English learners may find it daunting to differentiate between Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous. Indeed, in some cases, these two tenses are interchangeable. To take an example, ‘I have been living in Hong Kong for 2 years’ has the same meaning as ‘I have lived in Hong Kong for 2 years.’ It is basically a matter of how different English varieties use tense to make meaning. Those speaking standard British English (BE) tend to use Present Perfect Continuous more often than those speaking standard American English (AE). If we want to talk about how long we live in a city, BE speakers tend to say ‘I have been living in Paris for 2 years.’ For AE speakers, however, they tend to say ‘I have lived in Paris for 2 years.’ There could be more complex differences in terms of its use depending on what dialects a person uses and their educational background. While it appears to English learners that these 2 tenses are similar in meaning, they could convey subtle differences in meaning and could not be used interchangeably in some situations. This blogpost is going to explain the use of Present Perfect Continuous as supposed to Present Perfect.
What is the Aspect of Perfect Continuous?
Perfect Continuous, as its name can tell, is a combination of two aspects – the Perfect and the Continuous. It relates a temporary, ongoing process which progresses for a certain time to a subsequent point of time either in the past, the present, or the future. Look at the following examples:
- I have been doing my writing for 2 hours. (Present Perfect Continuous)
- I had been doing my writing for 2 hours before the teacher said ‘Times-up’. (Past Perfect Continuous)
- I will have been doing my writing for 2 hours by 2 pm tomorrow. (Future Perfect Continuous)
Perfect, however, is an aspect of relating a completed process to a subsequent time either in the past, the present, or the future. It features the use of the verb ‘have’ plus the Past Participle. Look at the following examples:
- I have finished the writing. (Present Perfect)
- I had finished the writing by 2pm yesterday. (Past Perfect)
- I will have finished the project by 2pm tomorrow. (Future Perfect)
How do we form the Present Perfect Continuous?
Present Perfect Continuous is formed by using ‘have/has been’ plus the Present Participle (-ing form). Look at the following examples:
- I have been doing my writing for 2 hours. (+)
- She hasn’t been doing her writing. (-)
- Has she been doing her writing? (?)
When do we use Present Perfect Continuous?
We use Present Perfect Continuous if we talk about ongoing processes which started in the past and is related to the subsequent present. Look at the following examples:
- Jess lost her doll 2 days ago and since then she has been crying.
- I have been marking the exam all morning.
- It’s cold here. It has been snowing for more than a week.
In example 1, the process of ‘crying’ started 2 days ago and is performed occasionally till the present, thus using Present Perfect Continuous.
In example 2, the process of ‘marking’ started at an unknown point of time in the past and is still going on throughout the morning.
In example 3, the process of ‘snowing’ started a week ago and is still progressing at this moment.
How does Present Perfect Continuous differ from Present Perfect?
We use Present Perfect to talk about processes which are completed but related to anything subsequent at present. Look at the following example:
- Jess has lost her doll and so she is crying now.
- I have been to Thailand three times only.
In example 1, the process of ‘losing’ is completed. However, it is related to the present process of ‘crying’, thus using Present Perfect.
In example, 2, the process of ‘being’ to Thailand is completed. However, as we are talking about traveling experiences from the past till the present, we use Present Perfect.
Therefore, to keep it simple, we use Present Perfect Continuous to emphasize the duration of a process; it answers the question of ‘how long’ a process is performed. We use Present Perfect to emphasise the completion and frequency of a process; it answers the question of ‘how many (times)’ a process is performed.
Figure 1 – Meaning of Present Perfect
Figure 2 – Meaning of Present Perfect Continuous
Are there any signal words when using Present Perfect Continuous
Like Present Perfect, the signal words are usually adverbs or prepositional phrases which relate a point in the past to the subsequent present. However, they usually convey a circumstance of duration and answer the questions ‘how long’. They include, lately, recently, since 1993, for 10 years, all morning / afternoon, etc.
What are some of the common mistakes people make when using Present Perfect Continuous?
Students may find it difficult to figure out the use of Subject Verb Agreement. In other words, they confuse ‘have’ with ‘has’. We only use ‘has’ after third-person singular pronouns / singular nouns. Some students may also find it challenging to figure out the spelling rules of -ing, thus making mistakes such as ‘swiming’.
In term of pronouncing ‘have been verb-ing’, learners tend to pronounce every single sound, creating a staccato effect to the speech. However, we usually use a short form for all the function words. Instead of saying I have, we tend to say ‘I’ve’; instead of using the long vowel /i:/ in ‘been’, we tend to use the short vowel /ɪ/. For the -ing sound, we tend to replace the /ŋ/ sound in the end with an /n/ sound for ease of articulation.