Introduction
The word Tense is a term in English grammar and refers to a form of the verb that indicates time. Time is a universal, non-linguistic concept with three divisions - Past, Present and Future; by tense, we understand the correspondence between the form of the verb and our concept of time. When making a statement it is essential to indicate whether a situation exists now, existed in the past or is likely to exist in the future.
The present perfect continuous tense is a verb tense that is used to show an action that started in the past and is still continuing into the present or that started in the past and is expected to continue into the future. It is formed by combining the present tense of the verb ‘to be’, ‘have’ and the present participle of a verb.
Present Perfect Continuous Tense - Rules and Examples | Uses of 'Since' and 'For'
✅ Rule 1
This tense is used to refer to actions that began in past but are continuing to take place in the present and are expected to continue in the near future also; as,
- Tom has been working here since 1985.
- It has been raining here since yesterday.
- How long have you been working here?
✅ Rule 2
This tense is used to refer to actions or situations that started in the past, Continued for some time and have just stopped but have presented results; such as,
- Your shoes are dirty. It seems you have been walking in the fields.
- You look tired. Yes, I have been working all day long.
- The gardener has been watering plants.
- The beggar has been crying.
- Why have her clothes been so wet?
Uses of 'Since' and 'For'
When you need to talk about a period of time, you can use either "since" or "for." The words are often interchangeable, but if you want to be clear, use this guideline: If you can substitute "ago" or "before," use "for." If you can substitute "since," use "since." Examples: She's lived in this neighbourhood since 2003. (Not "ago.") He's been doing his job since daylight. (Not "for.")
✅ Use of Since
- Since is used for a definite period of time/point of time:
- Name of the days; as - Since Sunday/Monday...
- Name of the months; as - Since January/February...
- Name of the years; as - Since 1970/1980.....
- Name of the parts of the day; as - Since morning/ dawn/Sunset/Sunrise/dark/night/evening/ afternoon...
- O’ clock/am/pm; as - Since 4 o’clock, Since 8 pm, Since 7 am, Since 5:30 am etc.
- Yesterday, last night, last week, last month, last year; as - Since last night, Since yesterday.
- Name of the seasons; as - Since summer/winter/ spring/autumn...
- Name of the festivals; as - Since Eid/Holi/Deepawali/ Christmas etc.
- Name of the events and stage of one’s life; as- Since his arrival/departure/birth/marriage/death etc.
✅ Use of For
For is used for indefinite/uncertain periods of time (minutes, hours, seconds, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries); as,
- For three hours.
- For several minutes.
- For many weeks.
- For two months.
- For two years.
✅ Affirmative Sentences
Pattern:
➤ Subject + has been/have been + verb (Ist form) + ing + O/A + since/for + time.
- She has been living in Mumbai since 1992.
- The children are playing cricket for two hours.
✅ Negative Sentences
Pattern:
➤ Subject + has not been/have not been + verb (Ist form) + ing + O/A + since/for + time.
- Mohan has not been reading in this school for two years.
- They have not been playing football since 2 PM.
✅ Interrogative Sentences
Pattern:
➤ Has/have + subject + been + verb (Ist form) + ing + O/A + since/for + time.
➤ Q.W. + has/have + subject + been + verb (Ist form) + ing + O/A + since/for + time.
- Have you been living in Alwar since 2006?
- What has Geeta been doing for five months?