UNLIKE the Present Perfect, the Present Perfect Continuous is never used to talk about recently finished actions.
Susan has mopped the floor.
-present perfect
(recently finished)
2) Susan has been mopping the floor for 15 minutes.
-p.p. continuous; not finished yet
Difference in Meaning:
The present perfect focuses more on the result of the action while the present perfect continuous focuses more on the action itself.
Tom and Lucy have been painting
all morning! (focus on the activity)
They have just painted the living
room. Doesn’t it look great?
(focus on the result)
Note! In English, we don’t usually use stative (non-action) verbs with continuous tenses.
Note! In English, we don’t usually use stative (non-action) verbs with continuous tenses.
Example:
Jean got a headache two hours ago.
She still has a headache now.
Because “have” is a stative verb, we don’t like to put it in continuous form; so instead, we use present perfect:
Jean has had a headache for two hours.
She has been having a headache for two hours.
Review:
Review:
The Present Perfect and the Present Perfect Continuous can be often be used in the same circumstance.-especially with the verbs live, work, and study (+when we use since/for)
Example:
1) I have worked at ECC for many years.
-present perfect
2) I have been working at ECC for many years.
-present perfect continuous
-In this case, both actions started in the past and continue up to the present time.
