Click to set custom HTML
Present perfect progressive
A
close relative of the present perfect, the present perfect progressive,
emphasizes the continuation of a single action: it indicates that the action is
ongoing or continuing at the moment one is speaking. The form — relatively
complicated — consists of the past auxiliary "to have" +
"been" (the past participle of "to be") +
the present participle of the principal verb.
For
example:
· I have been trying to reach you all afternoon.
· They have been working hard to finish their project.
· I have been trying to reach you all afternoon.
· They have been working hard to finish their project.
Structure
- Affirmative Sentences
- Negative Sentences
- Interrogative Sentences
Use of Present Perfect Progressive
- puts emphasis on the duration or course of an action (not the result). Example: She has been writing for two hours.
- action that recently stopped or is still going on. Example: I have been living here since 2001.
- finished action that influenced the present. Example: I have been working all afternoon.