English Language Learners Stack Exchange
English Language Learners Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [present-perfect-progressive]

181 questions
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5 answers

Why can't we say "I have been having a dog"?

So I can say "I have been playing the guitar since I was 6" but "I have been having a dog since I was 6" sounds incorrect. Why?
Hannah
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Can "has been smoking" be used in this situation?

If someone has smoked one cigarette in a room and I can smell it, can I say "someone has been smoking here" even though it was only one cigarette? Another example is if my neighbour's cat has peed in my garden once, can I say "your cat has been…
anouk
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what happens in the following I have been traveling since I was ten years old

I have been working on The Present Perfect Continuous Tense recently, I saw the following I have been traveling since I was ten years old. I have been learning that the Present Perfect Continuous Tense is used to describe something that started…
tcvduc
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1 answer

present perfect continuous for an action recently stopped

The present perfect continuous can be used for an action that has just stopped, but has a present result, for example: I have been gardening (my hands are covered in soil) or it has been raining (the streets are wet). My question is: if there has…
anouk
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"just" in present perfect continuous

When someone says these following sentences without the word "just", I think we don't know for sure whether the action is still ongoing or has just stopped. But when they add the word "just", do they clearly mean the action has just stopped or…
Stephen
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I'm unsure if I am using the present perfect continuous correctly here

Let's say that I arrived in England one month ago, and I'm going to stay two months longer. If someone asks me where I live, can I say "I've been living in England for one month" despite the fact that I'm going to stay a little bit longer?
Mateusz Pejas
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How to emphasise that a new habit was developed?

How to talk about habit that was developed lately? If I want to say that lately I have developed habit of running (using present perfect progressive) I would say: I have been running a lot lately. But how to rephrase this sentence if I need to add…
bridgemnc
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Present perfect progressive VS present perfect simple

I've encountered this sentence in my Cambridge grammar handbook: How long ___(you/have) that bad cough? I used Present perfect continuous while there is mentioned only Present perfect simple in the answers. In my view, both of them are right; I…
ანო ანო
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present perfect continuous to complain?

If someone has spilt coffee over my couch, can I say "who has been spilling coffee over my couch?!", using the present perfect continuous to complain?
anouk
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Does present perfect continuous imply that the action/event is ongoing if the duration is given?

In my grammar book the following examples for present perfect continuous (PPC) are given: Example no. 1: Is it raining? No, but the ground is wet. It's been raining. ( = It has been ... ) In this example, it is not raining any longer at the…
Min-Soo Pipefeet
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have been thinking / have thought

I have been thinking about you Would mean that currently I am still thinking about her but we do not have a period. I have been thinking about you since I met you. This sentence implies I'm still thinking about her I have thought about you I…
safarie
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I have been reading a lot of/several books since last month

I think sentence 1 is incorrect, but 2 is correct (though I doubt 2); 3 is incorrect, but 4 is correct. Do you think so? I can't explain the reason. Can you please tell me why? I have been reading ten books since last month. I have been reading a…
Stephen
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I've been running three times a week

I read this conversation in an English textbook. I don't think the italicized part is correct. I've had an impression that present perfect continuous can't go with times or frequency. A: How have you been feeling recently? B: Great! I've been…
Stephen
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he's been taking a shower for ten minutes

I think "shower" can be used with present perfect continuous. Can "take a shower" work the same way? Probably not, because "take a shower" means to start a shower. He's been showering for ten minutes. I can't use the bathroom. He's been taking a…
Stephen
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Is it idiomatic to write “have been having a holiday”?

Is it idiomatic to use "have been having a holiday"? We have had a vacation since last week. / We have been on vacation since last week. We have been having a vacation since last week. Are they the same in their meaning? How would be better to say…
Sergei
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