Unit 8 Present perfect (4): continuous and simple

Key vocabulary

to realize to relax export regulations recession couple of years express delivery to keep the costs down to make contributions chairman exhibition to work out the figures order form reasonable investment lawyer sites for workshops to work properly to give a pay rise mass wages bill store detective to lose a lot of stock shoplifting to be behind with ones work to do overtime to be dismissed to upset to deserve ink how come = how day off expenses claim

розуміти, усвідомлювати послаблювати обмеження об’ємів експорту економічний спад декілька років кур’єрська (експрес) доставка не збільшувати витрати, не допускати підвищення витрат робити внески голова виставка обробляти дані, прорахувати дані бланк замовлення обоснована інвестиція юрист місця забудови для цехів справно працювати підвищити зарплату безлад фонд заробітної плати поліцейський в магазині втрачати багато товарів крадіжка в магазині відставати в роботі, запізнюватись з виконанням роботи працювати понад нормовано бути звільненим засмучувати, прикро вражати заслуговувати чорнило як вихідний вимога на відшкодування витрат

A Form

The present perfect continuous is formed by the present perfect of be (have been) and the –ing form of the verb.

I/you/we/they have been working/have not (haven’t) been working.

He/she/it has been working/has not (hasn’t) been working.

Have I/you/we/they been working? (Yes, I/you/we/they have. /No, I/you/we/they haven’t.)

Has he/she/it been working? (Yes, he/she/it has. /No he/she/it hasn’t.)

B Unfinished activities

The present perfect continuous is used with for, since, and How long …? And other expressions of duration (e.g., all day), to talk about activities the started happening in the past and are still happening now. The activity may have been going on continuously or repeated several times:

They have been producing cars here for 10 years.

(They started producing cars 10 years ago. They are still producing cars.)

I have been trying to ring them all day.

(I started trying to ring them this morning. I am still trying to ring them.)

However, we normally use the present perfect simple with stative verbs, or about situations we consider permanent (see Unit 3):

Ken has been in London since 9 o’clock this morning. (Not: has been being…)

I have lived in London all my life. (Not: have been living …)

C Finished and unfinished activities

We use the present perfect simple if we are talking about a completed action, particularly if we give details of how much or how many. We use the present perfect continuous when something is still going on:

I’ve written a report for Janet. (It is finished.)

I’ve been writing a report for Janet. (I am still writing it.)

D Negatives

In the negative, the focus on the present perfect simple is on the amount of time that has passed since something happened. The focus of the present perfect continuous is on the verb itself. Compare:

I haven’t had a holiday for two years. (The last time was two years ago.)

I haven’t been felling well recently. (This has been continuing for days.)

E Recently finished activities

We use the present perfect continuous to talk about an activity that was in progress, but has just finished. Normally there is some evidence. Compare:

There’s glass everywhere! Someone has broken the window.

The ground is very wet. It has been reining.

Exercise 1

Form

Complete the sentences by putting the verbs into the present perfect continuous.

1. I didn’t realize you had moved to General Motors. How long have you been working (you/work) for them?

2. We _______ (export) a lot of high technology equipment to Russia since the government relaxed export regulations.

3. The price of cigarettes fell sharply when Philip Morris started a price war, and it _______ (fall) ever since.

4. Because of the recession, many businesses ___________ (not/invest) in capital equipment over the last couple of years.

5. We ________ (not/use) DFT’s Express delivery service very much recently because we are trying to keep over costs down.

6. They ______ (try) to sell their food distribution division, but so far there has been very little interest in it.

7. I_____ (make) contributions to my pension for the last five years.

8. How long _______ (you/send) your trainees on management courses?

Exercise 2

Unfinished activities