Top 10 Past Perfect Continuous Patterns in English
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everybody welcome back to top words my
name is Alisha and today we’re going to
talk about ten past perfect continuous
patterns so before we start today’s
episode of top words this is just a
review of a grammar point so using I’ve
been I’m going to use I’ve been to
introduce each of these so for a little
bit of grammar review this means I have
been plus a progressive form of the verb
meaning I started at some point in the
past and it continues to the current
point in time when we are speaking so
all of the sentences all of the patterns
I’m going to introduce in this lesson
follow that pattern then I’ll try to use
some example sentences with different
subjects as well so let’s look I’ve been
thinking all right the first sentence is
I’ve been thinking I’ve been thinking so
something that you started thinking
about in the past and you have continued
you may be started thinking I don’t know
two weeks ago and you thought about a
week ago and you thought about a few
days ago
so and now you’re thinking about it you
can say I’ve been thinking you could say
I’ve been thinking thought that thought
and continue to a new idea you can say
I’ve been thinking about and then you
continue with the gerund form of the
verb so like I’ve been thinking about
changing jobs I’ve been thinking about
moving to a new apartment we use the
gerund form they’re moving so another
example sentence I’ve been thinking
about starting a new hobby
I’ve been worrying the next pattern is
I’ve been worrying I’ve been worrying so
something that you thought about in the
past that caused you to worry and you
continued to worry about until the
present time I’ve been worrying about
bla bla bla I’ve been worrying about my
brother my mother says she’s been
worrying about me for a long time or my
boss has been worrying about this
project so always this has been or have
been plus worrying about something I’ve
been worrying about something
okay in another sentence I’ve been
worrying about you all night I’ve been
wanting in the next pattern is I’ve been
wanting I’ve been wanting so wanting
means something you started like you
wanted it for the first time in the past
like I think I used this in a live a
live video I said I’ve been wanting to
see that movie like I’ve been wanting to
see the new Blade Runner I think I said
that means I started wanting I for the
first time I thought I wanted to do that
or I wanted some object and I didn’t get
it at that time maybe the next day and
the day after that and the day after
that I still wanted that thing so I can
say I’ve been wanting that I’ve been
wanting that so for example in my
sentence I’ve been wanting to see that
movie for a long time or he’s been
wanting to take a day off for ages or
they’ve been wanting to travel the world
for 50 years something like that in
another example sentence yeah I’ve been
wanting to see that movie I’ve been
studying the next pattern is I’ve been
studying I’ve been studying this is a
pattern that’s probably very useful for
many people who are watching I’ve been
studying means you started studying in
the past and you continued to study for
a number of years or a number of months
or maybe just a few days I don’t know
I’ve been studying so this is a pattern
that you can use actually all of these
are patterns that you can use with for
and since before the period of time or
the length of time so for example I’ve
been studying English for three years or
she’s been studying accounting her whole
life or they’ve been studying gardening
for the last six months for example so
talking about a thing you have studied
for a period of time you can refer to
that continuously with the progressive
form or the continuous form in another
sentence I’ve been studying English for
a year I’ve been hearing about ah the
next one the next pattern is I’ve been
hearing about I’ve been hearing about
this is useful for gossip or for a news
maybe you can use it to talk about like
a new restaurant or a new bar or just
something interesting some interesting
little piece of information you continue
to hear about so you heard it once or
maybe you heard about it again a few
days later something that here and there
you’ve you heard about a few times you
can say I’ve been hearing about blah
blah blah like I’ve been hearing about
this new restaurant that opened recently
or I’ve been hearing about the upcoming
policy changes at work or he said he’s
been hearing about some bad weather
that’s gonna come this summer but
something that you’ve been hearing
something that you heard news about in
the past multiple times you can say I’ve
been hearing about blah blah blah in a
sentence I’ve been hearing about our new
manager okay I’ve been listening to next
one is also may be useful for your
studies but um I think useful for your
hobbies it’s I’ve been listening to I’ve
been listening to so something that
began and again began in the past
continues to the present that happened
regularly so this can mean like music
that you like or maybe a news program or
a podcast that you enjoy or maybe I
don’t know even this video series for
example so I’ve been listening to that
artist for many years or he’s been
listening to his boss’s advice for the
whole day or she’s been listening to her
mother shout for three hours I don’t
know but these are things we’ve we are
we have listened to continuously for a
period of time I’ve been listening to
something else continuously in another
sentence I’ve been listening to a lot of
jazz lately I’ve been talking a lot with
the next pattern is I’ve been talking a
lot with I’ve been talking a lot with or
you can say I’ve been talking a lot to
is also alright but I’ve been talking a
lot with means over an extended period
of time or maybe recently there’s a
person or a group of people or an
organization perhaps you have had many
conversations with you’ve spoken to that
person many times so for example he’s
been talking a lot with a counselor
recently or they’ve been talking a lot
with upper management about the future
of the company for example or I’ve been
talking a lot with my neighbors lately
it’s been great so talking a lot with is
another pattern that’s useful in this
grammar point I think in a sentence I’ve
been talking a lot with my parents this
month I’ve been living next one is a
commonly confused when I think the next
one is I’ve been living I’ve been living
here or I’ve been living in city or
country name for or since blah blah blah
so I’ve been living in the USA for 87
years or she’s been living in that city
for three months or they’ve been living
here for almost a year I think so
been living a lot of people say like can
I say like I have lived here for one
year or I’ve been living here for one
year they mean the same thing really
like especially with the verb to live
like I have lived here for five years
and I’ve been living here for five years
they’re to me they’re very similar in
meaning I think I’ve been living here I
feel both they’re they’re both perfectly
acceptable
really I would I would use either like I
would say I’ve lived here for five years
or I’ve been living here for five years
it’s I suppose the continuous nature is
a little bit stronger with the
continuous tense but they really
communicate the same idea so you can use
either to talk about the place where you
live really so one more example I’ve
been living in Bangkok for three years
now I’ve been working next pattern is
I’ve been working I’ve been working this
is one you can use to talk about your
job or perhaps a project that you’re
doing so you can use I’ve been working
at a certain company you can say I’ve
been working as plus a job title with
your extra information so I’ve been
working as a teacher for 18 years or
I’ve been working as a doctor for three
months for example you can say I’ve been
working on plus a project name like I’ve
been working on a new promotion or I’ve
been working on a new book for example
so depending on the preposition that you
use after this expression you can change
sort of the information you want to
present so to recap I’ve been working in
ABC company for five years I’ve been
working as a doctor for five years or
I’ve been working on a new project for
five years so these are a few patterns
that you can use with the verb working
here to talk about a continuous thing in
your past and your present as well so in
another sentence I’ve been working in
this department for six months I’ve been
planning the last one is I’ve been
planning I’ve been planning so this
refers to perhaps a future plan
something that you started thinking
about in the past but it has not
happened yet maybe something that you
are planning even now but you started
planning it in the past so this is
something maybe it has not happened yet
it’s going to happen in the future so
I’ve been planning a birthday party for
my friend or he’s been planning to find
a new job or they’ve been planning a
month-long vacation for example so
something it hasn’t happened yet but
it’s going to happen in the future we
can use I’ve been planning they’ve been
planning she’s been playing in another
sentence I’ve been planning a barbecue
all summer so those are ten past perfect
continuous patterns I hope that those
are helpful
those are a few examples of some ways
that we use at least in American English
the past perfect continuous or the past
perfect progressive tense so I hope that
these are helpful for you as you kind of
build some sentences and kind of get a
feel for the way that some of these
verbs are commonly used
course if there’s another pattern that
you like to use with the continuous or
the progressive tense please let us know
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