What is It?
The present perfect continuous tense shows how an action which started in the past is still going on.
When to Use?
Cases |
Examples |
*Show how long an action has taken until now. |
1. Boris and Michael have been talking for the last hour.
2. Gerald has been teaching English at the community college since May. |
*Talk about time spent in a general way. |
1. Recently, I have been running with sheep.
2. She has been watching too much Oprah lately. |
Exceptions
Non-continuous and mixed verbs cannot be used in this tense.
Non-continuous verbs: actions you normally cannot see somebody doing.
Examples: to want, to possess, to belong, to exist
Mixed verbs: actions that can have more than one meaning.
Examples: to appear, to feel, to hear, to look
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