The following Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect continuous exercises are presented in questions and answers test format. At the explanations tab, you will find present perfect simple and continuous examples and sentences as well as formula, form and structure. And at the worksheet tab, you can download these exercises as pdf worksheet files for free.
Published At: 3/7/2025, 2:33:22 AM
EXERCISE
EXPLANATION
Present Perfect Simple vs Present Perfect Continuous
The Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Continuous are both used to talk about actions or situations that started in the past and are connected to the present. But they are used in different ways depending on what we want to focus on.
1. Present Perfect Simple
Form:have/has + past participle
I have finished my homework.
She has visited London three times.
Use:
To talk about completed actions with a result in the present
To describe experiences
To show how many times something has happened
2. Present Perfect Continuous
Form:have/has + been + verb-ing
I have been studying for two hours.
They have been working on the project since morning.
Use:
To talk about an action that started in the past and is still continuing
To focus on the activity and its duration
To describe recent actions that have visible results now
3. Compare Present Perfect Simple and Continuous
Present Perfect Simple
Present Perfect Continuous
Focuses on the result
Focuses on the action/activity
I’ve read that book.
I’ve been reading that book.
Completed actions
Ongoing or recently stopped actions
How many / how much
How long / duration
He has written 5 emails today.
He has been writing emails all morning.
4. Quick Tips
You need to remember the following tips before starting to practice present perfect vs present perfect continuous exercises.
Use Present Perfect Simple to show what has been completed.
Use Present Perfect Continuous to show how long something has been happening.
Some verbs (like know, like, believe) are not used in the continuous form. Use the simple form instead.
Time expressions like for, since, just, already, and yet often go with the Present Perfect.