Present perfect simple or continuous: how many or how long? Present perfect exercises for results and activities
About this lesson
This B1 drill lesson gives present perfect simple or continuous exercises: the result in I've painted three rooms, the activity in I've been painting all day, and how to choose.
- Grammar
- The simple for a number, a finished job, one-moment actions like break and lose, never and state verbs; the continuous for How long…?, unfinished jobs and side effects you can see.
- Topic
- Home renovation: Linnea's diary about an invented couple's 1931 house, Cormac's forum post, her messages with her sister, the plumber's message and a chat with Cormac.
- Activities
- Sorting, choices, gap-fills, matching, drag-and-drop texts, word order, a table, find-the-mistake quizzes, an anagram, a memory game of participles and a chat.
What's inside
Chapter 1The rule
- PictureUnlock
- Study the scheme: present perfect simple or continuousGrammar schemeTry it
- Is the sentence correct? Mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
- Sort the verbs: state verbs or action verbs?Sort into columnsTry it
- Choose the right formChoose the optionUnlock
- Write the past participle or the -ing formFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 2How many? How long?
- Sort the questions: How many…? or How long…?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Choose the right form: result or activity?Choose the optionTry it
- Fill in the gaps: present perfect simple or continuousFill in the gapsUnlock
- Match the questions and the answersMatchUnlock
- Write the questions: How many…? or How long…?Fill in the gapsUnlock
- Drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Find the mistake and choose the right wordsQuizUnlock
Chapter 3Simple only: know, own, lose
- Choose the right form: state verbs and short actionsChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps with the present perfect: state verbs and short actionsFill in the gapsTry it
- Find the matching pairs: the verb and its past participleMemory gameUnlock
- Find the mistake: state verbs and short actionsQuizUnlock
- Put the words in the right orderUnjumbleUnlock
- Read Ottilie's message and fill in the gaps: present perfect simple or continuousFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 4Why are you so tired?
- Match the questions and the explanationsMatchTry it
- Choose the right form: finished or still going?Choose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps with the present perfect: tired, dirty or done?Fill in the gapsUnlock
- Drag the words into the gaps: done or still going?Drag and dropUnlock
- Which sentence is correct? Choose oneQuizUnlock
- Put the words in order to make questionsUnjumbleUnlock
- Read Isolde's note and fill in the gaps: present perfect simple or continuousFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 5Real life: Our old house
- Read Linnea's renovation diaryReal-life documentUnlock
- Read the diary again: true or false?True or falseUnlock
- Read Cormac's forum post and fill in the gaps: present perfect simple or continuousFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read Linnea's messages with her sister and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Read the plumber's message and choose the right wordsChoose the optionUnlock
- Choose the right replies: Cormac texts youChatTry it
- Test yourself: choose the right answerQuizUnlock
Chapter 6Homework
- Choose the right form: news from friendsChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: present perfect simple or continuous in sports and hobbiesFill in the gapsUnlock
- Sort the sentences: correct or wrong?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Drag the words into the gaps: a busy weekendDrag and dropUnlock
- Match each question with its answerMatchUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: questionsUnjumbleUnlock
- Fill in the table: positive, negative, questionFill in the tableUnlock
- Find the mistake in each sentenceQuizUnlock
- Unscramble the past participlesAnagramUnlock
- Choose the right form: at workChoose the optionUnlock
- Write the questions with the present perfectFill in the gapsUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: sentencesUnjumbleUnlock
- Read Clarabel's email and fill in the gaps: present perfect simple or continuousFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read the review and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Choose the correct sentenceQuizUnlock
Grammar: present perfect simple or continuous: result or activity
Both forms link the past and now. The simple shows the result: what is done, or how many. The continuous shows the activity: how long, and it may not be finished. I've been painting since 8 a.m. and I've painted three rooms can describe the same day.
Present perfect simple or continuous: the result or the activity?
Both forms link the past and now. The simple shows the result: what or how many. The continuous shows the activity: how long, and it may not be finished.
The two forms side by side
The simple is have / has + past participle: She's fixed it. The continuous adds been + -ing: She's been working. Short answers look the same for both: Have you finished? – Yes, I have. Have you been waiting long? – Yes, I have.
| Form | Simple: have / has + past participle | Continuous: have / has + been + -ing |
|---|---|---|
| Positive (+) | I've painted the door. · She's fixed it. | I've been painting all day. · She's been working. |
| Negative (−) | I haven't finished. · He hasn't called. | I haven't been sleeping well. · He hasn't been working. |
| Question (?) | Have you finished? · How many walls has she painted? | Have you been waiting long? · How long has she been painting? |
| Short answer | Yes, I have. · No, she hasn't. | Yes, I have. · No, she hasn't. |
Result or activity?
The simple covers a number (We've painted three rooms), a finished job, a short action (I've broken a tile) and experience (I've never used a drill). The continuous covers how long and unfinished work, and side effects: I'm dusty because I've been sanding the floor.
Result or activity?
Simple: the result
- How many? How much? We've painted three rooms.
- The job is done: I've fixed the shower. It works now!
- Short actions: Oh no! I've broken a tile.
- Experience: I've never used a drill.
- State verbs: I've known her for years.
Continuous: the activity
- How long? I've been painting since 8 a.m.
- Not finished yet: He's been painting the kitchen, but it isn't done.
- Side effects you can see: I'm dusty because I've been sanding the floor.
The activity and the result
- I've been painting since 8 a.m. (the activity)
- Now: I've painted 3 rooms. (the result)
State verbs, and when both are fine
Know, own, be, belong, believe, understand, prefer, seem and have meaning own take only the simple, even with how long: How long have you known her? With live, work, study or teach + for / since, both forms are fine: I've lived here for ten years.
State verbs: simple only
- know
- own
- have (= own)
- be
- belong
- believe
- understand
- prefer
- seem
Both are fine
With live, work, study, teach and for / since, both forms are fine: I've lived here for ten years. = I've been living here for ten years. And with a state verb, How long…? takes the simple: How long have you known her?
Signal words
So far, how many, how much, a number, never and ever usually go with the simple; how long, all day and all morning usually go with the continuous. One-moment verbs like lose and drop take the simple: Oh no! I've lost my keys.
Signal words
Usually simple: so far, how many, how much, a number (three rooms, twice), never, ever. Usually continuous: how long, all day, all morning, since / for + a job that is still going on. One short action (break, lose, find, drop) takes the simple: Oh no! I've lost my keys.
Examples
- We've painted the hallway and two bedrooms so far.how many: the result
- Dad has been painting the kitchen since Friday.how long: the activity, not finished
- Your hands are blue! Have you been painting?a side effect you can see
- I've known Ana for ten years.a state verb: simple only (not: I've been knowing)
- How long have you been learning English?How long + an activity
- How many emails have you written today?How many + the result
Common mistakes
Watch for I've been painting three rooms today, I've been knowing her for years, How long are you waiting? and She has been work all day. A number of finished things needs the simple: I've painted three rooms today.
I've been painting three rooms today.
I've painted three rooms today.
a number = the result: simple
I've been knowing her for years.
I've known her for years.
know is a state verb: simple only
How long are you waiting?
How long have you been waiting?
up to now: have / has been + -ing
She has been work all day.
She has been working all day.
been + verb-ing
More lessons on this grammar: Present perfect continuous lessons and exercises · Present perfect lessons and exercises
Try the present perfect simple or continuous exercises
Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.
What's in the lesson
- 39 auto-checked exercises
- 6 games
- 1 real-life document
- 1 grammar scheme
- 1 picture
The main objectives of this lesson are to:
- use the simple for how many and finished results: So far, we've painted three rooms. Tom has fixed the dishwasher, so we can use it again.
- use the continuous for how long and unfinished jobs: Cormac has been painting the kitchen since Friday morning, but he hasn't finished yet.
- explain a side effect you can see: Why is your hair wet? – I've been swimming in the lake.
- keep state verbs and one-moment actions simple: We've known our neighbors for twelve years. Oh no! I've broken the new mirror.
- ask How many…? or How long…?: How many rooms has she painted? How long have you been fixing that bike?
- Grammar:
- present perfect simple · present perfect continuous · state verbs · How long…? / How many…?
- Topic:
- grammar practice · home renovation · DIY · everyday life
Teaching tips
- Give every job two sentences: name a task like painting a fence, and students write one about how long (I've been painting it since nine) and one about the result (I've painted half of it).
- Phone in a renovation update: pairs play two house owners, one asking How many rooms have you painted? and How long have you been working on the kitchen?, the other answering from a list of jobs.
- Mark state verbs in a second color: whenever know, own, belong or seem comes up in a drill, students underline it and say why the continuous doesn't fit.
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The whole course: English Grammar Practice · B1
English Grammar Practice · B1 has 28 drill lessons, one grammar point each: the present perfect continuous, narrative tenses, future forms, modals of deduction, the second conditional, the passive, relative clauses, reported speech, question tags and linkers. Each has the rule as a scheme, 43 to 47 exercises that check themselves, 15 of them for homework, and no new words.See the course
- 1Present perfect continuous: how long have you been doing it?
- 2Present perfect simple or continuous: how many or how long?
- 3Past perfect: what had happened before?
- 4Narrative tenses: telling a great story
- 5Future forms: plans, promises and timetables
- 6Future time clauses: I'll call you when I land
- 7Used to, be used to, get used to: settling in
- 8Modal verbs: can, must, should or might?
- 9Could, was able to, managed to: did you make it?
- 10Modals of deduction: whose bag could it be?
- 11Second conditional: what would you do?
- 12Conditionals compared: real or imagined?
- 13Present and past passive: how is it made?
- 14Passive in other tenses: what's being done?
- 15Relative clauses: the person who, the place where
- 16Reported statements: who said what?
- 17Reported questions and commands: what did they ask you?
- 18Indirect questions: could you tell me where it is?
- 19Question tags: it's your first day, isn't it?
- 20Gerunds and infinitives: enjoy doing or decide to do?
- 21Reflexive pronouns: did you make it yourself?
- 22Although, however, despite: great view, tiny room
- 23So, such and because of: what a storm!
- 24Phrasal verbs: who's going to clean it up?
- 25All, both, either, neither, none: two or a whole group?
- 26-ed and -ing adjectives: bored or boring?
- 27Advanced comparatives: the more, the better
- 28Articles with place names: the Nile, but Lake Como