Complete the sentences putting the verbs in brackets in the Present Perfect Continuous.

Example: We’re tired. We’ve been training all day.

1. I’m tired. I ___ (play) tennis all afternoon.
2. It ___ (rain) all day.
3. Ann’s eyes are red and puffy. She ___ (cry).
4. The Smiths ___ (live) in Stratford for nearly three years now.
5. A friend of mine ___ (learn) English for nearly four years, but she still doesn’t speak it very well.
6. I ___ (work) on the Inner City Development Project for the last five years.
7. She ___ (play) the piano since six o’clock in the morning. She’s only just stopped.
8. I notice you ___ (overeat) recently.

Read the situations and write a sentence with the Present Perfect Continuous.

1. Mark has bought a new bike. (He / save up money / for two years)
2. Greg speaks French like a native. (He / learn French / since childhood)
3. My feet are killing me. (I / do the shopping / all day)
4. They are nervous and angry. (They / wait for a bus / for over an hour)
5. We can’t drive a car today because of a snowstorm. (It / snow / since morning)

Write negative sentences with the verb in the correct form.

1. There’s no need to apologize. We ___ (not / wait) here for hours.
2. Jane and Paul ___ (not / talk) to each other for more than a week.
3. I don’t know Moscow well. I ___ (not / live) here for very long.
4. It ___ (not / rain) for almost a month.
5. I ___ (not / feel) well recently.
6. Most of us ___ (not / practise) English for quite a while.

47. Write questions with How long ...?

Example:It’s snowing.— How long has it been snowing?

1. I’m taking dancing classes.
2. Kate and Nick are looking for a flat.
3. It’s raining.
4. I’m learning French.
5. A friend of mine is living in Madrid.

Ask questions about the information in italics.

1. I’ve been running all morning.
2. We’ve been waiting for my brother.
3. James has been teaching at the university since June.
4. I’ve been playing tennis since high school.
5. My neighbour has been looking after my dog for a week.

49. Complete the sentences putting the verbs in brackets in the Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continuous.

Example: I’ve been dieting for two months and I’ve lost 6 kilos.

1. Your eyes are red. ___ (you / cry)?

1. Where ___ (you / put) my keys? I can’t find them.
2. Ah, you ___ (find) my keys. I ___ (look) everywhere for them.
3. I think I can smell smoke on Ben’s clothes. I’m sure he ___ (smoke).
4. Are you go­ing to sunbathe? — Don’t be ridiculous! It ___ (rain) all day.
5. What ___ (you / do) up to now? — Nothing special, but I ___ (cook) dinner.
6. The police ___ (not find) the burglar yet. They ___ (look) for him since Saturday.
7. What ___ (happen) to the fridge? — Something ___ (go) wrong with it.
8. Ann ___ (fail) her exam three times because she is so bad at doing sums. But she ___ (practise) for a week now, I hope she will pass it in the end.
9. George ___ (collect) match­boxes ever since he left school. Now he ___ (collect) so many that he doesn’t know where to put them.
10. Where on earth ___ (you / be)? I ___ (wait) for so long!
11. Bill, you have got a black eye again. ___ (you / fight)?
12. Do you think George ___ (finish) the translation? He ___ (write) for so long!
13. Here you are! I ___ (look for) you everywhere. Where ___ (you / be)?
14. We ___ (decide) not to put up Christmas decorations this year because we won’t be at home.
15. You ___ (telephone) for ages! ___ you really (not finish)? — I ___ (not get) through yet. I am trying to get to our Paris office but the line ___ (be) engaged all morning.
16. Customers ___ (ring) up all morning complaining about getting incorrect bills. — I know. Something ___ (go) wrong with our computer.
17. Why ___ (you / not bring) me the letters? ___ (you / not type) them yet?
18. I know him well. I ___ (know) him since our childhood.
19. How long ___ (you / own) this house? — I ___ (live) here since 1982.

Take roles and act out the following dialogue.

Going to the gym

Tiffany :	Ed, what should we do today?
Ed :	I have been studying all week. I’d like to exercise.
Tiffany :	Me too. Let’s go to the gym.
Ed :	Good idea. What are we going to do there?
Tiffany :	We can lift weights or play basketball.
Ed :	I like to play basketball. Are you good at it?
Tiffany :	Not really, but I like to play. I used to play a lot when I was in school, but now there’s no time.
Ed :	I know what you mean. I used to play soccer a lot. Do you think we can play soccer there?
Tiffany :	No, there’s not enough room. I think it’s better if we play outside.
Ed :	OK, maybe we can go play soccer later this afternoon.
Tiffany :	It’s too cold outside today. Let’s wait until the weather gets a little warmer.
Ed :	OK.

SPEAKING