The Present Perfect Continuous Tense

4. The Present Perfect Continuous Tense            

The Present Perfect Continuous Tense terdapat unsur-unsur dari formasi perfect (have / has) dan continuous ( V1 + ing ) dengan kata been di antara keduanya. Tenses ini digunakan biasanya untuk menyatakan proses kegiatan dilakukan di waktu yang lalu hinga sekarang masih berlanjut. Hal ini berbeda dengan The Present Perfect Tense yang lebih menekankan pada hasil atau akibat.

Pola Kalimat:

(+) S + have/has + been + V1 + ing + O/Adv. 
(-)  S + have/has + not + been + V1 + ing + O/Adv. 
(?) Have/has + S + been + V1 + ing + O/Adv.          

Penggunaan kata bantu (have / has) terhadap subyeknya dan contracted forms dapat Anda lihat penjelasannya pada The Present Perfect Tense.  


Fungsi dan Contoh: 

i. The Present Perfect Continuous Tense digunakan untuk membicarakan kegiatan (tindakan yang cukup lama) yang telah dimulai di waktu lampau dan belum lama selesai atau baru saja berhenti.
 

• You’re out of breath. Have you been running?
• That man over there is bright red. I think he’s been sunbathing.
• Why are your clothes so dirty? What have you been doing?
• I’ve been talking to Tom and he thinks ….
• There is foodstuff in the kitchen. I’m sure someone has been going shopping.
• Dad: I don’t want to go outside. It’s wet on the grasses.
• Mom: I see. Well, how long has the rain been falling down anyway?

 
ii. menyatakan suatu peristiwa yang sudah berlangsung sampai saat  dibicarakan dan masih akan berlanjut terus. 
 

• I have been waiting for Dodo since ten.
• My baby has been sleeping for seven hours.
• How long have you been learning English.
• George hasn’t been feeling very well recently.
• She has been living in the same house since she was born.
• The speaker has been talking for over two hours.
• What has he been doing since eight o’clock? He has been working in the Johnsons’ living room.
• Robert is fixing his car. He has been fixing it since 9:00 this morning.
• She’s been working here since April. (= from April until now )

 
iii. menyatakan kebiasaan yang terjadi akhir-akhir ini.
 

• You have been smoking, heh!
• He has been drinking whiskey nowadays.
• How long has Mike been playing chess?
• I’ve been collecting stamps since I was a child.

 
iv. menyatakan suatu peristiwa yang belum lama terjadi.
 

• The children have been flying kites all afternoon.
• She has been reading novels all day today.
• DAVID: Dad, I’m tired. We’ve been painting since eight o’clock this morning, and my arm is aching.
• Now it’s 11 oclock. How long have the Johnsons been busy? David has been studying since nine-thirty. Ann has been telephoning since ten to eleven. Mike has been painting the chair since ten-thirty. And Alice has been standing in the line since a quarter to eleven.

 
v. menyatakan tindakan yang tidak putus-putus atau henti-hentinya.
 

• I’ve been knocking. I don’t think anybody’s in.
• I’ve been writing letters since breakfast.
• We’ve been painting all weekend!
• Ann has been writing letters all day.
• It’s been raining since I got up this morning.        
• We’ve been having a lot of rain lately.
• She has been waiting to see you since two o’clock (and is still waiting).
• The baby has been crying all morning. 

EXERCISES 
 
I. Choose A, B, C, D, or E as the best answer by crossing (X) it. (Pililah A, B, C, D, atau E jawaban yang paling benar dengan memberi tanda     silang.)     

1. All day long I … been waiting for the telegram.         
A. am                B. was                C. has                D. had             E.have        

2. She has been watering the flowers … an hour.         

A. in                B. for                C. since              D. at              E. on                      

3. He has been working for the same company … 25 years.         
A. for                B. since           C. in                   D. on             E. at          

4. She has been teaching English for 20 years.         
A. What has she been teaching for 20 years?            
B. Why has she been teaching English for 20 years?             
C. Who has she been teaching English for 20 years?         
D. How long has she been teaching English?          
E. Where has she been teaching English for 20 years?            

5. They have been studying math since they were six.         
A. Who have been studying math?         
B. What have they been studying since they were six?         
C. How long have they been studying math?         
D. Where have they been studying math?         
E. Why have they been studying math?     

6. Arrange the following words in a good and correct sentence! ( no. 6 – 8 )         
been/teaching/since/they/have/1970/chemistry  
       
A. They been have teaching chemistry since 1970.          
B. They have teaching been chemistry since 1970.         
C. They have been teaching chemistry since 1970.         
D. They have been chemistry teaching since 1970.         
E. They have been since 1970 teaching chemistry.     

7. Waiting/the bus/Susan/been/for/how long/has/?         
A. How long has Susan waiting for been the bus?         
B. How long has Susan for been waiting the bus?         
C. How long has Susan waiting the bus for been?         
D. How long has Susan been waiting for the bus?         
E. How long has been Susan waiting for the bus? 
               
8. been / the poem / has / who / writing / ? / since / morning / this         
A. Who has writing been the poem since this morning?            
B. Who has writing the poem been since this morning?             
C. Who has been writing the poem since this morning?           
D. Who has been writing the poem this morning since?         
E. Who has been writing this morning since the poem?        

9.  … have you been waiting for me? (2 hours)         
A. Where       B. What      C. How long       D. Who       E. How     

10. … has she been watching? ( TV )            
A. What      B. Who       C. Where            D. When     E. How            

11. We have been … here for three months.            
A. to live      B. live        C. lived               D. lives        E. living        

12. They … working here for six months. They like it.            
A. have been       B. been      C. has       D. was      E. has been     

13. He has … English for three years.            
A. been studying    B. studies   C. study   D. studying   E. has been studying     

14.  … has been snowing.            
A. I         B. You      C. We       D. They       E. It            

15. The negative form of “Andrie and Riky have been playing football for their country”.            
A. Andrie and Riky have been not playing football for their country.            
B. Andrie and Riky not have been playing football for their country.            
C. They have been playing not football for their country.            
D. They not have been playing football for their country.            
E. Andrie and Riky have not been playing for their country.    


II. In this exercise you have to read the situation and then write a sentence with the present perfect continuous (I have been doing). (Dalam latihan ini Anda harus membaca situasinya, kemudian tulis kalimat dengan the present continuous (I have been doing).
 
    Example: 

Tom is out of breath. 
( he / run)                      
He has been running.     

1. Ann is very tired. 
( she / work / hard )         
…………………………………………..     

2. Bob has a black eye and Bill has a cut lip. 
( Bob and Bill / fight )         
…………………………………………..     

3. George has just come back from the beach. He is very red. 
( he / lie / in the sun )         
…………………………………………..     

4. Janet is hot and tired. 
( she / play / tennis )         
…………………………………………..     

5. Aga is sleeping. 
(he / watch / Naruto cartoon film)         
…………………………………………..   

III. In this exercise you have to put in since atau for. (Dalam latihan ini Anda harus memasukkan since atau for.) 
     
1. Tom and I have been talking …………… an hour.     

2. It’s been raining …………… I got up this morning.     

3. Have you been learning English …………… a long time?     

4. Mary has been working in London …………… 18 January.     

5. I’ve been watching television …………… 2 o’clock. 


IV. This time you have to ask a guestion for each situation. (Sekarang Anda harus membuat pertanyaan dari setiap pernyataan.)         

Example: Your friend’s hands are covered in oil. 
(you / work / on the car?)                       

Have you been working on the car?         

1. You see a little boy. His eyes are red and watery. 
(you / cry?)             
………………………………………….         

2. You have just arrived to meet your friend who is waiting for you. 
(you / wait / long?)             
………………………………………….         

3. Your friend comes in. His face and hands are dirty. 
(what / you / do?)             
………………………………………….         

4. Mrs. Mashud is in the kitchen. She is cutting cabbage and cauliflower. 
(she / cook / dinner?)             
………………………………………….         

5. The Koran is in Dea’s hands. Her father is sitting with the legs crossed next to her.              
(she / read / the Koran?)             
………………………………………….
 

This is the end of The Present Perfect Continuous Tense tutorial. Good luck.