with a result
3. Action that started in the past + still going
4. Past action with a future plan

What's different?
1) I have lived here since 2016
VS 2) I've been living here for five years

1. 1 is postive, 2 is negative
2. In 1 action is important, in 2 time
3. 1 is planning on staying, 2 is not
4. There is no difference. English is confusing

Conclusion

When you want to focus on:

The action          present perfect simple

The duration of the action          present perfect continuous

What's the same?

We are sad because our grandfather has passed away 

VS

We are tired because we have been working hard

Both action with consequence

What's different? We are sad because our grandfather has passed away VS We are tired because we have been working hard

Dying can only happen once

Working hard can/should happen multiple times

What's going on?
OMG! I've lost my phone!

For actions that have happened in the past but don't know when exactly --> use the present perfect simple

Compare

The students have been working on their homework so far

VS

The students have just completed their homework

For things that have just ended --> present perfect simple

For contuining actions: --> present perfect continuous

Signal words continuous:

• lately
• for hours
• all day
• for ages
• for a long time now
• because
• so
• Etc.

simple:

• just
• yet
• (n)ever
• already
• so far
• up to now
• recently
• since
• for

Watch out! Signal words are helpful but not gospel

Ask the following questions:

1. Do I have a signal word?
   Yes? Determine which tense. No? Go to question 2
2. Has it ended recently? 
   Yes? Use present perfect simple. No? Question 3
3. Has it happened but don't know when?
   Yes? Present perfect simple. No? Question 4
4. Did it happen once or is it a regular routine?
   Once? Present perfect simple. Routine? Continuous. Neither? Question 5 
5. What's more important? Time or the action?
   Action? Present perfect simple. Time? Present perfect continuous

Your turn!

Do the grammar exercises online
Red score? I'll delete your score mwuahaha

Orange score? Getting there

Green score? Teacher happy =D