when to use have been

Question

I have read that we use "have been" with the present perfect continuous as in the formula [has/have + been + present participle], e.g.,

You have been waiting here for two hours.

But sometimes I read sentences formed as [has/have + been + v3], e.g.,

the forest has been cleared .

I am confused about what the second formula is and in which cases we should use it.

The latter example is incorrect. The forest has been cleared is fine; it is an example of the passive usage. — Edwin Ashworth, Jan 03 '15 at 12:24
It's still incorrect. "The forest has been cleared" or "They have been clearing the forest" would both be possible, but "They have been cleared the forest" doesn't make sense. — Jon Hanna, Jan 03 '15 at 12:46

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 03 '15 at 13:25

Are you asking for the difference between:

"They have been clearing the forest" and: "They have cleared the forest"?

If so, it's fairly simple: the continuous form ('-ing') implies 'continuation' i.e. the activity is still continuing or we simply don't know if the activity has finished yet. 'Have cleared' is clearly past tense. Therefore the activity ended.

Consider:

"They've been cleaning all day" (Have they finished? Don't know) "They cleaned all day" (Have they finished? Yes)

score 1 · Answer 2 · edited Jun 16 '20 at 09:11

Present perfect simple or present perfect continuous? We use the present perfect simple, not continuous:

1 if the action is finished and complete. I've written a letter; I've learnt a new piece on the piano. I can play it now.

Present perfect continuous form

I've been learning Russian, but I can't speak it well.

2 if we want to say how often an action has happened. She's broken her leg three times.

3 with state verbs (like, love, know, etc). I've known Joe for years. (NOT I've been knowing Joe for years.)

when to use have been

2 Answers2