Study the rules, look at the examples, then do the exercises.
In Unit 1 you used the Present Perfect Simple (I have worked, she has gone) to talk about experiences and finished results. Now, at B1, you meet a very useful new tense: the Present Perfect Continuous (I have been working, she has been running). It is one of the clearest ways to sound natural in English, because native speakers use it all the time.
Here is the core idea in one line: the Present Perfect Continuous connects an activity that started in the past and is still going on now — or that has just stopped and we can still see the result. The focus is on the activity itself and how long it has continued.
The Present Perfect Continuous is built in three parts: have or has, then been (this part never changes), then the -ing form of the main verb. Only have / has changes for the subject — been is always the same.
| Subject | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| I / you / we / they | have been working | haven't been working | Have you been working? |
| he / she / it | has been working | hasn't been working | Has she been working? |
There are two situations where this tense is the perfect choice. Learn both.
| Use | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Unfinished action | started in the past, still continuing now | She has been living in Ankara for a year. (She still lives there.) |
| 2. Recent action with a result | just finished, but we see or feel the effect now | I'm hot because I have been running. (I have just stopped.) |
This tense loves the question How long...? and the answers for and since — exactly the two words you met in Unit 1.
| Word | Answers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| for | a length of time (a duration) | for two hours, for a week, for years |
| since | a point when it started | since 9 o'clock, since Monday, since 2020 |
Certain time expressions point straight to the Present Perfect Continuous. When you see them, think of an activity that has been going on.
| Time word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| all day / all morning | for the whole period | I have been drawing all day. |
| recently / lately | in the near past, around now | She has been feeling better lately. |
| for hours / for ages | a long time up to now | They have been talking for hours. |
| How long...? | asking about duration | How long have you been learning it? |
This is the heart of the unit. Compare the Present Perfect Continuous (the process, how long) with the Present Perfect Simple from Unit 1 (the result, how many / finished). Read every row twice.
| Idea | Continuous (process) | Simple (result) |
|---|---|---|
| The activity vs the finished job | I have been colouring a big picture. (the activity) | I have coloured three pictures. (the result) |
| How long vs how many | She has been drawing pictures all day. | She has drawn ten pictures. |
| Maybe not finished vs finished | He has been reading that book. (perhaps not finished) | He has read that book. (finished it) |
Some verbs describe states, not activities: know, like, love, want, need, believe, understand, have (for possession). These verbs are not normally used in the continuous, even when we talk about "how long". Use the Present Perfect Simple instead.
| Wrong ✗ | Right ✓ | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| I have been knowing her for years. | I have known her for years. | "know" is a state verb → simple, not continuous. |
| We have been wanting a bigger bike. | We have wanted a bigger bike. | "want" is a state, not an activity. |
| She has been liking this song. | She has liked this song. | "like" describes a feeling, not an action. |
Two friends meet in the park. Notice how they use the Present Perfect Continuous for ongoing activities, and how know stays in the simple form.
Choose the correct answer. — 10 questions, each one is marked instantly. Questions get harder as you go.
Learn the words, then use them in your own sentences about your life.
Write 8 sentences about activities you have been doing lately. Use at least 8 of the words above.
Sentence starters (you can begin with these):
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will review your task.)
Read the text, then answer the questions.
Good readers prepare before they start. Before you read, think about these three questions (you do not need to write the answers):
Words to spot (from the Speaking section): lately · busy · all afternoon · progress · recently · exhausted
It is nine o'clock on a Saturday morning in Izmir, and Mia is already awake. She has been sitting at her little desk since eight. Her eyes hurt a little, because she has been staring at her drawing for so long. For most children the day has not started yet; for Mia, work on her comic book has been going on since breakfast.
Mia is nine years old, and lately she has been busier than ever. For the last six months she has been working on a huge comic book called 'The Sky Kingdom', so she rarely has a free weekend. The school art show is close, and when the big day feels near, she draws all afternoon, and by bedtime she is completely exhausted. She has not had a proper, lazy day off for weeks.
Her room is small, but it is full of paper, and piles of drawings have been growing on the floor. These days she has been spending almost all her time at home, because the comic needs her full attention. She has been trying to keep her normal bedtime, but the art show has been getting closer, so recently she has been drawing in the evenings too. She has been rewriting the same page for two weeks, because she wants the dragon on it to look perfect.
Making the comic has not always been easy. However, Mia never complains, and she is proud of every page. Some days she has been making wonderful progress; other days she has been sitting for hours and drawing almost nothing. 'Making a comic is not a race,' she says. 'It is more like gardening: you plant ideas and slowly a whole world grows.'
Mia has always loved drawing. She has been studying comics since she was six years old, and she now fills a new sketchbook almost every month. While she was on her summer holiday, she also started painting with watercolours, because she wanted to colour her skies in a softer way. 'People think I finished learning years ago,' she laughs, 'but the truth is I have never stopped. I have been getting better all year, although I still make lots of mistakes.'
Mia did not always draw comics. When she was smaller, she only drew animals and rainbows. Then, three years ago, her teacher gave her a comic book and said, 'Try making one.' She has been doing this hobby — inventing her own stories — for three years now, and she still loves it more than anything. 'Recently I have been getting closer to my biggest dream, winning first prize at the school art show, but I have not reached it yet,' she says.
Yesterday her friend Deniz came round. They have known each other since they were very little, and he worries that Mia has been working too hard. 'How long have you been drawing today?' he asked. 'Since breakfast,' Mia admitted. 'You have been saying "just one more page" for two weeks!' he laughed. Mia smiled, because he was right.
Since that visit, Mia has been trying to look after herself better. She has been going for a short bike ride every evening. She has not won her prize yet, but she has been getting a little closer every day — and, just like the hero in her comic, she is still going.
Choose the correct answer.
Are these sentences true or false, according to the text?
Complete each sentence with ONE word from the text. Each answer is an -ing verb from a Present Perfect Continuous.
Write your answer in your own words. These questions are not marked automatically.
1. Why has Mia been rewriting the same page for two weeks?
2. How does Mia feel about drawing after three years?
3. Why do people wrongly think Mia finished learning to draw long ago?
Find these connectors in the text — each one appears at least once: and, but, so, because, when, while, however, although, also. (You will use these same connectors in the Writing section.) Note them down, then check.
Todd and Sara talk about the countries where they have lived and the languages they have been learning.
You will hear two friends, Todd and Sara, talking about the many countries where Sara has lived and the languages they have been studying. You will listen TWICE. First listen: answer questions 1-5. Second listen: answer questions 6-10. (Kaydı İKİ kez dinleyeceksin: ilk dinlemede 1-5, ikinci dinlemede 6-10.)
Write and submit your paragraph; your teacher will review it.
A list of short, separate sentences is not real writing. What connects your ideas is linking words. At A2 you used and, but, so, because. At B1 you add four more powerful connectors: also, when, while, although and however. These let you show contrast, background events and extra information like a confident writer.
| Connector | Use it to... | Example |
|---|---|---|
| and | add information | I have been practising hard, and I have been sleeping well. |
| but | show a small contrast | I have been trying, but it is not easy. |
| so | show a result | I have been running, so I am tired now. |
| because | give a reason | My eyes hurt because I have been drawing all day. |
| also | add an extra point | I have been learning the piano. I have also been practising the guitar. |
| when | say at what past time | When I started, I could draw very little. |
| while | two things at the same time | While I was at school, I began drawing comics. |
| although | show a strong contrast | Although I have been busy, I keep going. |
| however | contrast between two sentences | I have been improving. However, I still make mistakes. |
See the difference — the same facts, written two ways:
| Separate sentences ✗ | Connected, fluent writing ✓ |
|---|---|
| I have been learning to draw. It is hard. I have been making progress. I still make mistakes. I do not give up. | I have been learning to draw, and although it is hard, I have been making progress. However, I still make mistakes, but I do not give up. |
A "what I have been doing" paragraph has three parts. The skeleton stays the same every time — you change the content, not the structure:
| Part | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Opening | A general topic sentence in the Present Perfect Continuous | I have been very busy lately, and I have been doing lots of fun things. |
| 2. Body | Your ongoing activities. Say how long with for / since, add a present result, and link with connectors. | I have been practising the piano for three months, so I have got much better. Although it is hard, I keep going. |
| 3. Closing | A final comment about progress or a goal you have not reached yet | I have not learned my favourite song yet, but I feel closer every week. |
Write about activities you have been doing lately. Use the Present Perfect Continuous, and say how long.
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will evaluate your writing.)
Mixed questions from the whole unit, then check what you can do.
14 questions: grammar + vocabulary + reading + listening. Each question is marked instantly.
Tick what you can do now. Honest answers help your teacher.
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