The Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Употребление

1. Длительное действие, совершающееся в настоящем, с указанием как долго оно совершается (в русском языке соответствует настоящему времени): I have been working since 10 o’clock. Я работаю с 10 часов.

2. Длительное действие, которое началось в прошлом и закончилось непосредственно перед моментом речи (в русском языке соответствует прошедшему времени): Although the sun is shining, it is still cold as it has been raining hard. Светит солнце, все еще холодно, так как шел сильный дождь.

Образование

Утвердительная форма	Отрицательная форма	Вопросительная форма
I, we, you, they	have been working	I, we, you, they	have not been working	Have I (we, you, they) been working?
He, she, it	has been working	He, she, it	has not been working	Has he (she, it) been working?

Упражнения

Упражнение 1. Закончите предложения, используя Present Perfect Continuous и подходящие обстоятельства времени, данные ниже:

Образец: The boys are playing football. They.... − They've been playing football for almost two hours.

 

1. Alex is talking on the phone. He.... 2. I am waiting for my friend. I.... 3. It's raining. It.... 4. Bob is sitting in the waiting room. He.... 5. I am trying to learn Greek. I.... 6. He is learning to drive. He.... 7. They are quarrelling. They.... 8. The baby is crying. She.... 9. I am living in the centre now. I.... 10. He is listening to his favourite music. He.... 11. Jack is doing nothing. He.... 12. The parents are watching TV. They.... 13. Father is sleeping in his armchair. He.... 14. Jane is walking with her dog. She.... 15. The teacher is still correcting our papers. She.... 16. My sister is looking for a pair of new shoes. She....

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for an hour, for half an hour, for some days, for three months, for two years, since childhood, since early morning, since dinner, since 5 o’clock

Упражнение 2. Составьте короткие диалоги, как показано в примере:

Образец: - What are you doing?

- I'm writing a composition.

- How long have you been writing it?

- I've been writing it for about an hour.

- Have you written it?

- No, I haven't.

Используйте следующие выражения: translate an article, to clean the flat, to cook dinner, to do grammar exercises, to learn German words, to write a letter.

 

Упражнение 3. Измените предложения, используйте Present Perfect Continuous:

Образец:I began to wash up an hour ago/when the guests left. — I've been washing up for an hour/since the guests left.

 

1. He began to learn English last year. 2. Mrs. Dobbs moved to Bath five years ago. 3. She started working at the book shop when she came to our town. 4. He began to drive his car when he received his driving licence three months ago. 5. They went out to work in the garden after breakfast. 6. My brother started to repair the toaster at 10 o'clock. 7. They began to build the school building last June. 8. I started thinking about changing my job when they offered me a better-paid one. 9. The students started to write their test an hour ago. 10. Did you begin smoking when you were 16?

Упражнение 4. Используйте Present Perfect или Present Perfect Continuous:

 

1. I (to think) the proposal over these last few days. 2. I (to look) for my gloves everywhere, but (not to find) them yet. 3. Nora (to sit) at the office the whole morning but nobody (to phone). 4. What you (to do) all this time? 5. Who (to touch) my things on the table again? 6. How long you (to work) at our office? 7. How long they (to be married)? 8. I'm happy to meet you. I (to hear) so much about you. 9. It (to rain) since last Sunday. 10. I (to know) him for years, he (to be) always kind to everybody. 11. He (to sleep) around the clock. 12. You (to wait) for me long? 13. The Prime Minister (to make) a tour of Europe since last Monday and (to visit) three countries so far. 14. The police (to look for) the criminal for two months but (not to find) him yet. 15. We (to have) our exams since the beginning of January but (to pass) only two of them. 16. She long (to teach) at our Uni­versity and (not to think) of quitting her job. 17. What (to happen)? Why you (to cry)? 18. I (to learn) French irregular verbs for two hours and (to learn) only ten of them.

Упражнение 5. Раскройте скобки, употребив формы Present Perfect или Present Perfect Continuous:

1. We (walk) ten kilometres already. 2. We (walk) for three hours. 3. I'm on a diet and I (eat) nothing but apples for the whole week. 4. He (sleep) since ten o'clock. It's time he woke up. 5. The students (work) very well this term. 6. I (work) with him for ten years and he never (say) "Good morning" to me. 7. You (hear) the news? Tom and Ann are engaged! 8. How many baskets of apples you (pick)? It seems to me you (to pick) them for 3 hours already. 9. You (see) my bag anywhere? I (look) for it for half an hour.

The Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Употребление

1. Длительное прошедшее действие, совершавшееся в момент наступления другого прошедшего действия, с указанием, как долго оно совершалось: I had been working for 2 hours, when my brother came. Я уже работал 2 часа, когда пришел мой брат.

2. Длительное прошедшее действие, закончившееся непосредственно перед моментом наступления другого прошедшего дейситвия: He felt tired as he had been playing football for several hours. Он чувствовал себя усталым, так как играл в футбол в течение нескольких часов.

 

Образование

Утвердительная форма	Отрицательная форма	Вопросительная форма
I, we, you, they he, she, it	had been working	I, we, you, they, he, she, it	had not been working	Had I (we, you, they, she, it) been working?

Упражнения

Упражнение 1. Прочитайте и переведите предложения. Объясните употребление Past Perfect Continuous:

 

1. We were tired as we had been walking for more than an hour. It was time to rest a little. 2. The boy had been reading the task in physics for a long time but still he didn't understand it. 3. Mrs. Jackson was one of the best teachers at the school. She had been teaching for twenty years. 4. Dora was writing a letter to her boyfriend. She had been writing it since she got home from class. 5. My eyes were getting tired. I had been reading for two hours. I decided to make a break. 6. Mr. Robbins liked his job. He had been working at the company for fifteen years. 7. She put aside the sweater which she had been knitting. 8. The secretary closed the file which she had just been looking through. 9. They had been driving all night when finally they saw the lights of a big city. 10. When I entered the flat, I saw that everything was in a mess. Somebody had been searching the rooms. 11. The boys had black eyes and torn trousers. They had been fighting. 12. At last he got the opportunity he had been waiting for so long.

Упражнение 2. Раскройте скобки, употребив формы Past Perfect или Past Perfect Continuous:

1. He already (park) the car when I arrived. 2. He (drive) all day, so he was very tired when he arrived. 3. I (finish) cleaning the car by one o'clock. 4. What you (do) in the garden before I came? 5. I (live) in Germany before I came to Russia. 6. They already (write) a letter when the light went down. 7. Last year the plant (fulfil) the plan by the end of November. 8. The train (not arrive) yet by that time. 9. The child (sleep) for an hour before we came.

Упражнение 3. Используйте Present/ Past Perfect или Present/ Past Perfect Continuous:

 

1. I received a letter from Susan a few days ago. I (not to receive) letters from her since she left. 2. There are a lot of dirty dishes. We (not to wash up) since morning. 3.1 telephoned her after I (to think over) her offer. 4. He gave up smoking after he (to smoke) for 20 years. 5. How long you (to be engaged) before you got married? 6. We (to be) here since 10 o'clock. 7. At last he (to finish) his book. He (to write) it for ten years. 8. How long you (to wait) when the bus finally came? 9. I came a minute late. The train just (to leave). 10. We (to finish) our test by that time. 11. You (to finish) your work? 12. I didn't want to see the film because I (to see) it on TV. 13. We (to wait) for an hour but they never came. 14. Since what time he (to sleep)? 15. By the time he was twelve, he (to be able) to speak two foreign languages. 16. By the time the police came the robbers (to manage) to escape. 17. How long your club (to be) in existence? 18. Her daughter (not to return) home by eleven. 19. It (to snow) since last night, it's not safe to drive. 20. She (to make) already coffee by the time her son got up.

 

Упражнение 4..Раскройте скобки, употребив глаголы в одном из прошедших времен:

1. I never (to see)... any pictures by Monet before I (to visit)… the Hermitage. 2. At last he (to have)... a chance to go to London. He (long to dream)… of visit­ing Britain. 3. She (to catch)…a cold. She never (to catch)… a cold before. 4. When I (to graduate)... from the University my elder brother (to work)... for a for­eign company for two years. 5. Though she (to learn)... the language only for two years she (to speak)... it fair­ly well. 6. He (to travel)... to many countries and (to know)... a lot of interesting facts about them. 7. Yes­terday I (to find)... the book I (to look for)... so long. 8. When we (to enter)... the house there (to be)... no­body in, but we (to have)... a feeling that somebody (to be)... there because the windows (to be)... open. 9. When he (to meet)... the lady, he (to understand)... that she (not to be)... so young as he (to expect).... 10. By the time Caesar (to approach)... the shores of Britain, the season (to be)... nearly over.

 

Упражнение 5.Раскройте скобки, употребив глаголы в правильной форме.

1. When I (came) the lecture already (start). 2. They (go) to Moscow some days ago. 3. When I came he (leave), so we only had time for a few words, 4. When we (come) to the airport, the plane already (land). 5. He suddenly (understand) that he (travel) in the wrong direction. 6. Our teacher (speak) many foreign lan­guages. 7. Who (speak) now? 8. Where is Bob? He (play) tennis. 9. I (go) home when we met. 10. Listen, my son (play) the piano. 11. They already (translate) this text last lesson. 12. You (do) this exercise next week. 13. We (discuss) your plan tomorrow at 10 o'clock. 14. It (rain) when I went for a walk. 15. What you (do) here? 16. I (not, write) at the moment.

Упражнение 6. Переведите следующие предложения:

 

1. Он сумел понять фильм, потому что много лет занимался французским языком. 2. Когда я был в Лондоне, то она пришла повидать меня, потому что мы пере­писывались уже несколько лет. 3. Он мыл машину около часа, когда понял, что это не его машина. 4. Люди прождали час, прежде чем пришел автобус. 5. В доме замечательно пахло. Мама пекла пироги с утра. 6. Хотя Антон весь день клеил обои, он согла­сился пойти вечером на концерт. 7. Он попросил не дотрагиваться до стены, потому что только что покра­сил ее. 8. Я всего лишь тридцать минут проносила новые туфли, когда сломался каблук. 9. У него руки были в масле, т.к. он только что менял покрышки. 10. Когда начальник вошел в комнату, все замолчали, и он по­нял, что говорили о нем. 11. Наконец наступил день, о котором он так долго мечтал. 12. Виктор закон­чил доклад, над которым так долго работал.