PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS EXERCISE 1 (ESL)

level: Intermediate (B1/B2)

✓ Useful for IELTS ✓ Useful for Cambridge B2/C1

The present perfect continuous (have/has been + verb-ing) is used to emphasise how long an action has been in progress, often with for or since. It also highlights that an activity is ongoing or has recently stopped. The grammar review below explains when to use it and how it differs from the present perfect simple. This is exercise 1 of 2.

GRAMMAR REVIEW! Present perfect continuous — duration and ongoing actions

The present perfect continuous is used when an action started in the past and either is still continuing now, or has just recently stopped but has a clear connection to the present.

Structure:
I/you/we/they → have been + verb-ing
he/she/it → has been + verb-ing

Main use — expressing duration:
Used with for (a length of time) or since (a starting point) to emphasise how long something has been happening.
I have been waiting here for an hour. (still waiting)
She has been working at that company since 2020. (still works there)

Contrast with the present perfect simple:
The present perfect simple focuses on the result; the continuous focuses on the duration or process.
I have read that book. (result — I finished it)
I have been reading that book. (process — I’m still reading it)

READY TO PRACTICE? LET’S GO!

Complete each sentence with the correct present perfect continuous form of the verb given.

1. Jim started playing football three years ago. → Jim football for three years.

2. My brother started running two years ago. → My brother for two years.

3. We started learning English three years ago. → We English for three years.

4. My neighbor started living here one year ago. → My neighbor here for one year.

5. I started watching this movie one hour ago. → I this movie for one hour.

6. They started working four hours ago. → They for four hours.

7. My sister started sleeping one hour ago. → My sister for one hour.

8. The teacher started talking 30 minutes ago. → The teacher for 30 minutes.

9. My sister and her friend started listening to music 20 minutes ago. → My sister and her friend to music for 20 minutes.

10. The children began playing two hours ago. → The children for two hours.

11. I began living there three years ago. → I there for three years.

12. My cousins started traveling two months ago. → My cousins for two months.

13. I started studying German in 2019. → I German since 2019.

14. My grandfather started sleeping two hours ago. → My grandfather for two hours.

15. I started working yesterday. → I since yesterday.

16. They began teaching Japanese five years ago. → They Japanese for five years.

17. We started listening to the podcast 45 minutes ago. → We to the podast for 45 minutes.

18. I began painting houses three years ago. → I houses for three years.

19. Jim started working as a plumber a couple of years ago. → Jim as a plumber for a couple of years.

20. My cousin began shopping an hour ago. → My cousin for an hour.

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER VERB TENSE EXERCISES:
Present perfect continuous 1 (I)
Present perfect continuous 2 (B)
Simple past or present perfect? 1 (I)
Simple past or present perfect? 2 (I)
Simple past or present perfect? 3 (I)
Simple present or present continuous? 1 (I)
Simple present or present continuous? 2 (I)
Past perfect 1 (I)
Mixed verb tenses 1 (I)
Mixed verb tenses 2 (I)
Mixed verb tenses 3 (I)

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