You will be able to talk about actions that started in the past and continue up to now, using for and since to show duration.
The Present Perfect Continuous shows an action that began in the past and is still happening now, or has only just stopped. It emphasises the duration or ongoing nature of the activity. Use it when the length of time is important and you want to show that the action is still relevant to the present moment.
Sarah has been working on the budget proposal for three weeks.
The team has been preparing the quarterly report and it is almost finished.
We have been negotiating with our suppliers since January.
Daniel has been travelling for the client all month.
How long have you been recruiting for the new team?
James has been leading the project since March.
Priya has not been attending the weekly meetings.
Short form: Priya hasn't been attending the weekly meetings.
Has Emma been managing the contract negotiations?
Haven't you been sending the daily reports?
Common mistake. Learners often confuse Present Perfect Continuous with Present Perfect Simple. Remember: use Present Perfect Continuous when you want to emphasise how long something has been happening (I have been working for two hours); use Present Perfect Simple when you focus on the completion or result (I have finished the report). The time expression for usually signals Present Perfect Continuous.
Choose the correct form for each gap. Your answer is marked at once, with the reason.
1.Oliver ___ (work) in the Manchester office for eighteen months.
positive2.The finance team ___ (prepare) the annual accounts since September.
positive3.Aisha ___ (recruit) new staff all week for the London branch.
positive4.Our supplier ___ (delay) the delivery for the past two months.
positive5.The marketing department ___ (launch) new campaigns all year.
positive6.Tom and Emma ___ (negotiate) the contract since Monday morning.
positive7.The sales team ___ (analyse) the quarterly results for three days.
positive8.The finance team ___ (not / track) expenditure properly since the new system went live in September.
negative9.The supplier ___ (not / deliver) the components on time for the past three weeks, so we need to find an alternative.
negative10.Our finance team ___ (not / prepare) the quarterly results since Monday, which is delaying the shareholder meeting.
negative11.Sarah ___ (not / reply) to client emails for the whole week.
negative12.Oliver hasn't ___ (work) on the supplier negotiations for the past three weeks because he was abroad.
negative13.___ (you / attend) the training course for the past month?
question14.___ (the finance team / work) on the merger since June?
question15.___ (Aisha / travel) to Edinburgh for client visits all this week?
question16.___ (the suppliers / delay) the stock delivery for the last two weeks?
question17.___ (Tom / negotiate) the contract terms since Monday?
question18.___ (Priya / not / receive) quarterly results from the Manchester office for two months?
negative question19.___ (Emma / not / attend) the Leeds office meetings for three months?
negative question20.___ (Daniel / not / review) the supplier contracts all week?
negative question