Present Perfect Continuous – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You are in a job or scholarship interview. The interviewer asks you, “What have you been doing to improve your skills recently?” You want to use the correct grammar to show your proactive attitude, dedication, and continuous self-improvement. Choose the best option (a, b, or c) to complete the sentences.
1 To prepare for this specific role, I ______ an online project management course.
(a) have been taking
(b) am taking
(c) have be taking
2 I ______ my coding skills every evening for the past six months to stay competitive.
(a) practice
(b) have been practicing
(c) have practicing
3 The interviewer asks: “How long ______ to get this professional certification?”
(a) are you studying
(b) do you studying
(c) have you been studying
4 Lately, I ______ a lot of industry articles to make sure I am up-to-date with current trends.
(a) have been reading
(b) read
(c) have been read
5 To improve my public speaking and gain confidence, I ______ a local communication club.
(a) am attending
(b) have been attending
(c) have attend
6 I ______ as a volunteer coordinator since I graduated from university.
(a) have been working
(b) work
(c) has been working
7 Because your company is expanding globally, I ______ Spanish in my free time.
(a) have been learning
(b) am learning
(c) have learning
8 In my current job, I ______ new interns for the last few months to develop my leadership skills.
(a) mentor
(b) have been mentoring
(c) have been mentor
9 Honestly, I ______ to work in the renewable energy sector since my first year of college.
(a) have wanted
(b) have been wanting
(c) am wanting
10 I ______ a portfolio of marketing campaigns to show you today.
(a) have been building
(b) am building
(c) have build
11 I ______ your company’s recent expansion into the Asian market with great interest.
(a) follow
(b) have been following
(c) have following
12 To be fully ready for this position, I ______ myself how to use advanced data analysis software.
(a) have been teaching
(b) teach
(c) have be teaching
13 I ______ passionate about environmental conservation for many years.
(a) have been being
(b) have been
(c) am being
14 Lately, I ______ to more professional networking events to connect with experts like you.
(a) am going
(b) have been going
(c) have go
15 I ______ different ways to improve my time management skills recently.
(a) have been researching
(b) research
(c) has been researching
16 While looking for a full-time opportunity, I ______ as a freelance graphic designer to keep my skills sharp.
(a) have been working
(b) work
(c) have working
17 I ______ for the IELTS exam because I want to pursue a master’s degree abroad next year.
(a) am prepare
(b) prepare
(c) have been preparing
18 I am very adaptable. In fact, I ______ a brand-new CRM system at my current job since January.
(a) have been using
(b) use
(c) are been using
19 I ______ continuous feedback from my professors to improve my academic writing skills.
(a) have been asking for
(b) am asking for
(c) have ask for
20 Overall, I ______ very hard to make sure I am the absolute best candidate for this scholarship.
(a) try
(b) have been trying
(c) have been try
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): Highlights a continuous, ongoing effort to learn leading up to the interview.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. “Am taking” implies you are doing it right now or generally around now, but it lacks the strong connection to past-to-present duration.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. The auxiliary must be “been”, not “be”.
2 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): Shows a dedicated, uninterrupted process over a specific period (“for the past six months”).
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. “Practice” is Present Simple, which sounds like a basic permanent routine rather than a recent, intensive effort.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Missing the word “been”.
3 (c)
Explanation:
- Correct (c): The interviewer uses this to ask about the duration of an ongoing action.
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. Present Continuous does not pair with “How long” when asking about an action that started in the past.
- Incorrect (b): Structural Error. “Do” cannot be used with an “-ing” verb.
4 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): “Lately” is a classic keyword for Present Perfect Continuous, showing a recent, ongoing habit.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. Present Simple (“read”) fails to emphasize the recent period of active improvement.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. “Have been read” is passive voice, meaning you were read by someone else.
5 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): Emphasizes the ongoing action of attending the club to build a skill.
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. “Am attending” focuses too narrowly on the present without acknowledging the accumulated effort.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Missing “been” and requires the “-ing” form.
6 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): Connects a past starting point (“since I graduated”) to ongoing continuous employment.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. Present Simple ignores the “since” timeline.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. The pronoun “I” takes “have”, not “has”.
7 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): Demonstrates proactive, ongoing preparation specifically for this company.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. “Am learning” sounds less impressive because it doesn’t emphasize the duration of the hard work.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Missing “been”.
8 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): Shows leadership as an ongoing, developing process over the “last few months.”
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. “Mentor” implies it is just a basic part of the job description, not a special recent effort.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Missing the “-ing” ending.
9 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): Exception! “Want” is a stative verb (a state of mind/desire). It cannot be used in a continuous tense. We must use Present Perfect Simple.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. Applying the continuous grammar rule to a stative verb.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. “Want” is rarely used in Present Continuous either.
10 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): The ongoing process of building the portfolio explains why you have a great result to show today.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. “Am building” means you are making it right now during the interview.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Wrong verb form entirely.
11 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): Shows the interviewer that you have maintained a continuous interest in their company’s activities over time.
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. “Follow” lacks the depth of time.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Missing “been”.
12 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): “Teaching myself” is an impressive continuous action demonstrating self-reliance and dedication.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. “Teach” suggests a permanent habit rather than targeted preparation.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. “Be” should be “been”.
13 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): Exception! The verb “to be” is a stative verb. Even with a duration (“for many years”), it cannot take the continuous “-ing” form here.
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. “Have been being” is incorrect for stating a long-term personal passion.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. “Am being” does not fit the duration.
14 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): Pairs perfectly with “lately” to show a recent positive habit.
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. “Am going” doesn’t cover the period of time leading up to the interview.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Missing “been” and V-ing.
15 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): Shows active, ongoing problem-solving (researching) to become a better professional.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. “Research” as a Present Simple verb implies a permanent scientific job rather than personal development.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. “I” requires “have”, not “has”.
16 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): Indicates that you haven’t been lazy; you have been continuously active while job hunting.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. “Work” sounds like a permanent state, but you are actively interviewing for a new job.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Missing “been”.
17 (c)
Explanation:
- Correct (c): Preparing for an exam is a classic continuous process that takes up a lot of recent time.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. Present simple does not capture the intense, temporary effort.
- Incorrect (a): Structural Error. Grammatically invalid combination.
18 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): Shows you are currently in the middle of a continuous learning curve with new software.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. Loses the connection to the starting point (“since January”).
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. “Are been” is an impossible grammatical combination.
19 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): Emphasizes that seeking feedback is a continuous, repeated habit for you.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. Implies you are asking for it right this second.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Missing “been” and requires an “-ing” verb.
20 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): A strong concluding statement showing your uninterrupted effort to succeed.
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. “Try” is too weak and general; it doesn’t emphasize the timeline of your hard work.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Requires the “-ing” ending.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
Why Use Present Perfect Continuous in Interviews?
When an interviewer asks, “What have you been doing lately?” or “How have you improved your skills?”, they are looking for dedication.
- Demonstrating Continuous Effort: The Present Perfect Continuous (have/has been + V-ing) is the absolute best tense to show that you didn’t just do something once and stop. It proves that you started a productive habit in the past and you are still doing it. It highlights the process and your hard work.
- Weak (Present Simple): I read marketing books. (Sounds like a casual hobby).
- Strong (Present Perfect Continuous): I have been reading marketing books. (Sounds like a dedicated, ongoing study plan).
- Common Interview Keywords:
Use this tense naturally with these time markers to sound professional: - Recently / Lately
- For the past six months / For the last few weeks
- Since I graduated / Since January
- The Trap: Stative Verbs:
Even in an interview, remember that you cannot use verbs of state, emotion, or mind (like know, want, understand, be, believe) in the “-ing” form. You must use Present Perfect Simple to sound grammatically native. - Correct: I have wanted to work here for years.
- Incorrect: I have been wanting to work here for years.