Perfect Continuous Tense Forms (Present, Past and Future)

Exercise 19 p. 216 Study the following chart.

I	1 2	She has been waiting to see you since morning. They have been studying English for three years.
II	3 4 5	When I came to work at the Institute she had been teaching there for ten years already. She said that she had been working at this factory since 1980. He had been living in Kiev up to 1991 and then he moved to Moscow.
III	6	By this time next year he will have been lectur­ing on the subject for five years.1

Exercise 20 p. 217 Ask questions indicated at the end of the sentences.

1. I have been working on the problem for three years. (How long?) 2. We had been walking for hours before we saw the lake. (How long?) 3. It has been raining since morning. (Since when?) 4. I don't want to go out this evening. I've been working in the garden all day. (Who?) 5. We have been making chemical experiments for the past few days. (What experiments?) 6. By the time she comes, he will have been staying at the hotel for two days. (How long?) 7. He said he had been taking English lessons since he was a boy. (Since what time?) 8. You have been hiding from me lately. (Why?) 9. For the past few minutes he has been trying to make her understand that she is wrong. (What?)

Exercise 21 p. 217 Use the Present Perfect Continuous tense form in the following sentences, make use of the adverbial modifiers suggested in the brackets (watch the change in meaning).

Model 1: He has already written this letter. (since morning)

He has been writing this letter since morning.

1. They have already built the theatre. (for two years) 2. We have discussed all these problems (the whole month) 3. I've helped her with her work. (since she came to this office) 4. He has just read this book. (all week) 5. She has taught them how to do it. (for years) 6. What has happened here? (while I have been away) 7. Has he read the book? (long). 8. I've looked through today's newspapers. (since the postman brought them)

Model 2: They are playing tennis now. (since lunch time)

They have been playing tennis since lunch time.

1. It's snowing hard. (since early morning) 2. I am looking for a book which I've put somewhere. (since I returned from the office) 3. She is wearing a brown hat today. (for three years) 4. They are making tractors at this factory (since 1935) 5. They are translating an article from the Morning Star now. (for two hours) 6. The baby is crying. (all morning) 7. I am reading David Copperfield now. (this week) 8. She is waiting for you in the hall. (for twenty minutes)

Exercise 22 p. 217 Answer the following questions, using the Present Perfect Continuous Tense¹.

Model: Why are you looking so hot? (to run all the way)

I've been running all the way.

1. Why are you so excited? (argue) 2. Why are her eyes red? (cry) 3. Why does he look so tired? (work hard lately) 4. What's so funny? Why are you laughing? (Peter, tell his funny stories again) 5. Why do you keep silent? (sorry, think over your words) 6. What are you doing here? (wait for a friend) 7. Why do you look so pale? (smoke too much today) 8. Why are you late? (walk all the way, something has happened on the trolley-bus line) 9. Why are your hands covered with paint? (paint the door)

Exercise 23 p. 218 Repeat and expand the following statements, using the Present Perfect Continuous Tense.

Model They feel very tired. (work very hard)

They feel very tired. They have been working very hard.

1. The pavements are wet. (rain) 2. I've got wet to the skin. (walk in the rain) 3. My throat is dry. (talk much) 4. He is wearing shorts. (play football) 5. They are talking very excitedly. (watch a very interesting match) 6. She is still looking pale and ill. (stay in hospital for a long time) 7. He is playing table-tennis today very well. (practise a lot) 8. She's got a camera in her hand. (take photographs) 9. He's got paint all over him. (paint the house) 10. They've got brown. (lie in the sun) 11. They feel very tired. (travel all day) 12. You look pale. (smoke too much again) 13. I feel stiff. (sit for a long time)

Exercise 24 p. 218 Begin the following sentences with: 'I wondered', 'he asked', 'she said', etc.

1. Has she been waiting for me long? 2. I have been thinking things over and now I've made up my mind at last. 3. How long has the child been sleeping? 4. He has been lecturing since the beginning of term. 5. What have you been doing in my absence? 6. I've been reading this book for a week.

Exercise 25 p. 218 Practise the Past Perfect Continuous Tense according to the model.

Model 1: He was short of breath because (run all the way)

He was short of breath because he had been running all the way.

1. His hands were dirty (work in the garden) 2. She passed all her examinations very well (study hard throughout the term) 3. He was behind the class (not study properly) 4. Her eyes were red (cry) 5. She got used to his strange ways (live together for a long time) 6. She looked half asleep (rest)

Model 2: They drove for three hours. Then they stopped for lunch.

After they had been driving for three hours, they stopped for lunch.

1. We walked for an hour. Then we understood that we had taken the wrong road. 2. He waited for her for half an hour. Then he went away. 3. He worked at the laboratory for five years. Then he changed his job. 4. I thought the matter over for quite some time. Then I took a decision. 5. He looked through the latest newspapers and magazines for some time. Then he sat down to his report. 6. She watched the television late into the night. Then she could not sleep.