gc_28_pres_perf_cont

Gloria, a participant in a grammar challenge, discusses the present perfect continuous tense. She learns that this tense is used to talk about activities that have recently stopped and have a connection to the present. The tense is formed by using the present form of "have" followed by "been" and the present participle (verb + ing). Examples are given, and Gloria practices using this tense in different scenarios. She successfully completes the challenge and celebrates her good grade on a test. Welcome to Grammar Challenge from bbclearningenglish.com. Let's meet this week's challenger. Hello. I'm Gloria. I'm from Brazil and I'm not learning English for any reason, just because I like it. Gloria, welcome to Grammar Challenge. Thank you. Thank you very much for helping us. The first thing I want you to do is to listen to this conversation and answer this question. What colour is the room? Hi. You're covered in paint. What have you been doing? I've been decorating the kitchen. Come in and have a look. It's a great shade of hot pink. Hope you like it. So, what colour is the kitchen? The kitchen is hot pink. The kitchen is hot pink. I want you to listen to part of that conversation again and this time what question does the first person ask and what is the answer? What have you been doing? I've been decorating the kitchen. OK. So, what question? What have you been doing? What have you been doing? And the answer? I've been decorating the kitchen. I've been decorating the kitchen. What have you been doing? I've been decorating the kitchen. Do you know what grammatical structure that is? It's present perfect continuous. Oh, excellent. Very well done. And tell us a little bit more about the present perfect continuous. Here's Noula. The present perfect continuous is what we use when we want to talk about an activity that's recently stopped and that has some kind of connection with the present time, now. For example, Dieramid sees Helen covered in paint now, so asks the question, What have you been doing? Helen has just recently stopped working in the kitchen, so she says, I've been decorating the kitchen. To form the present perfect continuous, we use the present form of the verb to have, I have, she has, we have, followed by been, followed by the present participle of the main verb, which is the verb plus ing, painting, decorating, working. In informal spoken English, we use contractions, so we say, I've, you've, she's, etc. Listen again. I've been decorating the kitchen. In questions, however, we don't always use contractions. What have you been doing? So, to recap, when you want to talk about an activity that's recently stopped and that has a connection with the present time, we use the present perfect continuous. And you form that with have or has, followed by been, followed by the present participle. That's all from me. Good luck with your grammar challenge. So, Gloria, that was Nuala telling us a little bit more about the present perfect continuous. What I'm going to do now is to give you a chance to practice this form. I'm going to make a statement or ask a question, and I want you to reply telling me what you have been doing. So, for example, if I say to you, we're in the kitchen. Mmm, there's a lovely smell. Mmm, there's a lovely smell. What have you been doing? I've been cooking. You've been cooking. What have you been cooking? I've been baking a chocolate cake. You've been baking a chocolate cake, but I see that you're also crying. I've been chopping onions. Right. Have you been putting onions into the chocolate cake? No. You were baking a chocolate cake and chopping onions. What kind of cake is this? It's a different situation now. We're not in the kitchen anymore. I've just come to the bus stop. I see you there. Hi, Gloria. Why do you look so bored? I've been waiting for a bus for a long time. Excellent. Excellent. I've been waiting for a bus for a long time. Good. It's very early in the morning. You look really tired, Gloria. Didn't you go to bed last night? No, I've been studying all night. You're a very good student. Yes, I am. Or were you studying baking? OK. We're on Oxford Street and you've got loads of bags. I've been shopping. Ah, you've been shopping. OK. And we're in the park and there's an empty champagne bottle next to you. I've been drinking. You've been drinking. I'm a little drunk. Have you been celebrating? Yes, I've been celebrating. What have you been celebrating? I've been celebrating a good grade I had in my test. Excellent. Congratulations on the good grade on your test and congratulations on finishing your grammar challenge.