1. Present Perfect Continuous

2. Present Perfect Continuous… Expresses a past action that is continuing into the present  From the past until now Is also referred to as Present Perfect Progressive  “Perfect” implies a “perfected” or “completed” action regardless of when the action took place  “Progressive” implies that the action is on-going, or “in progress”  They have been skating around the issue for hours.  I have been moving books from one shelf to another all day.  He has been grinding his teeth.  She has been high-fiving everyone.

3. Construction Site What you’ll need (in order of appearance):  The auxiliary verb “have” in present tense: has / have Auxiliary verbs are also known as helping verbs  The “be” verb in the past tense: been It may seem strange to combine present and past tense but remember that this is an on-going action from the past to the present.  The main verb of the sentence with the addition of “-ing” at the end  I have been waiting for you for hours.  He has been picking his nose.  They have been watching him while he does it.

4. A note on duration A “duration phrase” often appears at the end of present perfect progressive statements:  The duration phrase brings clarity to the statement by giving a specific amount of time in which the action has progressed:  …for the last two weeks  …for the last two years  …for the last two minutes …but not always…

5. A note on duration Present Perfect Progressive statements without a duration phrase simply imply “lately” as the duration  Using this tense in a question implies that the speaker can observe (feel / smell / hear / see) the results of the action:  Have you been baking pies (lately)?  Have you been working out (lately)?  Have you been flossing (lately)? BEWARE: Present Perfect Progressive statements or questions can be seen as harsh or even insulting, so use them carefully.

6. Extra Exposure Coach has been taking it easy. Lawyers have been briefing Has she been listening? They have been crashing at Sam’s. His performances have been slipping. Citizens have been combing the city for clues.