Present Perfect and Present Perfect Progressive

Hi Students;

Welcome back to online ESL class.  Today we are studying an advanced grammar point: 

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Present Perfect and Present Perfect Progressive

Here's the grammar overview and explanation:

The present perfect usually describes an activity that has ended while the present perfect progressive, also called present perfect continuous, usually describes something that is unfinished.

Present Perfect vs. Present Perfect Progressive

We use the present perfect tense to communicate a connection to a past action where the 

• Maria's been to Disneyland 20 times.

This sentence states that Maria has been to Disneyland many times in the past, however, she may go again, we don't know. 

Additionally, we can use the present perfect and present perfect progressive to communicate about actions and activities that relate to the present.

Part 1. Let's review these 2 sentences:

• I’ve been working in the garden this spring. The focus is on the action – working – and the action is unfinished.

• I’ve planted rose bushes. The focus is on the finished result. The activity is finished but we can see the result now.

We use the present perfect progressive when the focus is on an unfinished or incomplete action or activity.

Part 2. Now, review these two sentences.

• I’ve watched that movie that I recorded on my DVR. I watched it last night.
• I’ve been watching that movie that I recorded last night. I’ve got about 30 more minutes to watch.

The present perfect (I’ve watched) shows that the action has ended, but the present perfect progressive form (I’ve been watching) communicates that the action is not yet finished.

Part 3. Review these two sentences.

• She’s been texting her friends during class.
• She’s texted several messages.

The present perfect progressive (has been texting) talks about how long something has been happening. The present perfect (has texted) talks about how much/how many have been completed.

Part 4. And, lastly, review these two more sentences.

• I’ve studied at PCC CEC for two years.
• I've completed a degree in engineering in my native country, additionally, I've been studying English in the United States for the past 2 years.

We can use the present perfect to communicate a completed or permanent action, however, we use the present perfect progressive to show that something is in progress or temporary.

Complete the following sentences using the present perfect.  Use: start, be, see, arrive, stop.

• Tony is waiting on the corner for his friend, Jose, but he _____________  yet.
• My best friend lives in a different state. I __________her for two months. 
• Deborah and Michael got married twenty-five years ago. They ____________apart since then.
• It is only 5:25pm. The class _____________yet.
• It started to rain last night, and it ___________ yet.

Rewrite the following sentences using the present perfect progressive (continuous).

Write a sentence using the present perfect progressive tense and for or since. 

• It is raining. It began to rain last night.
  
• The students are studying now. They started to study an hour ago.
  
• Joe smokes. He started to smoke when he was a young
  
• Maria works in a store. She got her retail sales position last year.
  
• I teach ESL. I started to teach ESL 25 years ago. 

NEXT WEEK:

We are studying...

PARTICIPLE ADJECTIVES

Here's a review of the -ed and -ing adjectives that we've been studying.  Enjoy!

Vocabulary Review:

Lesson: –ED and –ING Adjective Forms.

Directions: Use the –ed form when you are talking about feelings. 

Use the -ing form when you talk about things or situations.

VERB	ADJ (-ed)	ADJ (-ing)
Bore	Bored	Boring
Tire	Tired	Tiring
Interest	Interested	Interesting
Relax	Relaxed	Relaxing
Surprise	Surprised	Surprising
Excite	Excited	Exciting

Example:

Studying English bores some students; they think English is boring;

these students often feel bored.

Practice and Discussion:

        Directions: Discuss these questions with a partner, follow the example:

Example:  Student 1: What bores you?

                  Student 2: Waiting in traffic bores me because it’s boring.

                              What interests you?

What relaxes you?

What excites you?

What tires you?

     What disgusts you?

Present perfect & present perfect progressive exercises