Present Perfect Continuous – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You notice that your classmate/colleague is staring blankly at their computer screen. They haven’t blinked or moved for hours. You are deeply concerned about their health and want to use this visible evidence to advise them to take a break. Choose the best option (a, b, or c) to complete the sentences.
1 You look completely exhausted! You ______ at that computer screen for three hours.
(a) have been staring
(b) are staring
(c) have stare
2 Please take a five-minute break. Your eyes are completely red because you ______ without blinking.
(a) work
(b) has been working
(c) have been working
3 Mark, you ______ in that uncomfortable chair since 8 AM. You need to stand up and stretch!
(a) have be sitting
(b) have been sitting
(c) are sitting
4 I am getting worried about you. What ______ to finish so urgently?
(a) you have been trying
(b) are you trying
(c) have you been trying
5 You should go get some water. You ______ your neck for the last ten minutes; it must hurt.
(a) have been rubbing
(b) have rub
(c) rub
6 You haven’t taken your eyes off the monitor once. ______ that same document all morning?
(a) Are you reading
(b) Have you been reading
(c) Do you reading
7 Let’s go grab a coffee. The software ______ very slowly today, and it is obviously stressing you out.
(a) has been running
(b) is running
(c) have been running
8 Your tea is completely cold! You ______ it for hours because you are too focused.
(a) haven’t drink
(b) aren’t drinking
(c) haven’t been drinking
9 I really think you need some fresh air. You ______ heavily for the past half hour.
(a) sigh
(b) have sighing
(c) have been sighing
10 Stop typing! You ______ that report since lunchtime, and your fingers must be numb.
(a) have been typing
(b) have typed
(c) are typing
11 It’s not healthy to stay so still. You ______ your posture at all this entire afternoon.
(a) haven’t been changing
(b) don’t change
(c) hasn’t been changing
12 Why are you squinting so much? ______ a headache from the bright screen?
(a) Have you getting
(b) Have you been getting
(c) Do you get
13 Close your laptop for just a minute. The cooling fan ______ so loudly since 2 PM!
(a) is spinning
(b) have been spinning
(c) has been spinning
14 Let me help you with that code. I can clearly see you ______ with that error message for a while.
(a) have been struggle
(b) have been struggling
(c) struggle
15 You must be exhausted. I ______ that you’ve been having trouble with this task since this morning.
(a) have known
(b) have been knowing
(c) am knowing
16 You need to step away from the desk. You ______ your shoulders for hours, and now they look stiff!
(a) have been tensing
(b) have tensed
(c) are been tensing
17 How long ______ to fix that single line of code? It’s definitely time for a screen break!
(a) are you trying
(b) do you trying
(c) have you been trying
18 Take a walk outside. Honestly, you ______ a break since we arrived at the office today.
(a) have been needing
(b) have needed
(c) are needing
19 Look at your hands; they are shaking! ______ too much coffee while trying to finish this?
(a) Are you drinking
(b) Have you drink
(c) Have you been drinking
20 The deadline is tomorrow, but your brain ______ overloaded for the last few hours. Please, just close your eyes for a bit.
(a) has been
(b) has been being
(c) is being
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): Highlights the continuous, unhealthy duration of an action (staring) leading up to the present moment.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. “Are staring” (Present Continuous) only focuses on this exact second, losing the emphasis on the exhausting three-hour duration.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Requires the “-ing” verb form after “have been”.
2 (c)
Explanation:
- Correct (c): “Have been working” acts as the evidence explaining the current physical result (red eyes).
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. “Work” (Present Simple) describes a general daily habit, not the specific recent timeframe causing the red eyes.
- Incorrect (b): Structural Error. The pronoun “you” requires “have”, not “has”.
3 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): Connects the past starting point (“since 8 AM”) to the present moment to show how long they have been stuck in the chair.
- Incorrect (c): Common Mistake. “Are sitting” ignores the “since 8 AM” timeline completely.
- Incorrect (a): Structural Error. The auxiliary must be “been” (past participle), not “be”.
4 (c)
Explanation:
- Correct (c): Asks about an ongoing action over a recent period. The subject and auxiliary verb are correctly inverted for a question.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. Asks what they are trying to do at this exact second only.
- Incorrect (a): Structural Error. Fails to invert the subject and verb for a question format.
5 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): The repeated physical action (rubbing the neck) over ten minutes justifies the advice to stop and get water.
- Incorrect (c): Common Mistake. “Rub” implies a permanent, general fact.
- Incorrect (b): Structural Error. Missing the “-ing” ending.
6 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): Asks about a continuous, tiring process that has taken up the “whole morning”.
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. Focuses only on the present moment, rather than the accumulated time.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. “Do” cannot be used with an “-ing” verb.
7 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): “The software” is singular, taking “has”. It describes an ongoing frustrating problem happening “today”.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. “Is running” does not express the accumulated frustration over the day.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Singular subject requires “has”, not “have”.
8 (c)
Explanation:
- Correct (c): The negative Present Perfect Continuous perfectly describes a recent ongoing lack of action (ignoring the tea) due to deep focus.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. Implies you are just refusing to drink it right now.
- Incorrect (a): Structural Error. Incorrect verb form; requires “been drinking”.
9 (c)
Explanation:
- Correct (c): Sighing is a repeated action. The continuous form over “the past half hour” highlights the colleague’s growing stress.
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. “Sigh” states a general habit.
- Incorrect (b): Structural Error. Missing “been”.
10 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): Highlights the exhausting, ongoing process of typing up to this very moment.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. Present Perfect Simple (“have typed”) focuses on completion, but the context implies the report is still not finished and the person is still typing.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Missing the connection to the time marker “since lunchtime”.
11 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): Shows a continuous, unhealthy state (not changing posture) over a specific duration (“this entire afternoon”).
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. “Don’t change” implies a general, permanent rule for their life.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. “You” takes “have”, not “has”.
12 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): Asks about a symptom (getting a headache) that has been developing over a recent period of screen time.
- Incorrect (c): Common Mistake. “Do you get” asks about a general medical condition or habit.
- Incorrect (a): Structural Error. Missing “been”.
13 (c)
Explanation:
- Correct (c): “The cooling fan” is singular (“has”). The noise has been an ongoing issue since 2 PM.
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. Loses the “since 2 PM” timeline.
- Incorrect (b): Structural Error. Singular subject requires “has”.
14 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): “Struggling” is an active, ongoing process. The tense highlights the duration of the difficulty.
- Incorrect (c): Common Mistake. Present Simple implies they struggle with it every day as a general fact.
- Incorrect (a): Structural Error. Requires the “-ing” form (“struggling”).
15 (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.
16 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): Shows a physical action causing a visible present result (stiff shoulders).
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. “Have tensed” doesn’t capture the ongoing, continuous strain over the hours.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. “Are been” is grammatically invalid.
17 (c)
Explanation:
- Correct (c): Used specifically with “How long” to ask about the duration of a difficult, ongoing task.
- 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 take an “-ing” verb.
18 (b)
Explanation:
- Correct (b): Exception! “Need” is a stative verb (expressing a requirement or state). It cannot take the “-ing” form. Present Perfect Simple must be used.
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. Using continuous forms for verbs of state/need.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Same reason; “need” doesn’t take Present Continuous.
19 (c)
Explanation:
- Correct (c): The shaking hands are the visible, present evidence of a continuous past action (drinking too much caffeine).
- Incorrect (a): Common Mistake. Only asks if they are drinking it right now.
- Incorrect (b): Structural Error. Requires “been drinking”.
20 (a)
Explanation:
- Correct (a): Exception! “Be” is a stative verb. Even with a duration (“for the last few hours”), it cannot take the continuous “-ing” form here. We use Present Perfect Simple.
- Incorrect (b): Common Mistake. “Has been being” is incorrect for stating a state of existence/condition.
- Incorrect (c): Structural Error. Does not fit the “for the last few hours” timeline.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
Present Perfect Continuous (have/has been + V-ing) for Evidence & Advice
- Using Visible Evidence:
This tense is incredibly useful when you want to give advice based on something you can see right now. If an action recently stopped or is still happening, and it has left physical evidence (e.g., red eyes, a stiff neck, shaking hands), use the Present Perfect Continuous. - Example: You need to rest. You have been staring at the screen too long! (Evidence: You look tired/Your eyes are red).
- Emphasizing Unhealthy Duration:
When you want to point out that someone is doing something for too long, use this tense with time markers to make your advice stronger: - for (hours, the last ten minutes)
- since (8 AM, lunchtime)
- all (morning, afternoon)
- The Stative Verb Trap (Crucial for B1):
Even if the situation has been happening for hours, verbs describing mental states, needs, or existence (e.g., know, need, be, seem, understand) cannot be used in the continuous “-ing” form. You must use Present Perfect Simple. - Correct: You have needed a break since 2 PM.
- Incorrect: You have been needing a break since 2 PM.