Present Perfect Continuous Tense Quiz (Level B1-B2) - Grammar Practice

⏱ Time: 07:30 📝 Questions: 15 📊 Level: B1, B2 📚 Type: Grammar ⭐ XP: up to +16 (on pass)

Work towards mastering Present Perfect Continuous Tense with this focused set of 15 exercises. Designed for Level B1-B2 learners, the questions test recognition, application, and common pitfalls. Earn XP, track your score, and come back until you can get them all right.

⏱ You have 07:30 to answer 15 questions. The timer only starts when you click Begin.

Q1  15
Q1 15

Question 1: My sister ___ for her driving test all week, so she feels confident now.

Question 1 options
'has been studying' is correct because the present perfect continuous is formed with has/have + been + verb-ing. The other options use incorrect auxiliary combinations or tense forms.
Q2 15

Question 2: We ___ for the bus since half past eight. Where is it?

Question 2 options
'have been waiting' is correct because the subject 'we' requires 'have', and the continuous action starting in the past uses been + verb-ing. 'has been waiting' is wrong because 'we' is plural.
Q3 15

Question 3: The present perfect continuous tense can be used with stative verbs such as 'know', 'believe', and 'understand'.

Question 3 options
False because stative verbs like 'know', 'believe', and 'understand' do not describe ongoing actions and are not used in the present perfect continuous. The present perfect simple is used instead (e.g., 'I have known her for years').
Q4 15

Question 4: Which situation is best described using the present perfect continuous tense?

Question 4 options
The present perfect continuous describes an action that started in the past and continues up to now. 'She has been jogging every morning this week' fits this perfectly. The other options describe completed past events or general facts that do not involve ongoing duration.
Q5 15

Question 5: Arrange the words to make a correct sentence:

Question 5 options
  • have been practising
  • their presentation
  • since Monday
  • They

Drag items or use arrows to arrange them in the correct order.

The correct order is 'They have been practising their presentation since Monday.' The present perfect continuous uses have + been + verb-ing, and 'since' introduces the starting point of the action.
Q6 15

Question 6: Which sentence is grammatically correct?

Question 6 options
'He has been fixing the car for two hours' is correct because it uses has + been + verb-ing to show an ongoing activity. The other options incorrectly omit 'been', use the wrong auxiliary, or use the bare infinitive instead of the -ing form.
Q7 15

Question 7: A: Why are your hands so dirty? B: I ___ in the garden. I just came inside.

Question 7 options
'have been working' is correct because the speaker describes a recent past action whose result (dirty hands) is visible in the present. The present perfect continuous links a recent ongoing activity to its current evidence.
Q8 15

Question 8: Which sentence correctly uses the present perfect continuous (not the present perfect simple)?

Question 8 options
'I have been reading this novel all afternoon' is correct because it emphasises the ongoing duration of the activity using have + been + verb-ing. The present perfect simple ('I have read') would focus on the completion, not the ongoing process.
Q9 15

Question 9: Put the words in the correct order:

Question 9 options
  • been looking for
  • a new job
  • lately?
  • your brother
  • Has

Drag items or use arrows to arrange them in the correct order.

The correct order is 'Has your brother been looking for a new job lately?' Present perfect continuous questions invert has/have before the subject, followed by been + verb-ing.
Q10 15

Question 10: The children look exhausted. They ___ football in the heat for over two hours.

Question 10 options
'have been playing' is correct because it expresses a continuous activity that has been happening for a specific duration (over two hours) and explains the current visible result (looking exhausted). The other options use incorrect tense forms.
Q11 15

Question 11: Which statement about the present perfect continuous is true?

Question 11 options
The present perfect continuous uses 'for' to show the length of an ongoing action (e.g., 'for three hours') and 'since' to show the starting point (e.g., 'since Monday'). It does not describe only completed actions, nor is it interchangeable with the past continuous for all uses.
Q12 15

Question 12: Rewrite in the present perfect continuous: 'She started learning French two years ago and still studies it.' → She ___ French for two years.

Question 12 options
'has been learning' is correct because the transformation requires has/have + been + verb-ing to show an action that started in the past and continues to the present. 'has learned' is the present perfect simple and does not emphasise the ongoing nature.
Q13 15

Question 13: Match each sentence to the correct grammar label.

Question 13 options
I have been studying for this exam since early morning.
She has been crying, so her eyes are red.
They haven't been attending classes this semester.
Has he been staying with his parents this month?
Present perfect continuous question about a temporary situation
Ongoing action with duration using 'since'
Recent past action with a visible present result
Negative present perfect continuous

Select an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.

The present perfect continuous is used for: ongoing actions with duration (for/since), recent actions with present results, temporary situations, and negative forms showing an action has not been happening.
Q14 15

Question 14: The present perfect continuous can always be used instead of the present perfect simple when talking about how many times something has happened (e.g., 'I have been visiting Paris three times').

Question 14 options
False because when expressing a completed number of occurrences or a finished quantity, the present perfect simple must be used (e.g., 'I have visited Paris three times'). The present perfect continuous focuses on duration and ongoing activity, not on counting completed events.
Q15 15

Question 15: Which sentence best expresses that the speaker is tired because of an activity that has been happening up until now?

Question 15 options
'I have been marking student essays all day and I'm completely drained' is best because the present perfect continuous links the ongoing activity (marking) to its present effect (feeling drained), emphasising duration. The past simple and past continuous options do not connect the activity to the present moment.