LESSON 88

468 Perfect continuous

Present participle if … then …

We form the perfect continuous tenses by using the verb “have“, the
word “been“ and the present participle of the main verb.

Present perfect continuous: I have been working

Past perfect continuous: I had been working

Future perfect continuous: I will have been working

How do we form the perfect continuous tenses? We form … by

using the verb “have“, the word “been“,
and the present participle of the main verb
Give me an example, please. I have been studying for two hours

We use the present perfect continuous to say how long an action has
been in progress so far. We are “measuring“ the duration of the action up
to now. For example, if you arrive at work at 9 a.m., then at 10 a.m. you
can say “I have been working for one hour so far“; later, at 11 a.m., you
can say “I have been working for two hours so far“.

When do we use the present perfect continuous? We use the present

perfect continuous to say how
long an action has been in progress so far
Give me an example, please. I have been living in this
house for six months so far
469 We use the past perfect continuous to communicate the duration of an
action up to a particular point in the past. We are “measuring“ how long
the action had already been in progress at that point. For example, the
sentence “I had been cooking for twenty minutes when she arrived“
means that I started cooking and then twenty minutes later she arrived.

When do we use the past perfect continuous? We use the past

perfect continuous to communicate the
duration of an action up to a particular point in the past
Give me an example, please. I had been living in this house
for one month when I bought my new bed

We use the future perfect continuous to communicate the duration of an

action up to a particular point in the future. For example, “At the end of
this lesson, we will have been studying for … minutes“.

When do we use the future perfect continuous? We use the future

perfect continuous to communicate the
duration of an action up to a particular point in the future
Give me an example, please. I will have been living in this house
for eight months at the end of this year
How long had you been sitting in this room for when I came in?
I had been sitting in this
room for … when you came in
Since when have you been studying English? I’ve been
studying English since …
How long will you have been living in this place for when this year (or
season) ends? I’ll have been living in this place
for ... when this year (or season) ends
Since when? Since ...

Notice that there is no important difference between saying “I have been

living here for two months“ and “I have lived here for two months“.
When speaking about duration, we can normally use either the perfect
continuous tenses or the perfect tenses.

470 What’s the difference between saying “I have been living here for two
months“ and “I have lived here for two months“? There is no
important difference between saying …
 ruler

Who was the last ruler of your country? The last ruler
of my country was ...
Could you draw a completely straight line without the help of a ruler?
No, I couldn’t …

earth astronomical geographical

Generally speaking, what’s the difference between “Earth“ and “world“?

Generally speaking, … is that we
use the word “Earth“ in the astronomical
sense, and “world“ in the geographical sense
How far’s the Earth from the sun? The Earth’s about
93,000,000 miles from the
sun (or 150,000,000 kilometres)
What’s mud? Mud’s a mixture of earth and water

by means of public transport

By what means can we draw a straight line? We can draw …

by means of a pen or a pencil and a ruler
471 By what means do you come to school? I come to school
by (means of a) bus, train, car etc.
Would you rather have your own means of transport than use public
transport? Yes, I’d rather have ...
~ No, I wouldn’t rather have ...
Why or why not?

As a means of making money, what would you say was the best way?
As a means ..., I’d say the best way was ...

figure

What’s the best way to maintain a good figure? The best way …

Who do you think was the greatest figure in history? I think ...
was the greatest ...
How many figures are there in the number of your house? There are ...
figures in the number of my house
 What kind of figure am I drawing in the air with my finger?
You’re drawing a square
(a circle etc.) in the air with your finger

couple adopt

If a couple can’t have a child, what can they do? If a couple …,

they can adopt one
If you went to live in another country, do you think you would quickly
adopt the way of living in that country? Yes, if I went to …,
I think I’d … ~ No, if I went to …, I don’t think I’d …
Why or why not?

472 cruel

Who do you think was the cruellest character in history? I think …

was the cruellest …

college

What’s a college? A college is a kind of school, or part of a university

burn

If we put a piece of wood or paper into a flame, what happens to it?

If we put …, it burns

take a bath

Dictation 56

He won first prize/ for being the best student/ in his class./ I’m determined to carry
on studying/ until I can speak English/ really well./ My dad taught me/ how to fix
my bike./ He was a real gentleman,/ and showed good manners/ in all situations. /
Although he is retired,/ he is still very famous/ and can’t go out in public/ without
being followed by a crowd./ Some people take mud baths/ for their health./ It was
after midnight/ when the nurse got an opportunity/ to take a break./ What we eat
influences/ the way we feel.

Do Revision Exercise 37