Present Perfect Continuous or Present Perfect Simple?

UNIt 17 Present Perfect Continuous or Present Perfect Simple?

A.   Study these example situations:

Ann's clothes are covered in paint                              The ceiling was white. Now it's blue

She has been painting the ceiling.                             She has painted the ceiling.

Has been painting is the present                               Has painted is the present

perfect continuous tense.                                              perfect simple tense.

We are interested in the action. It                               This time, the thing is
does not matter whether something                          that something has been finished. We

has been finished or not. In the                                    are interested in the result of the
example, the action has not been                                action, not in the action itself.
finished.

                                              Here are some pairs of examples:

Tom's hands are very dirty. He                                    The car is working again now. Tom

has been fixing the car.                                                has fixed it.

You've been smoking too much                                 Somebody has smoked all my cigarettes The lately. You should smoke less.                                       packet is empty.

                                                                           

B.   We use the continuous form to say                        We use the simple form to say how

how long something has been                                       much we have done, how many things we have happening:                                                                        done, or how many times we have done            1.   Ann has been writing letters                                something now:

all day.                                                                               1.    Ann has written ten letters today.  

2.   How long have you been reading                       2.   How many pages of that book have

that book?                                                                          you read?

3.    Jim has been playing tennis                                  3.    Jim has played tennis three times      since 2:00.                                                                        this week.