PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSES


The Present Perfect Continuous or Progressive (has/ have + been + V-ing) is a form of the verb that shows the duration of an action that started in the past and continues until now.  Example: I have been working in London for five years.
Temporary actions happening recently or lately. Example: I have been eating a lot of chocolate lately. She has been studying a lot this week because she has an English test. They have been working in Manchester for the past two weeks.  
Actions that recently stopped that have clear evidence or results now. Example: I’m tired. I’ve been working all day. 


The Past Perfect Continuous (had + been + V-ing) tense is used to express something that started in the past and continued until another time or action in the past.  Example:  I had been waiting for an hour when the bus finally arrived. They had been watching birds before it started to rain.
To express the duration of an activity in the past to a point in the past. Example: She travelled a lot that year because she had been saving money for three years.
To express cause or result of something in the past. Examples: I was tired because I had been working all day. The road was wet because it had been raining.
Conditional. Examples: If I hadn’t been studying hard for weeks I wouldn’t have passed the exam. If I hadn’t run to take the bus, I had been waiting 30 minutes for the next. If I hadn’t met her, I had been living in London longer.
Reported speech. Example: Susan said that she had been exercising for months to lose weight. 


The Future Perfect Continuous (will have been + V-ing) is used to talk about an action that will continue in progress until a specific moment or another action takes place in the future. Examples: When you come home, I will have been studying English for four hours.  By the time you get home, I will have been flying to Sydney for five hours.
To express the duration of an activity to a point in the future. Example: In September, I will have been teaching in this school for six years.
To express cause or result of something in the future.  Examples: When I see you tonight, I will be tired because I will have been working all day.  Her English will be excellent by the time she visits England because she will have been studying for five years. He will be tired by the time he arrives because he will have been travelling all day.


Remember: Usually stative verbs are not used in progressive forms. With these verbs use the perfect simple form instead.  

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