1. Have you ever written a blog?
2. We've just landed but we haven't got off the plane yet.
I've already told you three times.
3. It's the best book I've ever read.
4. My computer's crashed! Look, it's started snowing.
5. I've known Miriam since I was a child.
My sister has had flu for ten days now.
6. How many Agatha Christie novels have you read?
They've seen each other twice this week.


We use the present perfect simple:
1. to talk about past experiences when you don't say when something happened.
2. with just, yet, and already.
3. with superlatives and the first , second, last time, etc.
4. for finished actions (when no time is specified) which have present results.
5. with non-action verbs ( = verbs not usually used in the continuous form, e.g. be, have, know, like, etc.) to say that something started in the past and is still true now.
• This use is common with time expressions like How long· · .?, for or since, all day/ evening, etc.
• Don't use the present simple or continuous in this situation: NOT, NEVER SAY: I know Miriam since I was a child.
6. when we say or ask how much/ many we have done or how
often we have done something up to now.


present perfect continuous: have I has+ been+ verb + -ing
LISTEN 1.38
1. How long have you been feeling ill? He's been chatting online all evening.
2. I haven't been sleeping well. It 's been raining all day.
3. I've been shopping all morning. I'm exhausted.
A Take your shoes off. They're filthy.
B Yes, I know. I've been working in the garden.



We use the present perfect continuous:
1. with action verbs, to say that an action started in the past and is still happening now.
• This use is common with time expressions like How long .. . ?, for or since, all day / evening, etc.
• Don't use the present simple or continuous in this situation. NOT, NEVER SAY I know Miriam since I was a child.
2. for repeated actions, especially with a time expression, e.g. all day, recently.
3. for continuous actions which have just finished (but which have present results).


LISTEN 1.39
1 I've been learning French for the last three years. He's liked classical music since he was a teenager.
2 She's been having piano lessons since she was a child. They've had that car for at least ten years.
3 We've lived in this town since 1980. We've been living in a rented flat for the last two months.
4 I've painted the kitchen. I've been painting the kitchen.



1. To talk about an unfinished action we normally use the present perfect continuous with action verbs and the present perfect simple with non-action verbs.
2. Some verbs can be action or non-action depending on their meaning, e.g. have piano lessons = action, have a car= non-action.
3. With the verbs live or work you can often use the present perfect simple or continuous. However, we normally use the present perfect continuous for shorter, more temporary actions.
4. The present perfect simple emphasizes the completion of an action(= the kitchen has been painted). The present perfect continuous emphasizes the duration of an action, which may or may not be finished ( = the painting of the kitchen may not be finished yet).