Simple vs. Continuous
She ______ (to have) a lot of friends.
has
Correct the mistake: "Did you ever try sushi?"
Have you ever tried sushi?
When I saw him, he ______ (to paint) the entire house by himself.
had painted
Correct the mistake: I am wanting to leave now.
I want to leave now
This is the main reason we use the Present Perfect tense.
To connect the past to the present, often focusing on experience, result, or a period that hasn't finished.
I usually drink tea, but today I ______ coffee.
am drinking
I ______ (to know) her since we were children, but we ______ (to lose) touch after university.
have known / lost
My clothes are dirty because I ______ (to garden) all morning.
have been gardening
You ______ (to be) silly! Stop it!
are being
The key difference between "I've lived here for 10 years" and "I lived here for 10 years."
The first implies I still live here; the second implies I no longer live here.
This cake ______ (to taste) amazing!
tastes
Explain the difference in meaning:
a) "He has gone to the bank."
b) "He went to the bank."
a) He is not here now; he is at the bank or on his way. The action has a result in the present.
b) It states a fact about a completed past action. He may be back by now, or we are just describing his morning. The connection to the present is not stated.
Over the past decade, scientists ______ (to study) the effects of climate change intensively.
have been studying
I ______ (to consider) you a true friend.
consider
Explain why we say "I've known her for years" but NOT "I've been knowing her for years."
'Know' is a stative verb. Stative verbs describe a state, not an action, and are generally not used in continuous forms.
He ______ (to be) very irresponsible lately.
is being
It's the third time you ______ (to ask) me that question today. You already ______ (to ask) me twice this morning!
have asked / asked
He ______ (to wait) for 30 minutes when the bus finally arrived.
had been waiting
He ______ (to appear) to be very confident.
appears
Why is it incorrect to say, "I am understanding the lesson now" but correct to say, "I am understanding more about physics every day"?
'Understand' is typically stative. However, with "every day," it can be used dynamically to emphasize a gradual, changing process.
I ______ (to think) about what you said, and I agree.
have been thinking
She ______ (to be) a teacher for a decade before she ______ (to decide) to change careers. Since then, she ______ (to work) as a consultant.
had been / decided / has worked
She ______ (to sleep) for only ten minutes when the alarm rudely woke her.
had been sleeping
I ______ (to see) the doctor at 4 PM.
am seeing
Describe the specific difference in meaning between Past Continuous and Past Perfect Continuous in a narrative.
Past Continuous describes an action in progress at a specific time in the past. Past Perfect Continuous emphasizes the duration of an action that was in progress before another past action or time