Present Perfect Continuous: How long have you been...? (B2)

Your task

Fill in the gap in each sentence with the correct word or phrase.

0 / 15 answered

Your score

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Keep practising! Focus on the explanations below.

How long here? (you / wait)

Correct answer: have you been waiting

The auxiliary inverts with the subject in PPC questions → "have you been waiting". Contractions are not normally used in writing for question forms.

How long the violin? (he / play)

Correct answer: has he been playing

Third-person singular question form: "has + subject + been + V-ing" → "has he been playing".

Why ? Are you OK? (you / cry)

Correct answer: have you been crying

A visible present state ("Are you OK?") that needs an ongoing activity to explain it → PPC question form: "have you been crying".

How long in this city? (you / live)

Correct answer: have you been living

"How long" + ongoing residence → PPC question. "Live" is one of the verbs that takes both PPS and PPC in long-duration contexts; the question with "how long" most commonly takes PPC.

Why at your phone for the last hour? (you / stare)

Correct answer: have you been staring

"For the last hour" + still doing it now → PPC question. "Did you stare" would break the link to the still-ongoing behaviour.

What since you got home? (the kids / do)

Correct answer: have the kids been doing

Plural subject takes "have", not "has" → "have the kids been doing". The "since" clause anchors the start of the activity.

at the children again? (you / shout)

Correct answer: Have you been shouting

Yes/no PPC questions begin with the inverted auxiliary → "Have you been shouting". "Again" hints at a recurring pattern, which PPC captures naturally.

How long Japanese? (she / study)

Correct answer: has she been studying

Third-person PPC question: "has she been studying". "How long" + an unfinished course of study is the canonical PPC pattern.

Who to on the phone all afternoon? (you / talk)

Correct answer: have you been talking

"Who" as the object of the preposition + "all afternoon" sustained activity → PPC question: "have you been talking".

Where ? I called you twice! (you / hide)

Correct answer: have you been hiding

"I called you twice" frames the absence as ongoing through the present → PPC question: "have you been hiding".

How long as freelancers? (they / work)

Correct answer: have they been working

Plural subject takes "have" → "have they been working". "How long" + a still-current professional status is canonically PPC.

enough water today? You look a bit pale. (you / drink)

Correct answer: Have you been drinking

Yes/no question about an ongoing-through-the-day habit → PPC: "Have you been drinking". Present-day timeframe with a visible consequence reinforces the choice.

Why that heavy bag around all morning? (you / carry)

Correct answer: have you been carrying

"All morning" + the bag is still being carried right now → PPC question: "have you been carrying".

Who behind closed doors all this time? (the directors / meet)

Correct answer: have the directors been meeting

Plural noun-phrase subject takes "have" → "have the directors been meeting". The word order keeps the auxiliary first, then the subject, then "been + V-ing".

How long on that essay? He started before dinner! (he / type)

Correct answer: has he been typing

Third-person + "how long" + the typing is still going on → PPC question: "has he been typing".

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