Question

When do we use the present perfect continuous tense?

• A. It is used to refer to an unspecified time between 'before now' and 'now'.
• B. It is used to refer to habits.
• C. It is used to refer to actions that are happening now.
• D. It is used to refer to future ongoing events.

Answer 1

The correct option is A It is used to refer to an unspecified time between 'before now' and 'now'.

The tense of a sentence denotes a time, whether it is the time now (present), time then (past) or the time to come (future). The verb of a sentence has most to do with the tense. The present perfect continuous tense describes an action that began sometime in the past and is still continuing in the present, similar to the time between 'before now' and 'now', as mentioned in A, option A is thus, correct. For example, 'She has been betraying us all this while' Option B explains the function of the simple present tense, that describes a habit or a general truth 'I go to school every day', hence option B is incorrect. Option C explains the present continuous tense, describing an action that is taking place at the moment, it does not explain the present perfect continuous tense, hence option C is incorrect. Option D explains the future continuous tense, as clearly mentioned, hence option D is incorrect.