Present Perfect Continuous – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You are calling the IT (Information Technology) department. You are very frustrated because the main office printer has been malfunctioning since this morning, and you need to report this ongoing, annoying technical issue. Choose the best option (a, b, or c) to complete the sentences.
1 Hello, IT Support? I’m calling because our main printer ______ properly all morning!
(a) isn’t working
(b) hasn’t been working
(c) hasn’t be working
2 We ______ to print these important legal contracts since 8 AM.
(a) have been trying
(b) are trying
(c) have trying
3 The machine is driving us crazy! It ______ a strange grinding noise for the last two hours.
(a) has make
(b) is making
(c) has been making
4 I ______ the reset button repeatedly, but nothing is happening.
(a) press
(b) have been pressing
(c) have press
5 ______ my urgent emails about this printer issue today?
(a) Are you reading
(b) Do you reading
(c) Have you been reading
6 It’s incredibly frustrating. The printer ______ paper jams constantly since yesterday afternoon.
(a) has been causing
(b) causes
(c) has cause
7 My colleagues and I ______ for an IT technician to come up here all morning.
(a) are waiting
(b) have been waiting
(c) has been waiting
8 Now there’s a new problem. Black ink ______ out of the machine and ruining our documents.
(a) is leaking
(b) have been leaking
(c) has been leaking
9 How long ______ about this network error? It’s completely unacceptable!
(a) have you known
(b) have you been knowing
(c) are you knowing
10 We ______ the paper tray every ten minutes, but the screen still says “Empty”.
(a) check
(b) have been checking
(c) are check
11 The red error light on the display panel ______ continuously since I arrived at the office.
(a) have been blinking
(b) is blinking
(c) has been blinking
12 I ______ to reach the IT director, but his phone line is always busy.
(a) have been calling
(b) am calling
(c) have calling
13 This exact same machine ______ us trouble for the entire month.
(a) is giving
(b) has been giving
(c) have been giving
14 ______ on a solution, or is my department just being ignored?
(a) Are you working
(b) Have you working
(c) Have you been working
15 The office manager ______ to buy a new printer for months, but the company hasn’t approved the budget.
(a) is wanting
(b) has wanted
(c) has been wanting
16 I ______ at these error codes on the screen for half an hour, but they don’t make any sense.
(a) have been staring
(b) am staring
(c) have stare
17 We ______ valuable time and money outsourcing our printing because this machine is useless.
(a) lose
(b) have been losing
(c) have been lost
18 Honestly, this broken printer ______ to the company since 2010 It’s way too old!
(a) has belonged
(b) has been belonging
(c) is belonging
19 Everyone in the marketing team ______ about this delay since they got to work.
(a) complains
(b) have been complain
(c) has been complaining
20 The situation ______ worse and worse since our last phone call. Please send someone immediately!
(a) gets
(b) has been getting
(c) has getting
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): “Hasn’t been working” highlights a continuous failure over a period of time (“all morning”).
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. “Isn’t working” only focuses on this exact second, losing the emphasis on the frustrating duration.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Missing the “-ing” verb form.
2 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): Emphasizes the ongoing, repeated attempts to print since a specific starting point in the past (“since 8 AM”).
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. Present Continuous doesn’t connect the past 8 AM to the present.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Requires the “-ing” form (“trying”).
3 (c)
Explanation:
- Correct (c): Shows an annoying, continuous action happening for a duration (“for the last two hours”).
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. Present Continuous ignores the timeline.
- Incorrect (a): Structural Error. Grammar is incorrect (“make” instead of “making”).
4 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): The Present Perfect Continuous is perfect for describing repeated actions (pressing the button over and over) leading up to now.
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. “Press” states a general habit.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Missing “been” and the “-ing” form.
5 (c)
Explanation:
- Correct (c): Asking if the IT department has been continuously engaged in an action over the recent period (“today”).
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. Asks if they are doing it right now while on the phone.
- Incorrect (b): Structural Error. “Do” cannot be followed by an “-ing” verb.
6 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): The printer is singular, taking “has”, and the action has been continuous since yesterday.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. “Causes” is Present Simple, implying a permanent, normal characteristic rather than a recent ongoing issue.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Missing “been” and “-ing”.
7 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): The subject “My colleagues and I” is plural, taking “have”. It expresses the duration of waiting.
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. “Are waiting” misses the crucial “all morning” context.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Plural subject requires “have”, not “has”.
8 (c)
Explanation:
- Correct (c): “Ink” is uncountable (singular), so it takes “has”. It describes an ongoing messy process.
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. Does not capture the accumulation of the problem over time.
- Incorrect (b): Structural Error. “Ink” takes “has”, not “have”.
9 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): Exception! “Know” is a stative verb (a state of mind). It cannot be used in a continuous tense. We must use Present Perfect Simple.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. Applying the continuous rule to a stative verb.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. “Know” cannot be used in Present Continuous either.
10 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): Emphasizes a frustratingly repeated action (checking every ten minutes) over the recent past.
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. “Check” implies a normal daily routine, not a temporary troubleshooting effort.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. “Are check” is grammatically invalid.
11 (c)
Explanation:
- Correct (c): The action started in the past (“since I arrived”) and is still visibly happening now. “The light” is singular.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. Omits the connection to the arrival time.
- Incorrect (a): Structural Error. Singular subject requires “has”.
12 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): Highlights the repeated, unsuccessful attempts to call over a period of time.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. “Am calling” means doing it exactly at this second.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Missing “been” and requires the “-ing” form.
13 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): “Machine” is singular (“has”). The trouble has been ongoing for “the entire month.”
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. Ignores the duration.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Singular subject requires “has”.
14 (c)
Explanation:
- Correct (c): Questions the ongoing effort of the IT department during this delay.
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. Asking only about the exact present moment.
- Incorrect (b): Structural Error. Missing “been”.
15 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): Exception! “Want” is a stative verb (a feeling/desire). It is not used in continuous tenses. We must use Present Perfect Simple.
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake/Structural Error. “Want” is rarely continuous.
- Incorrect (c): Common Mistake. Applying continuous rules to a stative verb.
16 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): Staring is an active process that takes time, emphasizing the speaker’s continuous confusion.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. Present Continuous does not fit the “for half an hour” time frame.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Wrong verb form entirely.
17 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): Describes an ongoing negative consequence (losing money) happening recently up to now.
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. “Lose” implies a permanent, general fact.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. “Have been lost” is passive voice, meaning we are the ones who got lost.
18 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): Exception! “Belong” is a stative verb (showing ownership). It cannot take the “-ing” form. Use Present Perfect Simple.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. Using continuous forms for verbs of possession.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. “Belong” doesn’t take Present Continuous.
19 (c)
Explanation:
- Correct (c): “Everyone” takes a singular verb (“has”). The complaining is a continuous, ongoing action.
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. Present Simple loses the connection to the time frame (“since they got to work”).
- Incorrect (b): Structural Error. Requires “has” and the “-ing” form.
20 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): Used to describe an evolving or deteriorating situation (getting worse) over a period of time.
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. Present Simple states a general fact, ignoring the specific timeline.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Missing “been” and “-ing”.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
Present Perfect Continuous (have/has been + V-ing) for Complaints
- Expressing Frustration and Annoyance:
This tense is incredibly common in spoken English when you want to complain about a problem. By using the continuous form, you emphasize that an annoying situation has been going on for too long and is still not resolved. - Example: The printer has been making a weird noise all morning! (Focus on the annoyance and duration).
- Repeated Actions:
When an action is repeated over and over recently, causing frustration, we use this tense. - Example: I have been calling IT for hours! (I called multiple times, continuously).
- Key Time Markers:
When reporting an ongoing issue, you almost always pair this tense with time phrases to show how long you have been suffering: - all morning / all day
- for (two hours, a week)
- since (8 AM, yesterday)
- The Stative Verb Exception (Crucial for B1/B2):
Even if you are extremely frustrated, you cannot use verbs of the mind, possession, or emotion (e.g., know, want, belong, need, understand) in the continuous form. You must use Present Perfect Simple. - Correct: I have needed this printed since 9 AM!
- Incorrect: I have been needing this printed since 9 AM!