Present perfect continuous

Article excerpt · target grammar marked

Many people quietly feel the same thing: their social circle has been getting smaller for years. In one UK study, 40% of people over 35 said they had been trying to make new friends for more than a year, with little success.

Grammar Reference · Present perfect continuous

Present perfect

Her social circle has been getting smaller for years. — action that started in the past and is still happening

Have / has been + -ing

They have been trying to make new friends since last year. — use have with I/you/we/they, has with he/she/it

Still happening now

He has been working on that project for three months. — it is not finished; it continues today

Common error

She is working here since 2020. ✗ → She has been working here since 2020. ✓ — use

01Exercise 1 — Form · Write the Correct Form

Present perfect continuous

1.Ana (wait) for a reply from her old school friend for two weeks.

2.They (talk) online every Sunday since they moved to different cities.

3.The community group (organise) social events to help new residents meet people.

4.He (feel) lonely since he changed jobs and lost his old social circle.

5.Researchers (notice) a rise in reported loneliness among adults under 40.

6.She (invest) a lot of time in her new friendships, and it is starting to pay off.

02Exercise 2 — Transform

rewrite with the new structure

1.He works on the project. (for three months)

2.She tries to make new friends. (since she moved)

3.They drift apart. (for the past year)

4.I look for a running club. (since January)

5.The volunteers build a community space. (for six months)

6.He maintains his friendships from school. (for over ten years)

03Exercise 3 — About You

in your notebook

Personalise: complete five sentences about yourself using the target grammar.

Present perfect continuous01EnglishPlans.com