Tips for Teaching Present Perfect Continuous Forms
Lessons teaching Present Perfect Continuous forms should first start with verb conjugation and then the forms of the tense. The function should also be taught.
This page provides an overview to teach the Present Perfect Continuous forms, conjugation and functions. The Present Perfect Continuous is also called the Present Perfect Progressive. It depends on the grammar book and the teacher, but they are both the same thing. I use Azar's Understanding and Using English Grammar for my high intermediate to advanced students.
For a thorough discussion on how to teach verb tenses to ESL and EFL students, see Teaching ESL Verb Tenses.
Present Perfect Continuous Tense Conjugation
The Present Perfect Continuous (or Present Perfect Progressive) is constructed this way:
subject + have/has been + -ing.
The conjugation is fairly simple. However, the ESL student must remember to use "has" for the third person, and there are more parts for the ESL student to keep in order.
Here are some examples of Present Perfect Continuous verbs with I, you, he/she/it, they, and we.
1. I have been talking. I have been walking. I have been dancing. I have been eating.
2. You have been talking. You have been walking. You have been dancing. You have had been eating.
3. She/He/It has been talking. She/He/It has been walking. She/He/It has been dancing. She/He/It has been eating.
4. They have been talking. They have been walking. They have been dancing. They have been eating.
5. We have been talking. We have been walking. We have been dancing. We have been eating.
Present Perfect Continuous Forms
Here are the Present Perfect Continuous forms the English language learner must learn.
1. Affirmative Usage (e.g., She has been studying English as a Foreign language for four years.)
2. Negative Usage (e.g., She has not been living here since 2005.)
3. Yes/No Questions (e.g., Have you been playing tennis for very long?)
4. Short Answers (e.g., Yes, she has. No, she hasn't.)
5. WH- Questions (e.g., When have they been backpacking through Europe?)
Present Perfect Continuous Tense Functions
The Present Perfect Continuous has two functions. The first function is to show the duration of an activity that began in the past and continues until the present time.
Here are some examples of this tense using this first function:
She has been working on this project for three years.
They have been acting strangely since they arrived.
The second function is to talk about something that has been in progress recently or lately.
Here are some examples of this tense using the second function:
You look great! Have you been working out lately?
I've been thinking about taking a trip to South America.
ESL Student Challenges
The biggest challenge ESL or EFL students will be deciding when to use Present Perfect Continuous forms or the Present Perfect forms. One of the functions of the Present Perfect is to talk about an activity that has begun in the past and continues until the present.
This is the same function as the Present Perfect Progressive.
The thing to stress to students is that the Continuous (or Progressive) tense is used when you want to emphasize the duration of an activity that started in the past and continues until now.
Also, there is very little difference in meaning with verbs like "teach," "live" and "work" when "for" or "since" are used. For example, "I have been teaching ESL to adults for ten years," and "I have taught ESL to adults for ten years." Both of these sentences have the same meaning.
for my high intermediate to advanced students.
