It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any "continuous" tenses.
FORM Present Perfect Continuous
[HAS / HAVE] + [BEEN] + [VERB+ing]
EXAMPLES:
I have
been waiting here for two hours
.
She has only been
studying English for two years
.
NOTE:
When you are using a verb tense with more than one part such as Present Perfect Continuous (has been studying), adverbs often come between the first part and the second part (has only been studying).
USE 1 Duration from the Past Until Now
We use
the Present Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and
has continued up until now. "For five minutes", "for
two weeks", and "since Tuesday
" are all durations which can be used with the Present Perfect Continuous.
EXAMPLES:
They
have been talking for the last hour
.
She has been working at that company for three years
.
James has been
teaching at the University since
June.
USE 2 Began in the past and just stoped
We use the present perfect continuous when we talk about action
(quite a long action) which began in the past and has recently stopped
or just stopped
EXAMPLES:
You are out of breath. Have you
been running
?
Why are you clothes so
dirty? What have you been doing
?
I've been tolking to Tom about your problem
and he
thinks ... .
USE 3 Recently, Lately
(íåäàâíî)
You can use the Present Perfect Continuous WITHOUT a duration such as "for five minutes", "for two weeks", and "since Tuesday". Without the durations, the this tense gives a more general meaning of "lately". We often use the words "lately" or "recently" in the sentence to strengthen this meaning.
EXAMPLES:
Recently, I
have been feeling
really tired.
She
has been watching
too much television lately.
Mary has been feeling
a little depressed.
IMPORTANT
Remember that the Present Perfect Continuous has the meaning of "lately" or "recently." If you use the Present Perfect Continuous in a question such as "Have you been feeling alright?", it suggests that the person looks sick or unhealthy. A question such as "Have you been smoking?" suggests that you can smell the smoke on the person. Using this tense in a question suggests you can see, smell, hear, or feel the results of the action. It is possible to insult someone by using this tense incorrectly.
IMPORTANT Non-Continuous Verbs/ Mixed Verbs
It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. To express the idea of Present Perfect Continuous with these exception verbs, you must use Present Perfect.
EXAMPLES:
Sam has been having his car for two years.
Not Correct
Sam has
had his
car for two years.
Correct
USE 4 How long ... ?
Use PP or PPC to ask or say how long something has been happening.
EXAMPLES:
How long has it
been raining?
It's
been raining since one o'clock.
How long have Tom and Ann
known each other?
