The Present Perfect ProgressiveTense

Exercise 1. Make the following sentences negative and interrogative.

1. He has been staying with us for three weeks. 2. It has been raining since morning. 3. My secretary has been typing the report for five hours. 4. The tourists have been waiting for their guide since 4 o’clock. 5. You have been talking for almost an hour without stopping. 6. It has been snowing heavily during the whole night. 7. We have been looking for that cafe for half an hour. 8. He has been writing this letter since the lecture began. 9. He has been living in this city since 1970. 10. They have been repairing the road for the last five years. 11. The students have been translating the text since the lesson began. 12. I have been buying food here since I came to this town.

Exercise 2. Make up sentences from the words given below using the Present Perfect Progressive Tense.

1. He is very tired. (He/play/football) 2. The boy’s eyes are red and watery. (He/cry) 3. He is looking at hi watch. (He/wait/for a long time) 4. She doesn't remember the teachers words. (She/daydream) 5. They know this place very well. (They/travel around/a lot) 6. Their eyes ache. (They/watch TV/ since morning) 7. Ann speaks French very well. (She/learn French/since she was six) 8. He’s got a cough. (He/smoke/since he was a teenager) 9. His fingers are stained with ink. (He/write/a lot) 10. The boy has to go to the dentist. (He/eat/too many sweets lately) 11. They look exhausted. (They/work overtime/lately)

Exercise 3. Paraphrase the following sentences using the words in brackets and conjunctions FOR and SINCE.

1. She is writing a test. (twelve o’clock) 2. Tom is watching TV. (two hours) 3. They are sitting on the bench and reading. (morning) 4. He is travelling a lot. (winter) 5. He is working hard. (he entered the University) 6. Tony is walking his dog. (fifteen minutes) 7. They are looking for a new house. (the last few months) 8. They are fixing their car. (yesterday) 9. Gerald is checking his notes. (eleven o’clock) 10. The students are writing. (the lecture began) 11. Bill is making films. (he left college) 12. Betty is writing a letter to her friend. (she came home) 13. My friend is learning Spanish. (two years)

Exercise 4. Ask questions to the sentences beginning with the words in brackets.

1. They've been looking for a restaurant since they came to the town. (Who? Where? What…for?) 2. She has been packing her suitcase since morning. (What? Why? Since when?) 3. Arthur has been driving for six hours without any rest. (Who? How?) 4. They've been answering their child’s questions the whole day. (Whose? What?) 5. Ed has been playing with his dog in the park since morning. (Who…with? Where? Who?) 6. He has been answering the director’s questions since morning. (Who? Whose? What?) 7. She has been washing up since breakfast. (Who? What?) 8. Her husband has been watching football on TV since 10 a.m. (Who? What?) 9. Their son has been fighting with his sister since their parent went to work. (Who? What? Who…with?) 10. Someone has been looking through my things. (Why?)

Exercise 5. Make up sentences form the words given below and then ask questions to the underlined words.

Pattern: He/wait/two hours/already. – He has been waiting for two hours already. How long has he been waiting?

1. I/ring them up/all morning. 2. He/smoke/thirty years. 3. He/walk his dog/half an hour/in the park. 4. It/rain/we arrived. 5. He/talk on the phone with Chicago/all day. 6. They/try to fix their car/four days. 7. Tony/look for his glasses/morning. 8. Her dog/bark/all day. 9. Brian/read up for his exam/May. 10. Carol/look for a job/she came to this city. 11. They/repair the road/last Wednesday.

Exercise 6. Use the Present Perfect Progressive instead of the infinitives in brackets.

1. I (not sleep) for twenty three hours. 2. She (work) in the library for the last five hours. 3. We just (speak) about you. 4. What you (do) in my absence? 5. He (stay) here for three months; and I think my father (entertain) him too long. 6. She (have) a toothache since morning. 7. They (play) football for two hours. 8. She (dance) since yesterday evening. 9. Where you (sit) all this time? 10. She (tell) a lot of lies about me, I’m sure. 11. What you (talk) about since I left?

Exercise 7. Use the Present Perfect or the Present Perfect Progressive instead of the infinitives in brackets.

1. She (walk) in the park since morning. It’s time to have dinner, but she (not come) yet. 2. She (read) this book for three days and (read) 300 pages already. 3. He (drive) to London for six hours. How many miles he (cover) by now? 4. I am no through with this test yet. – Not through! How long you (write) it? – For an hour. 5. They (pull down) the old houses in this street for the last few months, but they (not touch) the one with the coffee-shop yet. 6. Mike (collect) stamps since he was nine. He (collect) so much he doesn't know what to do. 7. He (solve) this puzzle at last! He (solve) it since breakfast! 8. How long you (learn) French? I (learn) it since I was ten, but can’t avoid mistakes… – My parents knew French. They (talk) French to me since I don't remember what time. 9. Don't tell me any more lies. I (listen) to you too long! – You (listen), but you (understand)? 10. I hear Gerry’s footsteps. He (come) back. I’m going away. I don't want him to see I (cry). 11. You (drink) so much since the party began! 12. Since when you (sit) here? How long you (wait)? – I don't know how long I (wait) I (sit) and (look) at the people passing by since I came here… or I guess I (dream)… 13. Jack and Tony (play) chess since they are here. Tony (win) six times already, but Jack (win) only twice yet. – They (quarrel)? – Oh, no. The (not quarrel). 14. Barry (do) this room since morning and he (not finish) yet. – You (help) him? – No, I (cook) since he started to do his room. But I (finish) already. 15. The customers (complain) about mixed-up bills all morning. – Something is wrong with the computer. We (have) trouble with it for some time… I hope Tim (fix) it already.

Exercise 8. Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Она учит японский уже пять лет. 2. Надеюсь, Ваши друзья хорошо за Вами ухаживали. 3. Она сидит здесь уже несколько часов. С самого утра сидит на скамейке и ждет кого-то. 4. Они спорят с тех пор, как учитель вышел из класса. 5. Гарри пытается починить забор уже несколько часов, но еще не смог этого сделать. 6. Он пишет статью уже три часа. Он выпил три чашки кофе. Он уже давно не работал так усердно. 7. Эта семья живет здесь с весны. Они уже перессорились со всеми соседями. 8. С какого времени ты пытаешься до него дозвониться? – С десяти часов. 9. Наконец-то Вы пришли! Мы только что говорили о Вас. 10. Кто переставлял мои книги? 11. Чем ты занимался, пока меня не было? 12. Я пытаюсь найти тебя целое утро. Где ты был? Чем ты занимался? 13. Она ждет этого письма целый месяц. 14. Джон навещал Вас с тех пор, как Ваша сестра уехала? 15. Нина чем-то огорчена. – Да она готовилась к экзамену целую неделю, но получила тройку. 16. Вы хорошо знаете город. Как давно вы живете в Лондоне? – Два года. 17. Целый вечер моя жена пишет письма. Она написала уже пять писем.