Welcome to this week's writing lesson from

 MyEnglishTeacher.net

This grammar is called the present perfect progressive.  It is used to say that something started in the past, and it is still happening.  It is often used to answer how long questions with for and since.  

So, how do you make the present perfect progressive?  Good question!  Here's how you make it:

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Again, the present perfect progressive is used when an activity started in the past and continues until now.  For example, you may ask a college professor you met at a conference, "How long have you been teaching?"  Professor Brown can answer, "I have been teaching for 23 years."

If you read our lesson on the present perfect, you would know that the present perfect cannot use a specific time, like yesterday (if you haven't read it, you can read it now).  The present perfect progressive works the same way: you cannot use a specific time.  Therefore, I have been teaching at Columbia University today is incorrect.  

However, just like the present perfect, you can use the words since and for.  

The professor could reply with either of these two responses:

If you read our present perfect lesson, you might ask yourself, "What is the difference between the present perfect progressive and the present perfect?"  That's another good question!  Take a look at these 2 sentences:

The answer is very simple: there is NO DIFFERENCE.  If you remember correctly, there are 2 kinds of present perfect: 

Do you see what the meaning of the second kind of present perfect is?  It is the same meaning as the present perfect progressive!  That's right!  When the present perfect has since or for, it has the same meaning as the present perfect progressive!

As you can see, the present perfect has 2 meanings.  However, the present perfect progressive has only 1 meaning: it started in the past and continues until now.

There is one more thing you must remember: some verbs usually do NOT have -ing.  For example, we say I know you.  We would never say I am knowing you.  That's because know canNOT have -ing.  Verbs that cannot have -ing are called stative verbs.  Here is a list of stative verbs.  The words on the following list rarely have -ing.  Therefore, they are rarely used with the present perfect progressive.

Because these verbs cannot be used with the present perfect progressive, you can just use the present perfect with since or for:

In order to summarize the present perfect progressive and the present perfect, look at the following chart: 

The second and third sentences above have identical meanings.  The first and second sentences have (potentially) different meanings even though they look almost the same.  

You may be asking, "Which one should I use?  When should I use the present perfect progressive, and when should I use the present perfect with since or for?"

Actually, for some verbs, it doesn't matter, for example, the verb live (see above).  However, for many verbs, if you want to say that the action started in the past and continues until now, it is better to use the present perfect progressive.  Take a look at the following examples:

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Quiz time

Directions: Rewrite the following sentences with the present perfect progressive.  The first one has been done for you.

1. Jack is cooking.  He started to do this 4 hours ago.

Jack has been cooking for 4 hours.

2.  My brother drives.  He started to do this in 1968.

3.  Carol lives in Morocco.  She went there last month.

4.  Timothy rides a bus to school.  He started to do it when his car broke down.

5.  Ping plays tennis.  She started to do this when she was young.

6.  Mick Jagger sings rock music.  He started to do this 40 years ago with the Rolling Stones.

7.  James knows how to repair a computer.  He learned how to do it a long time ago.

8.  Doctors and researchers look for a cure for cancer.  They started to do this more than 100 years ago.

9.  Patients use anesthesia during childbirth.  They started to do this in the mid-1800s. 

10.  I am reading this lesson.  I started to do this 10 minutes ago.  

Usually for can be omitted.  The meaning does not change.  

      Jack has been cooking 4 hours.

      We have been living here for the past 10 years.

     How long have you been studying English?

     I have been studying English since high school.

     I have been going to Canada to ski for many years.

This means that the person goes to Canada on a regular basis.  Notice that the time is many years which is NOT specific.  You canNOT say

     I have been going to Canada to ski 3 times.