Present Perfect Continuous Tense Exercises with Answers for Practice

The present perfect continuous tense is used to describe actions that began in the past and are still continuing in the present or have recently stopped but still have a visible effect. It emphasises the duration of an activity and is commonly used with time expressions such as for, since, all day, recently, and lately.

Practising different types of present perfect continuous tense exercises helps learners understand sentence structure, identify appropriate helping verbs, use the has/have been + verb-ing pattern correctly, and avoid common grammatical errors. The exercises below cover a variety of question formats designed to improve accuracy and confidence in both spoken and written English. 

Table of Contents

• Present Perfect Continuous Tense Exercises with Answers
• Exercise 1 – Present Perfect Continuous Tense Fill in the Blanks
• Exercise 2 – Present Perfect Continuous Tense Sentence Transformation
• Exercise 3 – Present Perfect Continuous Tense Multiple Choice Questions
• Exercise 4 – Present Perfect Continuous Tense Error Correction​
• Exercise 5 – Complete the Paragraph Using the Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Present Perfect Continuous Tense Exercises with Answers

Learning the rules of the present perfect continuous tense becomes much easier through regular practice. Since this tense combines the ideas of continuity and duration, learners often confuse it with the present perfect tense or the present continuous tense. Solving different types of exercises helps reinforce the correct sentence structure and appropriate use of time expressions.

The following present perfect continuous tense exercises with answers include fill-in-the-blanks, sentence transformation, multiple-choice questions, error correction, and paragraph completion activities. 

Exercise 1 – Present Perfect Continuous Tense Fill in the Blanks

Complete each sentence using the correct present perfect continuous tense form of the verb given in brackets.

1. She __________ for the civil services examination for two years. (prepare)

2. They __________ on this research project since January. (work)

3. I __________ to contact him since yesterday morning. (try)

4. The children __________ in the playground for over an hour. (play)

5. We __________ the annual report all afternoon. (review)

6. Rahul __________ French classes for six months. (attend)

7. My grandparents __________ in this neighbourhood since 1995. (live)

8. The engineers __________ the bridge for several weeks. (inspect)

9. She __________ the same novel repeatedly because she enjoys it. (read)

10. The employees __________ extra hours to complete the assignment. (work)

11. You __________ too much pressure on yourself lately. (put)

12. It __________ continuously since early morning. (rain)

13. The scientists __________ the samples carefully for the last three days. (analyse)

14. I __________ my presentation since breakfast. (revise)

15. They __________ for the competition throughout the month. (practise)

16. He __________ his driving skills recently. (improve)

17. We __________ different solutions to this issue for weeks. (discuss)

18. The volunteers __________ food supplies since dawn. (distribute)

19. She __________ for a suitable apartment for several months. (search)

20. The company __________ its customer service over the past year. (upgrade)

Answers 

1. has been preparing

2. have been working

3. have been trying

4. have been playing

5. have been reviewing

6. has been attending

7. have been living

8. have been inspecting

9. has been reading

10. have been working

11. have been putting

12. has been raining

13. have been analysing

14. have been revising

15. have been practising

16. has been improving

17. have been discussing

18. have been distributing

19. has been searching

20. has been upgrading

Exercise 2 – Present Perfect Continuous Tense Sentence Transformation

Rewrite each sentence using the present perfect continuous tense without changing its meaning. Pay attention to the correct use of has/have been + verb-ing and suitable time expressions.

1. She started learning German three years ago and is still learning it.

2. They started renovating their house in April and the work is still in progress.

3. I started waiting for the interview at 9 a.m. and I am still waiting.

4. Rahul started practising the piano last month and he continues to practise every day.

5. The employees started working on the new software in the morning and they are still working.

6. We started discussing the proposal after lunch and the discussion has not ended yet.

7. The children started playing cricket two hours ago and they are still playing.

8. My parents started planning our vacation last week and they are still planning it.

9. The scientist started conducting the experiment yesterday and has not finished yet.

10. The mechanic started repairing my car this morning and the work is still continuing.

11. She started preparing for the scholarship examination in January and is still preparing.

12. The volunteers started cleaning the beach at sunrise and they are still cleaning it.

13. I started reading this novel a few days ago and I have not finished it yet.

14. They started searching for a new office several months ago and they are still searching.

15. The teacher started explaining the chapter half an hour ago and is still explaining it.

16. He started improving his communication skills last year and continues to work on them.

17. The company started expanding its business overseas five years ago and continues to do so.

18. We started collecting data for the survey in June and are still collecting it.

19. The athletes started training for the championship months ago and they continue to train.

20. The gardeners started planting trees early this morning and they are still planting them.

Answers 

1. She has been learning German for three years.

2. They have been renovating their house since April.

3. I have been waiting for the interview since 9 a.m.

4. Rahul has been practising the piano since last month.

5. The employees have been working on the new software since morning.

6. We have been discussing the proposal since after lunch.

7. The children have been playing cricket for two hours.

8. My parents have been planning our vacation since last week.

9. The scientist has been conducting the experiment since yesterday.

10. The mechanic has been repairing my car since this morning.

11. She has been preparing for the scholarship examination since January.

12. The volunteers have been cleaning the beach since sunrise.

13. I have been reading this novel for a few days.

14. They have been searching for a new office for several months.

15. The teacher has been explaining the chapter for half an hour.

16. He has been improving his communication skills since last year.

17. The company has been expanding its business overseas for five years.

18. We have been collecting data for the survey since June.

19. The athletes have been training for the championship for months.

20. The gardeners have been planting trees since early this morning.

Exercise 3 – Present Perfect Continuous Tense Multiple Choice Questions

Choose the most appropriate present perfect continuous tense form to complete each sentence.

1. Riya __________ for the national entrance examination since last summer.

• a) has prepared

• b) has been preparing

• c) is preparing

• d) prepared

2. They __________ on the new marketing campaign for the past three weeks.

• a) have worked

• b) have been working

• c) are working

• d) worked

3. My brother __________ to improve his handwriting for several months.

• a) has tried

• b) has been trying

• c) is trying

• d) tried

4. We __________ this issue repeatedly, but no solution has been found.

• a) have discussed

• b) have been discussing

• c) discussed

• d) discuss

5. The children __________ in the garden since it stopped raining.

• a) have played

• b) have been playing

• c) are playing

• d) played

6. She __________ the same topic all morning.

• a) has explained

• b) has been explaining

• c) explained

• d) explains

7. The workers __________ the road since early morning.

• a) have repaired

• b) have been repairing

• c) repaired

• d) are repaired

8. I __________ for your reply since Monday.

• a) have waited

• b) have been waiting

• c) waited

• d) am waiting

9. The company __________ its recruitment process over the last few months.

• a) has improved

• b) has been improving

• c) improved

• d) improves

10. He __________ English fluently because he has been practising every day.

• a) has spoken

• b) has been speaking

• c) is speaking

• d) spoke

11. The researchers __________ data from different regions since January.

• a) have collected

• b) have been collecting

• c) collected

• d) collect

12. She __________ continuously for the last two hours.

• a) has talked

• b) has been talking

• c) talked

• d) talks

13. We __________ for this opportunity for many years.

• a) have hoped

• b) have been hoping

• c) hoped

• d) hope

14. The mechanic __________ my bike since noon.

• a) has repaired

• b) has been repairing

• c) repaired

• d) repairs

15. They __________ the annual budget all afternoon.

• a) have analysed

• b) have been analysing

• c) analysed

• d) analyse

16. My parents __________ for a suitable apartment since last month.

• a) have searched

• b) have been searching

• c) searched

• d) search

17. The players __________ hard to qualify for the finals.

• a) have trained

• b) have been training

• c) trained

• d) train

18. I __________ this article since breakfast.

• a) have edited

• b) have been editing

• c) edited

• d) edit

19. The volunteers __________ relief materials throughout the day.

• a) have distributed

• b) have been distributing

• c) distributed

• d) distribute

20. She __________ her research paper for several weeks.

• a) has written

• b) has been writing

• c) wrote

• d) writes

Answers

1. b) has been preparing

2. b) have been working

3. b) has been trying

4. b) have been discussing

5. b) have been playing

6. b) has been explaining

7. b) have been repairing

8. b) have been waiting

9. b) has been improving

10. b) has been speaking

11. b) have been collecting

12. b) has been talking

13. b) have been hoping

14. b) has been repairing

15. b) have been analysing

16. b) have been searching

17. b) have been training

18. b) have been editing

19. b) have been distributing

20. b) has been writing

Exercise 4 – Correct the Errors in the Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Each of the following sentences contains an error in the present perfect continuous tense. Identify the mistake and rewrite the sentence correctly.

1. She have been preparing for the interview since Monday.

2. They has been working on the project for three months.

3. I has been waiting for your call all day.

4. Rahul have been practising the guitar since last year.

5. We has been discussing this issue for hours.

6. The teacher have been explaining the lesson since morning.

7. My parents has been living in Chennai for twenty years.

8. The children has been playing in the park since 4 p.m.

9. He have been improving his communication skills recently.

10. The workers has been repairing the bridge for several weeks.

11. You has been using my laptop without permission.

12. I have been studying for my final examination since last week.

13. The scientist has been conduct research for many years.

14. They have been organiseing the event since June.

15. She has been writeing her thesis all month.

16. We have been discuss the proposal since yesterday.

17. My sister has been learn French for two years.

18. The company have been expanding its business rapidly.

19. It have been raining since early morning.

20. The volunteers has been distributing food supplies since dawn.

Answers

1. She has been preparing for the interview since Monday.

2. They have been working on the project for three months.

3. I have been waiting for your call all day.

4. Rahul has been practising the guitar since last year.

5. We have been discussing this issue for hours.

6. The teacher has been explaining the lesson since morning.

7. My parents have been living in Chennai for twenty years.

8. The children have been playing in the park since 4 p.m.

9. He has been improving his communication skills recently.

10. The workers have been repairing the bridge for several weeks.

11. You have been using my laptop without permission.

12. I have been studying for my final examination since last week.

13. The scientist has been conducting research for many years.

14. They have been organising the event since June.

15. She has been writing her thesis all month.

16. We have been discussing the proposal since yesterday.

17. My sister has been learning French for two years.

18. The company has been expanding its business rapidly.

19. It has been raining since early morning.

20. The volunteers have been distributing food supplies since dawn.

Exercise 5 – Complete the Paragraph Using the Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Read the paragraph carefully and fill in each blank with the correct present perfect continuous tense form of the verb given in brackets.

Rohan and his classmates (1) __________ (prepare) for the annual science exhibition for the past two months. They (2) __________ (design) innovative models and (3) __________ (collect) materials from different sources. Their science teacher (4) __________ (guide) them throughout the project and (5) __________ (encourage) them to improve their presentations.

Meanwhile, Rohan (6) __________ (research) renewable energy for several weeks because he wants his project to be informative. His teammates (7) __________ (test) different prototypes to improve efficiency. The entire group (8) __________ (work) together every evening after school.

At home, Rohan's parents (9) __________ (support) him by arranging the necessary resources. His younger sister (10) __________ (watch) him build the model with great interest. She (11) __________ (ask) many questions about the project because she is curious about science.

The school management (12) __________ (organise) the exhibition carefully for several days. Teachers (13) __________ (decorate) the exhibition hall since the beginning of the week. Volunteers (14) __________ (arrange) display tables and (15) __________ (prepare) visitor registration desks.

Visitors (16) __________ (show) interest in the exhibition even before its official opening. The organising committee (17) __________ (receive) enquiries from neighbouring schools since last month. Local newspapers (18) __________ (cover) the event regularly, and students (19) __________ (look) forward to presenting their projects. Everyone (20) __________ (wait) eagerly for the exhibition day to arrive.

Answers

1. have been preparing

2. have been designing

3. have been collecting

4. has been guiding

5. has been encouraging

6. has been researching

7. have been testing

8. have been working

9. have been supporting

10. has been watching

11. has been asking

12. has been organising

13. have been decorating

14. have been arranging

15. have been preparing

16. have been showing

17. has been receiving

18. have been covering

19. have been looking

20. has been waiting

Learn More: Tenses Exercises with Answers | Practice English Tenses