Difference Between

Present Perfect vs Present Perfect Continuous

Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous are two types of tenses used in English language. They show some differences between them when it comes to their usage.

Present perfect tense takes the auxiliary verb ‘have’ in its usage as in the sentence ‘I have completed the work’. It is important to know that present perfect tense indicates that something has just happened as in the sentence ‘I have joined duty in the morning’.

The present perfect continuous on the other hand indicates that something has been happening. This is especially true at the time of speaking as in the example ‘It has been raining since morning’. It is understood that the rain has not stopped at the time of speaking. This is the main difference between present perfect tense and the present perfect continuous tense.

Present perfect tense is used to talk about events or about past actions which are completely finished. Observe the following sentences;

1. I could not go to the stadium because I have broken my leg.

2. The government has declared Monday a holiday.

In both the sentences given above, past perfect tense is used to talk about actions that are over at the time of speaking. In the first sentence you get the idea that the leg was already broken and in the second sentence you get the idea that Monday was already declared a holiday.

The present perfect continuous tense on the other hand describes an action that was happening at regular intervals at the time of speaking as in the sentence ‘I have been reading some of Tennyson’s poetry.’ From this sentence you get the idea that the person was reading Tennyson’s poetry at regular intervals though he was not reading at the time of speaking.