Present Perfect Progressive

A verb construction (made up of has been or have been plus the present participle) that emphasizes the ongoing nature of an action that began in the past and continues in the present.

The present perfect progressive tense usually conveys the meaning of recently or lately. The action reported by the present perfect progressive may or may not have been completed. 

Examples and Observations

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Past Perfect Progressive (Verbs)

By Richard Nordquist

Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun: Try to understand how hard he has been trying to make everything better for his family.

Flannery O'Connor: I have been painting with a palette knife because I don't like to wash the brushes.

Henry Rollins: I have been waiting. I have been searching. I am a man under the moon, walking the streets of earth until dawn. There's got to be someone for me.

Nicholas Sparks: The ocean has been singing to me, and the song is that of our life together.

Nicholas G. Meriwether: [Even Jerry] Garcia might have been surprised by how many scholars have been studying the cultural furniture in the Grateful Dead outback.

Ann M. Martin: My friends and I are a little worried because Stacey hasn't been feeling too great lately. But she seems to be coping.

Also Known As: present perfect continuous