Lesson 2 · Lesson guide
Present Perfect Simple and Continuous
Hello, my dear student!
Hello! In Lesson 1 you used the two present tenses. Today we connect the past with now.
“I’ve written two essays” and “I’ve been writing essays all morning” are both correct, but they say different things. The first one is about the result. The second one is about the activity and how long it took.
You will meet these forms everywhere in IELTS: in Writing Task 1 (“The number of students has doubled”), in Speaking Part 1 (“I’ve been studying English for three years”) and in Reading passages about trends.
See you in the exercises,Your teacher
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Two forms, two questions
Both forms connect the past with now. Ask yourself: am I talking about the result or about the activity?
Result
Present Perfect Simple: have / has + V3
The action is finished and we see the result, often with a number: how many, how much.
- I’ve written two essays this week.
- She has finished her course.
- The number of online students has doubled.
Activity
Present Perfect Continuous: have / has been + V-ing
The activity started in the past and is still going on, or has just stopped. We care about how long.
- I’ve been studying for three hours.
- He has been teaching here since 2015.
- Tuition fees have been rising for years.
Evidence
You can see it now
Use the continuous form for a recent activity that explains what you see now.
- Your eyes are red. Have you been crying?
- I’m tired because I’ve been revising all night.
Remember!
How many / how much → Present Perfect Simple. How long → Present Perfect Continuous.
Time words
Tap to hear them. “For” is a period of time, “since” is the starting point.
for three years
(uch yildan beri)
a period: for two hours, for a long time
since 2020
(2020-yildan beri)
a starting point: since Monday, since I was a child
How long have you been learning English?
How long → continuous
How many books have you read?
How many → simple
already, yet, just
usually with the simple form
all day, all morning, lately, recently
often with the continuous form
Common mistakes
Not: I study English since 2019.Say: I’ve been studying English since 2019.
Since / for + until now → present perfect, not present simple.
Not: I’ve been knowing her for years.Say: I’ve known her for years.
Know, believe, own, understand are state verbs: no -ing.
Not: I’ve been writing three essays today.Say: I’ve written three essays today.
A number of finished things → simple.
A note from your teacher
These three mistakes cost many students marks for grammar in Writing and Speaking.
In the Speaking test
- Examiner
How long have you been studying English?
- Aziz
I’ve been studying it for about six years, since I started secondary school.
- Examiner
Have you taken any English exams?
- Aziz
Yes, I’ve taken two practice tests this year, and I’ve improved a lot.
Aziz uses the continuous form for how long and the simple form for how many. That range of tenses helps the grammar score.
Check yourself
“I’ve been reading this book” or “I’ve read this book”: which one means you finished it?
For or since: ___ last September.
Which verb cannot take -ing here? know / work / study
Now it’s your turn!
8 short parts, each a little harder than the one before. Take your time: mistakes are how we learn.
— Your teacher