Use Present Continuous or Present Perfect Continuous.

1. He had barely entered the room when his secretary said: "Somebody (ring) for you for the last five minutes". 2. I (read) Shakespeare in your absence and now I (try) to learn this beautiful sonnet. 3. What the children (do)? – They (play) games all morning and now they (learn) to tell time by the position of the sun. 4. Our friends (leave). – How long they (stay) with you? 5. What you (think) about? – I (not / think), I (count) the birds in the sky. 6. Where's my daughter? – She (talk) to a policeman. – What's happened? – She (drive) without a license. 7. What you (do) to yourself since I've been away? 8. Florence, dear, I (look) for you everywhere. – What's happened? – Mr Cusak (wait) for you in the house.

Translate into English.

1. Мужчина у окна смотрит на нас. – Да, и что из этого? – Я его встречаю в библиотеке в последнее время. 2. Куда ты так торопишься? – Мама ждет меня у метро уже пять минут. 3. Вы читаете эту газету? 4. Которая из девушек Аня? – На ней красное платье. 5. Я ношу эти туфли уже два года. Они очень удобные. 6. Кого вы ждете? 7. Давно вы его ждете? 8. Что вы слушаете? 9. Она преподает английский с прошлого года. 10. Она учит меня английскому языку. 11. Я проявлял фотографии весь день. 12. Я проявляю наши летние фотографии. 13. Кому ты машешь (рукой)?

Put the verbs in brackets into Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous.

1. Many people believe that our climate (change) very markedly. 2. I (collect) the pictures with bridges since I graduated from the University. Now I (collect) enough to organize an interest­ing exhibition. 3. She (read) a fairy tale to the children since breakfast. They (not / finish) yet. 4. Those people (wait) for
a tram for the last fifteen minutes. I'm afraid, they don't know that the electricity (go) out. 5. What (happen) to Mary? John (ring) her up the whole evening and nobody (answer). 6. "You (come) out at last", he said. "Well, I (stand) here long, and (listen) to the nightingale". 7. So, you (arrive). We just (speak) of you.
8. How long you (know) about it? – I (know) it all the time. 9. Why you (turn) off the music? – I (play) the records for hours; I'm tired now. 10. I definitely (decide) to give Pendle up.

Keys

1. 1. have been working; 2. Has she been sleeping; 3. have been talking; 4. have just been telling; 5. hasn't been feeling; 6. have you been lying; 7. have been trying; 8. haven't been sleeping; 9. have been seeing; 10. hasn't been working.

2. 1. Have you been waiting for me long? 2. Have you been fighting again?
3. How long has your foot been hurting you? 4. He has been studying for three hours already. 5. I have been learning Spanish since September. 6. Ann has been looking for a job for six months. 7. My brother has been smoking for ten years. 8. They have been working in Manchester since the 1st of March. 9. How deep the snow is! How long has it been snowing? 10. Your eyes are red. Have you been crying? 11. How long have you been playing chess? 12. How long have you been living in this town?

3. 1. has been ringing; 2. have been reading, am trying; 3. are the children doing, have been playing, are learning; 4. are leaving, have they been staying; 5. are you thinking, 'm not thinking, 'm counting; 6. is talking, has been driving;
7. have you been doing; 8. have been looking, is waiting.

4. 1. is looking at, so he is, have been meeting... lately; 2. are you hurrying, has been waiting for; 3. Are you reading; 4. is wearing; 5. have been wearing; 6. are you waiting for; 7. Have you been waiting for him long; 8. are you listening to; 9. has been teaching; 10. is teaching; 11. have been developing; 12. am developing; 13. are you waving to.

5. 1. has changed; 2. have been collecting; have collected; 3. has been reading; have not finished; 4. have been waiting, has gone out; 5. has happened, has been ringing, has answered; 6. have come, have been standing, listening; 7. have arrived, have just been speaking; 8. have you known, have known; 9. have you turned, 've been playing; 10. 've definitely decided.

Прошедшее совершенно-длительное время

(The Past Perfect Continuous Tense)

Past Perfect Continuous образуется с помощью формы Past Perfect вспомогательного глагола to be (в форме had been) и Participle I смыслового глагола. Past Perfect Continuous на русский язык переводится глаголом в прошедшем времени в совершенном или несовершенном виде.

Глагол в Past Perfect Continuous обозначает действие, которое началось в прошлом, длилось определенный период времени до какого-то момента в прошлом и, возможно, продолжалось далее. Этот момент времени обозначается точным указанием времени с предлогом by (by 1999, by the end of the last year) или другим действием в составе придаточного предложения.

By 1999 I had been working here for 5 years.– К 1999 году я проработал здесь уже 5 лет.

When my friend came, I had been working in the laboratory for an hour.– Когда мой друг пришел, я уже час работал в лаборатории.

Exercises

Put the verb in brackets into Past Perfect Continuous.

1. Clouds (gather) all day and now rain came down in sheets. 2. "I'm coming all right", said Mr Dilinger, who (shiver) for the last ten minutes. 3. I realized that he had come away with me in order to discuss once more what he already (discuss) for hours with his sister-in-law. 4. I slowly released a breath and only then realized that I (hold) it for some time.

Put the verb in brackets into Past Indefinite, Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous.

1. When I (leave) home, the snow already (stop). 2. It (be) 6 p.m. and Jack (be) tired because he (work) hard all day. 3. He clearly (listen) to our conversation and I (wonder) how much he (hear). 4. She (say) she (teach) at this school for twenty years. 5. He (say) he just (finish) the book he (read) all this time. 6. The postman (come) after lunch and (bring) me a letter which I (expect) for a long time. 7. It (rain) since the morning, and the fields (be) quite muddy.

Put the verb in brackets into Past Indefinite, Past Continuous and Past Perfect Continuous.

1. When I (get) home that evening, my little son (eat) dinner himself for the first time. 2. My sister's wedding (be) the only thing anybody (talk) at home for the last two weeks. 3. They (go) back to the hotel and up to their suite, where they (expect) the inspector at six-thirty. 4. Presently he (turn) to look at the corner where she (stand). 5. Scarlett, who (fan) herself with a turkey-tall fan, (stop) abruptly. 6. He just (leave) for the airport when I (call). 7. "Who are you thinking of?", he (ask) after he (look) at me for a few seconds. 8. They (stand) in the open front doorway, waiting for her to come in out of the rain. 9. Their daughter (not / say) where she (sleep) and she (have) a curiously looking box in her hands.