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Perfect Continuous Tense
- Perfect Continuous Tense
The Past Perfect Continuous is used for an action that began before a certain point in the past and continued up to that time; for example:
- At that time, he had been writing a novel for two months.
- When Mr. Mukerji came to the school in 1995, Mr. Anand had already been teaching there for five years.
The Present Perfect Continuous is used for an action which began at some time in the past and is still continuing; for example:
- He has been sleeping for five hours. (implies that he is still sleeping)
- They have been building the bridge for several months.
- They have been playing since four o’clock
- Future Perfect Continuous Tense
The Future Perfect Continuous tense is used for actions which will be in progress over a period of time that will end in the future. For example:
- By next March, we shall have been living here for four years.
- I’ll have been teaching for twenty years next July.
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TENSE |
PAST | PRESENT | FUTURE |
| PERFECT | HAD + BEEN + VERB + ING | HAS/HAVE + BEEN + VERB + ING | WILL/SHALL + HAVE + BEEN + VERB + ING |
| VERB = BE | HAD BEEN | HAS/HAVE BEEN | WILL/WOULD HAVE BEEN |
| VERB = EAT | HE HAD BEEN EATING MEAT ALL HIS LIFE BEFORE HE BECAME A VEGETARIAN. |
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VERB = BE |
HAD BEEN | HAS/HAVE BEEN | WILL/WOULD HAVE BEEN |
| VERB = STUDY |
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VERB = BE |
HAD BEEN | HAS/HAVE BEEN | WILL/WOULD HAVE BEEN |
| VERB = WRITE |
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- Non Action Verbs
- Non- action verbs such as to be, to seem, or to know cannot use to the Future Perfect Continuous Tense.
- Instead, these verbs take the Future Perfect Tense, which is formed with will + have + past participle.
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INCORRECT |
CORRECT |
| On Thursday, I will have been knowing you for a week. | On Thursday, I will have known you for a week. |
| I will have been reading forty-five books by Christmas. | I will have read forty-five books by Christmas. |