Grammar II (Perfect Progressive Tense)

Perfect Progressive Tense

The perfect progressive tense describes actions that repeated over a period of time in the past, are continuing in the present, and/or will continue in the future.

The present perfect progressive tense tells you about a continuous action that was initiated in the past and finished at some point in the past; however, the action has some relation to the present time. Use have/has + been + ing.

• It has been raining, and the street is still wet.
• I have been running, and I am still tired.
• She has been practicing the piano, and she is much better now.

The past perfect progressive tense illustrates a continuous action in the past that was completed before another past action. Use had + been + ing.

• It had been raining, and the street was still wet.
• I had been running, and I was still tired.
• She had been practicing the piano, and she had gotten much better.

The future perfect progressive tense indicates a continuous action that will be completed in the future. Use will + have + been + ing.

• By tonight, it will have been raining several hours, and the street will be very wet.
• By next summer, I will have been running for almost a year, and I will be fit and healthy.
• By the time of the concert, she will have been practicing the piano for several months, and she will be much better.

[Quiz 2.1]

Choose the incorrect sentence from the following.

1) I have been sleeping all day today.
2) They will have been walking for almost an hour by the time they arrive at their destination.
3) She have been eating a lot recently.