Present Perfect: simple & continuous

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 1

The present perfect links the past to the present.

The present perfect links the past to the present.

simple:       I have eaten     -      She has eaten

continuous:     I have been eating     - She has been eating

simple: I have eaten - She has eaten

continuous: I have been eating - She has been eating

Present Perfect

How does it work?

How does it work?

Present Perfect

have/has + past participle

Started in the past, still going on now. Emphasis on result

I have done my homework.

Present Perfect Continuous

have/has + verb + ing

Started in the past, still going on now. Emphasis on how long it is taking.

I have been doing my homework for 2 hours now!

Perfect tenses

• "undone" - something is unfinished 
• uses a form of be + verb-ing 

• connects to the past
• "done doing" - something is complete
• uses a form of have

Continuous tenses

Present Perfect

have/has + past participle

Started in the past, still going on now. Emphasis on result

I have done my homework.

Present Perfect Continuous

have/has + verb + ing

Started in the past, still going on now. Emphasis on how long it is taking.

I have been doing my homework for 2 hours now!

Present Perfect Continuous

FORM: have/has + been + -ing verb

I have been doing my homework 

for two hours now!

Present Perfect

have/has + past participle

Started in the past, still going on now. Emphasis on result

I have done my homework.

Present Perfect Continuous

have/has + verb + ing

Started in the past, still going on now. Emphasis on how long it is taking.

I have been doing my homework for 2 hours now!

Present Perfect Continuous

• Actions which started in the past and continue into the present. Emphasis: how long it is taking.

             I have been waiting for her since 8 o’clock.

• Events which lasted for some time (and may continue into the present) and whose results can be seen now:

                                        I’m tired because I’ve been painting all day.

USE:

Present Perfect

have/has + past participle

Started in the past, still going on now. Emphasis on result

I have done my homework.

Present Perfect Continuous

have/has + verb + ing

Started in the past, still going on now. Emphasis on how long it is taking.

I have been doing my homework for 2 hours now!

I have been doing my homework for two hours now!

Visual Representation

Present Perfect

have/has + past participle

Started in the past, still going on now. Emphasis on result

I have done my homework.

Present Perfect Continuous

have/has + verb + ing

Started in the past, still going on now. Emphasis on how long it is taking.

I have been doing my homework for 2 hours now!

Present Perfect Simple

FORM: have/has + past participle

I have done my homework.

Present Perfect

have/has + past participle

Started in the past, still going on now. Emphasis on result

I have done my homework.

Present Perfect Continuous

have/has + verb + ing

Started in the past, still going on now. Emphasis on how long it is taking.

I have been doing my homework for 2 hours now!

Present Perfect Simple

• We use the Present Perfect Simple to focus on an achievement or the result of an action. 

• Questions in the Present Perfect Simple often begin with how many: How many books has he written?

USE:

Present Perfect

have/has + past participle

Started in the past, still going on now. Emphasis on result

I have done my homework.

Present Perfect Continuous

have/has + verb + ing

Started in the past, still going on now. Emphasis on how long it is taking.

I have been doing my homework for 2 hours now!

Visual Representation

I have done my homework. (Result = NOW my homework is finished.)

10 years ago ->   

|-many years-------|

 2 hours ago ->|----waiting------|

Note 1

1. Sometimes there is no difference in meaning between the Present Perfect Simple and the Present Perfect Continuous.
   

How long have you lived here?      

How long have you been living here?

 

Note 2

Some verbs have the idea of a long time - 

wait, work, travel, learn, play. 

These verbs can often be found in the Present Perfect Continuous: 

I've been waiting all day. 

Note 3

Some verbs don't have the idea of a long time: find, start, buy, die, lose, break, stop. It is unusual to find these verbs in the Present Perfect Continuous: 

My cat has died. 

My iPad's broken. 

I' ve bought a puppy. 

Note 4 

If the sentence gives a number in a quantity, the Present Perfect Simple is used. The Continuous is not possible.

I've been writing emails all morning. I've written twenty.

NOT I've been writing twenty

I______ the house this summer.

1. have been decorating
2. have decorated

I_____ the house blue.

1. have been painting
2. have painted

I _____ that book you lent me. I finished it yesterday.

1. am reading
2. has read
3. have read
4. will read

I _____ that book you lent me. I have still got another 50 pages to read.

1. read
2. have read
3. have been reading
4. have reading

She ______ emails for 3 hours now.

1. wrote
2. has written
3. is writing
4. has been writing

Celebrity Guess

You are going to spend 5 minutes researching a celebrity. 

Write ten statements describing that person using the present perfect continuous. For example, ‘She has been starring in films since she was four years old’. 

Then we will take turns reading your lists to the class until the class is able to guess the celebrity being described.