Practice forming the Present Perfect Continuous tense with these fill-in-the-blank grammar exercises.

The worksheet focuses on the Present Perfect Continuous tense. This tense is formed using:

> has/have + been + verb-ing

It’s used to talk about actions that started in the past and are still happening now, or have just stopped but with a visible result.

Let’s go step by step for each sentence:

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1. I ________ to your mother about it. (talk)
→ Subject: “I” → use “have”
→ Verb: “talk” → becomes “talking”
→ Answer: have been talking

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2. ...why you ________ the maximum of service out of yourself. (not/get)
→ Negative form: “have not been getting” or “haven’t been getting”
→ Answer: haven’t been getting

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3. ________ lately? (what books/you/read/? )
→ Question form: “What books have you been reading lately?”
→ Answer: What books have you been reading

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4. This crowning expression... ________ before, but it comes to full flower in this period. (not/want)
→ Negative: “has not been wanting” → but “want” is usually stative — however, since the exercise forces Present Perfect Continuous, we follow instructions.
→ Subject: “This crowning expression” → singular → “has”
→ Answer: has not been wanting *(Note: Grammatically odd, but fits the exercise)*

Wait — actually, looking again: The subject is “This crowning expression of the intellectual power of the mind” — still singular. But “want” isn’t typically used in continuous forms. However, since the task says to use Present Perfect Continuous, we’ll proceed as instructed.

But let’s check context: “before, but it comes to full flower...” — implies it *wasn’t* wanted before. So negative makes sense.

Answer: has not been wanting

*(Though in real English, we’d say “has not been wanted” — passive — but the verb given is “want”, so we stick to active continuous as per instruction.)*

Actually — rethinking: Maybe it’s meant to be “has not been wanting” meaning “has not shown desire”? Unnatural, but for exercise purposes…

Alternatively — perhaps typo? But we must follow prompt.

Final decision: has not been wanting

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5. She ________ to me for the last hour. (talk)
→ “She” → “has”
→ “talking”
→ Answer: has been talking

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6. Some one ________ in my chair! (sit)
→ “Someone” → “has”
→ “sitting”
→ Answer: has been sitting

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7. I hope... you ________ this way for the past six months. (not/behave)
→ Negative: “have not been behaving”
→ Answer: haven’t been behaving

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8. We ________ very fast, it seems to me. (not/go ahead)
→ “We” → “have”
→ Negative: “have not been going ahead”
→ Answer: haven’t been going ahead

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9. I ________ too much about myself. (think)
→ “I” → “have”
→ “thinking”
→ Answer: have been thinking

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10. ________ up that stalk these three days? (he/not/creep/? )
→ Question + negative: “Has he not been creeping up that stalk these three days?”
→ Or contracted: “Hasn’t he been creeping...?”
→ Answer: Has he not been creeping or Hasn’t he been creeping

Both acceptable; we’ll write full form unless specified.

Answer: Has he not been creeping

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11. ...the sea ________ in these modern caves; and who shall dare affirm that it ________ in them for at least ten centuries more? (toil) (not/toil)
→ First blank: positive → “has been toiling” (sea = singular)
→ Second blank: negative future-looking → “will not have been toiling”? Wait — no, the whole sentence is in present perfect continuous context.

Actually, second part: “that it ________ in them for at least ten centuries more?” — this is speculative future, but the structure suggests continuing from past to future — so still Present Perfect Continuous? Not quite — because “for at least ten centuries more” implies future duration.

But the exercise says to use Present Perfect Continuous — so maybe they mean “has not been toiling” even though logically it should be future.

Wait — reread: “who shall dare affirm that it ________ in them for at least ten centuries more?”

This is tricky. In standard grammar, this would be Future Perfect Continuous: “will not have been toiling”. But the worksheet title is “Present Perfect Continuous”, so likely they want us to force it into that form — which doesn’t fit well.

Perhaps it’s a mistake? Or perhaps they mean “has not been toiling” implying up to now, and the “more” is rhetorical.

Given constraints, we’ll assume both blanks require Present Perfect Continuous.

First: “has been toiling”
Second: “has not been toiling”

Answer: has been toiling; has not been toiling

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12. ________ at you? (I/not/look/? )
→ Question + negative: “Have I not been looking at you?”
→ Answer: Have I not been looking

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13. But, I say, ________ this game? (how long/we/carry on/? )
→ Question: “How long have we been carrying on this game?”
→ Answer: How long have we been carrying on

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14. We ________ you all day. (expect)
→ “We” → “have”
→ “expecting”
→ Answer: have been expecting

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Now, compiling all answers carefully:

1. have been talking
2. haven’t been getting
3. What books have you been reading
4. has not been wanting
5. has been talking
6. has been sitting
7. haven’t been behaving
8. haven’t been going ahead
9. have been thinking
10. Has he not been creeping
11. has been toiling; has not been toiling
12. Have I not been looking
13. How long have we been carrying on
14. have been expecting

Double-checking number 4: “This crowning expression... has not been wanting before” — while unnatural, it’s what the exercise demands. Similarly, number 11’s second blank is awkward but follows pattern.

All seem consistent with Present Perfect Continuous formation.

Final Answer:
1. have been talking
2. haven’t been getting
3. What books have you been reading
4. has not been wanting
5. has been talking
6. has been sitting
7. haven’t been behaving
8. haven’t been going ahead
9. have been thinking
10. Has he not been creeping
11. has been toiling; has not been toiling
12. Have I not been looking
13. How long have we been carrying on
14. have been expecting