Present Perfect Continuous – English Grammar Exercises for B1
Your friend just arrived at your house. You open the door looking exhausted, sweating, and covered in dust. You need to explain what you have been doing that caused you to look like this. Choose the best option (a, b, or c) to complete the sentences.
1 Sorry I look like a mess! I ______ the house all morning.
(a) am cleaning
(b) have been cleaning
(c) have be cleaning
2 You look shocked by my appearance. What ______ I was doing?
(a) you have been thinking
(b) are you thinking
(c) have you been thinking
3 Come in, but don’t mind the dust. I ______ out the old garage.
(a) have sorting
(b) have been sorting
(c) sort
4 My hands are completely black because I ______ old boxes.
(a) have been moving
(b) has been moving
(c) am moving
5 Wow, you must think I look terrible. ______ that I’m sweating?
(a) Are you noticing
(b) Have you noticing
(c) Have you been noticing
6 I definitely need to take a shower. I ______ the kitchen floor for an hour.
(a) am scrubbing
(b) have been scrubbing
(c) have been scrub
7 Look at my dirty clothes! I ______ to fix the leaky pipe in the basement.
(a) have try
(b) have been trying
(c) try
8 I’m out of breath right now because I ______ heavy furniture up the stairs.
(a) have been carrying
(b) have carry
(c) carried
9 The living room smells strongly of paint because I ______ the walls.
(a) paint
(b) have been paint
(c) have been painting
10 My lower back really hurts now. I ______ over to pick up trash since 8 AM.
(a) have been bending
(b) am bending
(c) have bend
11 Why is your face so red? ______ the heavy carpet by yourself?
(a) Did you lifted
(b) Have you been lifting
(c) Are you lifting
12 I ______ the garden in the backyard, which explains the mud on my shoes.
(a) have been weed
(b) weed
(c) have been weeding
13 Please excuse the mess in the hallway. I ______ down the old shelves.
(a) have been taking
(b) am taking
(c) have take
14 I’m completely exhausted. I ______ nonstop to get this place ready for your visit!
(a) have been rushed
(b) rush
(c) have been rushing
15 I ______ to assemble this new dining table, but as you can see, I still haven’t finished.
(a) have tried
(b) have been try
(c) have been trying
16 I’m so tired. I ______ that this attic was dirty, but I didn’t expect this much dust!
(a) have known
(b) have been knowing
(c) am knowing
17 My arms are completely dead. I ______ the windows ______ two hours!
(a) have been washing / since
(b) have been washing / for
(c) have washing / for
18 You caught me in the middle of a huge task. I ______ out the closets, but I’m only halfway done.
(a) have cleared
(b) have been clearing
(c) am been clearing
19 Look at me! ______ all this time? I look like I just ran a marathon!
(a) What you have been doing
(b) What have you been doing
(c) What are you doing
20 I’m covered in cobwebs because I ______ in the dark corners of the attic.
(a) have been crawling
(b) was been crawling
(c) crawled
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): “Have been cleaning” perfectly links the past continuous action to the present visible result (looking like a mess).
- Incorrect (a): Present Continuous (“am cleaning”) is a common mistake. It only focuses on what is happening right this second, ignoring the duration of “all morning”.
- Incorrect (c): Basic grammar error. The structure requires “been”, not “be”.
2 (c)
Explanation:
- Correct (c): “Have you been thinking” emphasizes an ongoing thought process leading up to this exact moment.
- Incorrect (b): Common mistake. Present Continuous (“are you thinking”) ignores the period before the friend arrived.
- Incorrect (a): Grammar error. The subject and auxiliary verb must be inverted for a question (“have you”).
3 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): The action of sorting caused the present dust.
- Incorrect (c): Common mistake. Present Simple (“sort”) expresses a general habit, not the specific recent activity causing the mess.
- Incorrect (a): Grammar error. Missing the word “been”.
4 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): Highlights the physical process (moving boxes) that left a visible trace (black hands).
- Incorrect (c): Common mistake. Present Continuous means doing it right now, but the person is currently greeting their friend at the door.
- Incorrect (b): Grammar error. The pronoun “I” must take “have”, not “has”.
5 (c)
Explanation:
- Correct (c): Focuses on the friend’s ongoing observation over the last few minutes.
- Incorrect (a): Common mistake. “Are you noticing” asks about a split second, missing the continuous awkwardness of the situation.
- Incorrect (b): Grammar error. Missing “been” before the V-ing form.
6 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): Shows a tiring action over a duration (“for an hour”) leading to the need for a shower.
- Incorrect (a): Common mistake. “Am scrubbing” implies doing it while talking, which is impossible.
- Incorrect (c): Grammar error. Requires the V-ing form (“scrubbing”).
7 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): Trying to fix the pipe is an exhausting process that resulted in dirty clothes.
- Incorrect (c): Common mistake. Present Simple (“try”) states a fact/habit, entirely missing the recent continuous context.
- Incorrect (a): Grammar error. Missing “been” and V-ing.
8 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): The Present Perfect Continuous focuses on the process of carrying, which caused the loss of breath.
- Incorrect (c): Common mistake. Past Simple (“carried”) just states a completed historical fact and disconnects the action from the present physical state.
- Incorrect (b): Grammar error. Missing “been” + V-ing.
9 (c)
Explanation:
- Correct (c): The strong smell of paint is the direct present result of the recent continuous action.
- Incorrect (a): Common mistake. “Paint” is for routines.
- Incorrect (b): Grammar error. Incorrect verb form after “been”.
10 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): The physical pain (back hurting) is the result of a continuous action starting at 8 AM.
- Incorrect (b): Common mistake. Present Continuous (“am bending”) ignores the “since 8 AM” time marker.
- Incorrect (c): Grammar error. Missing “been” and V-ing.
11 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): Asking about the exhausting process that caused the red face.
- Incorrect (c): Common mistake. “Are you lifting” asks if they are doing it right now.
- Incorrect (a): Grammar error. “Did” cannot be followed by a past tense verb (“lifted”).
12 (c)
Explanation:
- Correct (c): The mud on the shoes is the present evidence of the recent continuous gardening activity.
- Incorrect (b): Common mistake. “Weed” is a general habit.
- Incorrect (a): Grammar error. Requires “weeding”.
13 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): Explains the ongoing source of the dust in the hallway.
- Incorrect (b): Common mistake. “Am taking” means the action is happening at this exact second, but the speaker is talking to the guest.
- Incorrect (c): Grammar error. Missing “been” and V-ing.
14 (c)
Explanation:
- Correct (c): Emphasizes the continuous, exhausting effort up to the moment of the friend’s arrival.
- Incorrect (b): Common mistake. “Rush” suggests a permanent trait or habit.
- Incorrect (a): Grammar error. “Have been rushed” is passive voice, meaning someone else forced them to rush.
15 (c)
Explanation:
- Correct (c): The action is ongoing (“still haven’t finished”), making the continuous form perfect here.
- Incorrect (a): Common mistake. Present Perfect Simple (“have tried”) implies the attempts are finished or focuses on the number of attempts rather than the ongoing frustrating process.
- Incorrect (b): Grammar error. Must use V-ing after “have been”.
16 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): “Have known”. Exception! “Know” is a stative verb. Even though there is a strong connection to the present, we cannot use stative verbs in continuous tenses.
- Incorrect (b): Common mistake. Applying the continuous rule to a verb of the mind.
- Incorrect (c): Grammar error. “Know” is not used in Present Continuous either.
17 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): “Have been washing” is correct. We use “for” with a duration of time (“two hours”).
- Incorrect (a): Common mistake. “Since” must be followed by a specific point in time (e.g., “since 2 PM”), not a duration.
- Incorrect (c): Grammar error. Missing “been”.
18 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): The task is only “halfway done”, so the continuous form correctly shows it is an unfinished, ongoing process.
- Incorrect (a): Common mistake. Present Perfect Simple (“have cleared”) strongly implies the job is completely finished.
- Incorrect (c): Grammar error. “Am been” is a structurally impossible combination.
19 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): Asks about the continuous process that caused the marathon-runner look.
- Incorrect (c): Common mistake. “What are you doing” doesn’t cover “all this time”.
- Incorrect (a): Grammar error. Missing the auxiliary inversion for a question.
20 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): The cobwebs on the body are the visible result of the recent continuous crawling.
- Incorrect (c): Common mistake. Past Simple isolates the event in the past, losing the strong focus on why the person is currently dirty.
- Incorrect (b): Grammar error. “Was been” is structurally invalid.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
Present Perfect Continuous (have/has been + V-ing)
- Present Results of a Past Process (The “Visible Evidence” Rule): This is the most common use in spoken English. We use this tense when an action has recently stopped (or is pausing), but you can still see, hear, or feel the physical results right now.
- Example: I am sweaty because I have been working out. (The workout caused the present sweat).
- Unfinished Actions (Duration up to now):
We use it to talk about an action that started in the past and is still continuing now, especially with for (duration) and since (starting point). - Example: I have been cleaning for two hours, and I’m only halfway done.
- Present Perfect Simple vs. Continuous:
- Continuous focuses on the process (which is often tiring, messy, or long).
- Simple focuses on the completed result or the quantity achieved.
- Example: I have been painting my room (Focus: I am covered in paint). vs. I have painted two walls (Focus: The job is partially finished).
- The Stative Verb Exception:
Verbs of the mind, possession, or emotion (e.g., know, believe, belong, like) do not take the continuous form. You must fall back to the Present Perfect Simple. - Correct: I have known about the dust.
- Incorrect: I have been knowing about the dust.