Present Perfect Continuous and Simple Exercises

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

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.