Present Perfect Continuous

Present Perfect Continuous
FORM
[has/have + been + present participle] Examples:

You have been waiting here for two hours. Have you been waiting here for two hours? You have not been waiting here for two hours.
Complete List of Present Perfect Continuous Forms
USE 1 Duration from the Past Until Now
We use the Present Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and has continued up until now. "For five minutes," "for two weeks," and "since Tuesday" are all durations which can be used with the Present Perfect Continuous. Examples:

They have been talking for the last hour. She has been working at that company for three years. What have you been doing for the last 30 minutes? James has been teaching at the university since June. We have been waiting here for over two hours! Why has Nancy not been taking her medicine for the last three days?
USE 2 Recently, Lately
You can also use the Present Perfect Continuous WITHOUT a duration such as "for two weeks." Without the duration, the tense has a more general meaning of "lately." We often use the words "lately" or "recently" to emphasize this meaning. Examples:
Recently, I have been feeling really tired. She has been watching too much television lately. Have you been exercising lately? Mary has been feeling a little depressed. Lisa has not been practicing her English. What have you been doing?
IMPORTANT
Remember that the Present Perfect Continuous has the meaning of "lately" or "recently." If you use the Present Perfect Continuous in a question such as "Have you been feeling alright?", it can suggest that the person looks sick or unhealthy. A question such as "Have you been smoking?" can suggest that you smell the smoke on the person. Using this tense in a question suggests you can see, smell, hear or feel the results of the action. It is possible to insult someone by using this tense incorrectly.
REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs/ Mixed Verbs

It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Present Perfect Continuous with these verbs, you must use Present Perfect. Examples:

Sam has been having his car for two years. Not Correct Sam has had his car for two years. Correct
ADVERB PLACEMENT
The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc. Examples:

You have only been waiting here for one hour. Have you only been waiting here for one hour?
ACTIVE / PASSIVE
Examples:

Recently, John has been doing the work. ACTIVE Recently, the work has been being done by John. PASSIVE
NOTE: Present Perfect Continuous is less commonly used in its passive form.
Past Perfect Continuous

FORM
[had been + present participle] Examples: You had been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived. Had you been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived? You had not been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived.
Complete List of Past Perfect Continuous Forms
USE 1 Duration Before Something in the Past
We use the Past Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and continued up until another time in the past. "For five minutes" and "for two weeks" are both durations which can be used with the Past Perfect Continuous. Notice that this is related to the Present Perfect Continuous; however, the duration does not continue until now, it stops before something else in the past. Examples: They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived. She had been working at that company for three years when it went out of business. How long had you been waiting to get on the bus? Mike wanted to sit down because he had been standing all day at work. James had been teaching at the university for more than a year before he left for Asia. A: How long had you been studying Turkish before you moved to Ankara? B: I had not been studying Turkish very long.
USE 2 Cause of Something in the Past
Using the Past Perfect Continuous before another action in the past is a good way to show cause and effect. Examples:

Jason was tired because he had been jogging. Sam gained weight because he had been overeating. Betty failed the final test because she had not been attending class.
Past Continuous vs. Past Perfect Continuous

If you do not include a duration such as "for five minutes," "for two weeks" or "since Friday," many English speakers choose to use the Past Continuous rather than the Past Perfect Continuous. Be careful because this can change the meaning of the sentence. Past Continuous emphasizes interrupted actions, whereas Past Perfect Continuous emphasizes a duration of time before something in the past. Study the examples below to understand the difference. Examples:

He was tired because he was exercising so hard. He was tired because he had been exercising so hard.
THIS SENTENCE EMPHASIZES THAT HE WAS TIRED BECAUSE HE WAS EXERCISING AT THAT EXACT MOMENT. THIS SENTENCE EMPHASIZES THAT HE WAS TIRED BECAUSE HE HAD BEEN EXERCISING OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT HE WAS STILL EXERCISING AT THAT MOMENT OR THAT HE HAD JUST FINISHED.
REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs

It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Past Perfect Continuous with these verbs, you must use Past Perfect. Examples: The motorcycle had been belonging to George for years before Tina bought it. Not Correct The motorcycle had belonged to George for years before Tina bought it. Correct
ADVERB PLACEMENT
The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc. Examples:

You had only been waiting there for a few minutes when she arrived. Had you only been waiting there for a few minutes when she arrived?
ACTIVE / PASSIVE
Examples: Chef Jones had been preparing the restaurant's fantastic dinners for two years before he moved to Paris.ACTIVE The restaurant's fantastic dinners had been being prepared by Chef Jones for two years before he moved to Paris. PASSIVE
NOTE: Passive forms of the Past Perfect Continuous are not common.

Present Perfect Continuous

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Present Perfect Continuous

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Present Perfect Continuous

Complete List of Present Perfect Continuous Forms

USE 1 Duration from the Past Until Now

USE 2 Recently, Lately

REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs/ Mixed Verbs

Past Perfect Continuous

Complete List of Past Perfect Continuous Forms

USE 1 Duration Before Something in the Past

USE 2 Cause of Something in the Past

Past Continuous vs. Past Perfect Continuous

REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs

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