Present Perfect Simple vs. Present Perfect Continuous – English Grammar Exercises for B1
It is Sunday cleaning day. You and your roommates are deep-cleaning the apartment. You are discussing who has done what, acknowledging how long someone has been working, and swapping chores because some tasks are taking too long. Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence.
1 “You look exhausted! You ______ the bathroom tiles for over an hour. Let’s switch.”
(A) have scrubbed
(B) are scrubbing
(C) have been scrubbing
(D) have be scrubbing
2 “I can take over the bathroom because I ______ all my assigned tasks in the kitchen.”
(A) have already finished
(B) have already been finishing
(C) already finish
(D) am already finishing
3 “My arms are completely sore because I ______ the heavy living room carpets since 9 AM.”
(A) have vacuumed
(B) have been vacuuming
(C) am vacuuming
(D) vacuum
4 “Wow, you ______ five whole loads of laundry already? You are so fast!”
(A) have been washing
(B) wash
(C) have washed
(D) are washing
5 “I ______ to get this tough grease off the stove for twenty minutes, but it won’t come off.”
(A) have tried
(B) have been trying
(C) try
(D) am trying
6 “You should take a break and sit down. You ______ the windows long enough.”
(A) have been cleaning
(B) have clean
(C) have cleaned
(D) clean
7 “I can’t mop the hallway yet because I ______ sweeping it.”
(A) haven’t been finishing
(B) haven’t finished
(C) don’t finish
(D) haven’t finish
8 “Exactly how many trash bags ______ out to the dumpster so far?”
(A) have you been taking
(B) do you take
(C) are you taking
(D) have you taken
9 “We ______ to reorganize this messy pantry for months, so I’m glad we are finally doing it.”
(A) have been wanting
(B) have wanted
(C) are wanting
(D) have want
10 “I ______ the entire living room, so you don’t have to worry about dusting in there.”
(A) have been dusting
(B) have dusted
(C) dust
(D) have dust
11 “Why is the kitchen floor so wet?” – “Sorry, I ______ up some spilled juice, but I need to grab another towel to finish.”
(A) have wiped
(B) am wiping
(C) have been wiping
(D) have wipe
12 “We ______ roommates for two years, but I don’t think we have ever deep-cleaned the fridge before!”
(A) have been being
(B) are being
(C) have be
(D) have been
13 “I ______ all the clean clothes into neat piles, but someone else needs to put them in the closet.”
(A) have folded
(B) have been folding
(C) fold
(D) have fold
14 “Let me help you. You ______ that same messy shelf for half an hour!”
(A) have organized
(B) have been organizing
(C) are organizing
(D) have organize
15 “I will go buy some more cleaning supplies. I ______ a list of everything we are missing.”
(A) have been making
(B) make
(C) have made
(D) am making
16 “I ______ that we need a new vacuum cleaner since last month. This one is terrible.”
(A) have known
(B) have been knowing
(C) am knowing
(D) know
17 “You are sweating so much! How long ______ heavy boxes up from the basement?”
(A) do you carry
(B) have you carried
(C) have you been carrying
(D) are you carrying
18 “Look at the garage! We ______ out so much old junk today. I’m proud of us.”
(A) have been clearing
(B) have cleared
(C) clear
(D) have clear
19 “I am a bit frustrated because I ______ you to clean your bedroom for three weeks.”
(A) have asked
(B) have been asking
(C) ask
(D) have ask
20 “I ______ to fix this broken cabinet hinge, but I think I need a different tool.”
(A) have been trying
(B) have tried
(C) try
(D) am trying
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C)
- Correct (C) have been scrubbing: The Present Perfect Continuous (PPC) is used to emphasize a long, exhausting, and ongoing physical effort (“for over an hour”) that makes the person look tired right now.
- Common Mistake (A) have scrubbed: Present Perfect Simple (PPS) implies the task is completely finished, losing the emphasis on the tiring process.
- Strong Distractor (B) are scrubbing: Present Continuous ignores the duration leading up to the present.
- Structural Error (D) have be scrubbing: Missing the word “been”.
2 (A)
- Correct (A) have already finished: “Finished” acts as a definitive milestone. The action of completing the tasks is a final result, requiring Present Perfect Simple (PPS).
- Common Mistake (B) have already been finishing: You cannot “continuously finish” a list of tasks. Finishing is a clear endpoint.
- Strong Distractor (D) am already finishing: Means you are doing it right now, but the context implies the tasks are done.
- Structural Error (C) already finish: Present simple lacks the connection to the recent past.
3 (B)
- Correct (B) have been vacuuming: The physical pain (sore arms) is the direct evidence of a recent, continuous, physically demanding action over a duration (“since 9 AM”).
- Common Mistake (A) have vacuumed: Focuses on a finished fact rather than the exhausting process that explains the sore muscles.
- Strong Distractor (C) am vacuuming: Focuses only on right now, missing the past-to-present timeline.
- Structural Error (D) vacuum: Present simple.
4 (C)
- Correct (C) have washed: Mentions an exact completed quantity (“five whole loads”). PPS must be used when stating how many items have been completed.
- Common Mistake (A) have been washing: You cannot use continuous tenses to report a finished number of items.
- Strong Distractor (D) are washing: Present continuous misses the completed achievement.
- Structural Error (B) wash: Present simple habit.
5 (B)
- Correct (B) have been trying: Trying is a frustrating, ongoing process. The fact that the grease “won’t come off” shows the action has been continuous and is still unfinished.
- Common Mistake (A) have tried: Implies the attempt is completely over and finished, which doesn’t fit the ongoing struggle.
- Strong Distractor (D) am trying: Doesn’t account for the “for twenty minutes” timeline.
- Structural Error (C) try: Present simple.
6 (A)
- Correct (A) have been cleaning: Acknowledges the duration and effort the roommate has put in (“long enough”), prompting them to take a break.
- Common Mistake (C) have cleaned: PPS implies the windows are completely done, but the speaker is focusing on the length of time the person has been working.
- Strong Distractor (B) have clean: Requires the past participle “cleaned”.
- Structural Error (D) clean: General routine.
7 (B)
- Correct (B) haven’t finished: A negative result up to now. The focus is on the lack of completion, requiring Present Perfect Simple.
- Common Mistake (A) haven’t been finishing: Focuses on the process, but the sentence is highlighting the binary result (done or not done).
- Strong Distractor (C) don’t finish: Present simple implies you generally never finish sweeping.
- Structural Error (D) haven’t finish: Requires “finished”.
8 (D)
- Correct (D) have you taken: Asking “Exactly how many” focuses on a quantifiable amount. This strictly requires PPS.
- Common Mistake (A) have you been taking: You cannot ask “How many” using a continuous tense.
- Strong Distractor (B) do you take: Asks about a general routine.
- Structural Error (C) are you taking: Present continuous.
9 (B)
- Correct (B) have wanted: Exception! “Want” is a stative verb (a state of mind/desire). It cannot take the “-ing” form, even with a duration (“for months”). We must use PPS.
- Common Mistake (A) have been wanting: Applying the continuous rule to a stative verb.
- Strong Distractor (C) are wanting: Also uses continuous for a state verb.
- Structural Error (D) have want: Requires “wanted”.
10 (B)
- Correct (B) have dusted: The roommate is proudly claiming a completed result (“the entire living room”), so the other person doesn’t need to do it. PPS highlights completion.
- Common Mistake (A) have been dusting: Focuses on the process. If they “have been dusting”, the room might not be completely finished yet.
- Strong Distractor (C) dust: Present simple describes a general habit.
- Structural Error (D) have dust: Requires “dusted”.
11 (C)
- Correct (C) have been wiping: The floor is still wet because the wiping is an unfinished, ongoing process. The speaker explicitly says they need another towel to finish.
- Common Mistake (A) have wiped: Implies the job is completely finished and the floor should be dry.
- Strong Distractor (B) am wiping: Misses the recent past connection that caused the wet floor.
- Structural Error (D) have wipe: Requires “wiped”.
12 (D)
- Correct (D) have been: Exception! The verb “to be” is stative. Even with a duration (“for two years”), it cannot take the continuous “-ing” form for a general state.
- Common Mistake (A) have been being: Applying continuous rules to the verb “to be” is incorrect for long-term states.
- Strong Distractor (B) are being: Present continuous is for temporary behavior, not a 2-year state.
- Structural Error (C) have be: Requires the past participle “been”.
13 (A)
- Correct (A) have folded: The focus is on the completed result (“neat piles” ready to be moved). PPS highlights the finished milestone.
- Common Mistake (B) have been folding: While possible, PPS is much stronger here because the piles are ready for the next step.
- Strong Distractor (C) fold: Present simple habit.
- Structural Error (D) have fold: Requires “folded”.
14 (B)
- Correct (B) have been organizing: Highlights the frustrating, ongoing duration (“for half an hour”) spent on a single shelf. The speaker is offering to help because it’s taking too long.
- Common Mistake (A) have organized: Sounds like the shelf is completely finished, so offering help wouldn’t make sense.
- Strong Distractor (C) are organizing: Ignores the 30-minute duration.
- Structural Error (D) have organize: Requires “organized”.
15 (C)
- Correct (C) have made: Making a list is a definitive, completed result. It is done, and now the person can go shopping.
- Common Mistake (A) have been making: You don’t use continuous tenses to announce a completed, ready-to-use list in this context.
- Strong Distractor (D) am making: Implies you are still writing it, but “I will go buy” suggests the list is ready.
- Structural Error (B) make: Present simple.
16 (A)
- Correct (A) have known: Exception! “Know” is a stative verb (mental state). It must be used in PPS.
- Common Mistake (B) have been knowing: Applying the continuous rule to a stative verb.
- Strong Distractor (C) am knowing: Grammatically invalid.
- Structural Error (D) know: Present simple loses the “since last month” timeline.
17 (C)
- Correct (C) have you been carrying: “How long” asks for duration. PPC is heavily used to emphasize the ongoing, exhausting physical effort that explains why the person is sweating.
- Common Mistake (B) have you carried: While grammatically acceptable, PPC is much more natural when asking about an ongoing, physically demanding task.
- Strong Distractor (D) are you carrying: Cannot be used with “How long”.
- Structural Error (A) do you carry: General habit.
18 (B)
- Correct (B) have cleared: Focuses on a finished, impressive quantity (“so much old junk”). PPS is used to quantify the final achievement.
- Common Mistake (A) have been clearing: While you can be in the process of clearing, when you point out the total amount removed as a completed achievement, PPS is required.
- Strong Distractor (C) clear: Present simple habit.
- Structural Error (D) have clear: Requires “cleared”.
19 (B)
- Correct (B) have been asking: Emphasizes the repetitive, frustrating, and ongoing nature of the requests over “three weeks”.
- Common Mistake (A) have asked: Implies a single, completed request, losing the “nagging/repetitive” emphasis.
- Strong Distractor (C) ask: Present simple.
- Structural Error (D) have ask: Requires “asked”.
20 (A)
- Correct (A) have been trying: Trying is an active, ongoing effort. PPC highlights this continuous, exhausting attempt, and the need for a different tool shows it is unfinished.
- Common Mistake (B) have tried: Implies the attempt is over and the person has given up completely.
- Strong Distractor (D) am trying: Ignores the past-to-present struggle.
- Structural Error (C) try: Present simple.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
When working as a team to clean a house, communication is key. You need to acknowledge how long someone has been working (to offer them a break) and report what you have already finished (so they don’t do it twice).
1 Emphasizing Effort & Exhaustion → Use PPC (have/has been + V-ing)
To validate a roommate’s hard work, or to explain why someone looks tired, messy, or sweaty, use the Present Perfect Continuous. It shows the process has been ongoing and demanding.
- Process: “You have been scrubbing the floor for hours. Take a break!”
- Evidence: “I am sweating because I have been moving boxes.”
2 Reporting Completed Results → Use PPS (have/has + V3/ed)
When you want to proudly declare that a chore is 100% finished, or state exactly how many things you accomplished, you MUST use the Present Perfect Simple.
- Result: “You don’t need to do the dishes. I have washed them.”
- Quantity: “I have taken out three bags of trash.”
3 Asking the Right Questions
- Ask about duration (PPC): How long have you been organizing that shelf?
- Ask about quantity (PPS): How many shirts have you ironed?
4 The Stative Verb Rule
No matter how long a feeling or state lasts, verbs describing mental states, possession, or existence (e.g., know, want, need, belong, be) cannot take the continuous “-ing” form.
- Correct: “I have wanted to clean this room for weeks.”
- Incorrect: “I have been wanting to clean this room for weeks.”