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Lesson planB150 minsNew. New: checked automatically for level, grammar, facts and originality; a teacher's review is still to come. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
I've Been Painting All Day: the present perfect continuous
Students use the present perfect continuous to talk about recent activities and their results, then write an email about a hobby or home project.
Present perfect continuous · Hobbies · Home
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Plan at a glance
Aims
- Use present perfect continuous accurately
- Learn and use 8 words and phrases in one set: Hobbies and describing a place
- Read for detail: Our old house
- Writing task: what I've been doing
Stages · 50 min
- 5 minLead-in: Pairs talk about hobbies and share ideas with the class.
- 5 minVocabulary: Ex. 1
- 5 minLanguage focus: Go through the grammar notes together and check understanding.
- 5 minControlled practice: Ex. 2
- 5 minVocabulary: Ex. 3
- 5 minAccuracy practice: Ex. 4
- 10 minReading: Ex. 5
- 10 minWriting: Ex. 6
Printables
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Download all (ZIP, 2 PDFs)Grammar notes
Form
- have / has been + -ing: I've been painting. She hasn't been sleeping well. How long have you been waiting?
Use
- An activity that started in the past and is still going on: I've been learning the guitar for two years.
- A recent activity with a result you can see now: My hands are dirty because I've been working in the garden.
- With How long, for and since.
Continuous or simple?
- Activity, how long: I've been reading this book all week.
- Result, how many: I've read three books this month.
- Don't use the continuous with state verbs (know, like, want): I've known him for years (not I've been knowing).
Study tips
- Look around you. What have the people near you been doing today?
- Ask a friend: How long have you been doing your favourite hobby?
Glossary
- Hobbies and describing a place8 items
Complete the exercises, then check your answers.
1
Home and hobby words
Match each word with its meaning.
Tap an item…
…then its match
2
What have they been doing?
Write the verb in the present perfect continuous.
- a
I'm tired because I (paint) the kitchen all day.
- b
How long (you / learn) the guitar?
- c
She (not / sleep) well recently.
- d
It (rain) all morning, so the garden is wet.
- e
We (wait) for the taxi since nine o'clock.
- f
My hands are dirty because I (work) in the garden.
3
Word formation
Use the word in capitals to make a word that fits the gap.
- a
My sister is a very talented — her pictures are in a gallery.
PAINT - b
Gardening is a very hobby for me after a busy day.
RELAX - c
Rock climbing can be , so always use the right equipment.
DANGER - d
Moving all that furniture was really — I need a rest.
TIRE - e
He has a huge of old coins.
COLLECT
4
Find and correct the mistake
Each sentence has one mistake. Write the correction: the corrected word(s) or the whole sentence.
- a
I am learning English since 2020.
- b
She has been knowing him for years.
- c
How long are you waiting here?
- d
They've been play tennis all afternoon.
- e
It's been rain since this morning.
- f
I am very tired for work.
- g
My shoes are more dirty than yours.
5
Read: Our old house
Read the text. Are the sentences true, false or not given?
Last spring, Jake and Lena bought an old house in the country. It was dusty and very untidy, and the garden was full of rubbish. Since then, they have been working on it every weekend. Jake has been painting the bedrooms, and Lena has been building new shelves for her collection of old books. It has been tiring, but they say it's also very relaxing to work with their hands. They haven't finished the kitchen yet, so they've been cooking in the garden. Their friends have been helping too, and next month they're going to have a party in the garden.
- a
The house was clean when they bought it.
- b
Jake has been painting the bedrooms.
- c
Lena has been collecting old books for many years.
- d
The kitchen is finished.
- e
They are going to have a party in the garden.
6
Write: what I've been doing
Write an email to a friend.
Write an email to a friend about a hobby or a home project you've been doing recently (6–8 sentences). What have you been doing? How long have you been doing it? How do you feel about it? Word box: dusty · untidy · tiring · hobby · collection · relaxing Example: Hi Sam, I've been learning to paint for three months now. I've been going to a class every Tuesday, and it's really relaxing after work.
Suggested minimum: 70 words
0 words · aim for at least 70
Spotted a mistake in this lesson?· tell us the exercise and item
Revise with a game
This lesson's own words and questions. Play on your own, or in teams on the classroom screen.
- Step UpAnswer the lesson's questions to climb to the top.
- Pair UpMatch the lesson's words to their meanings against the clock.
- SnapA word and a meaning: do they go together? Answer fast.
- Fix ItFind the mistake in each sentence, then correct it.
- Quiz BoardTeams choose questions worth 100 to 500 points.
- Retro arcadeWord Invaders, Word Snake, Word Maze and Word Crossing: classic arcade games with the lesson's words.
Glossary
The 8 words and phrases this lesson teaches, in one set.
Hobbies and describing a place
- hobby
- something you enjoy doing in your free time
- collection
- a group of things of the same kind that someone keeps
- relaxing
- making you feel calm and comfortable
- tiring
- making you feel tired
- tired
- needing rest or sleep
- dusty
- with a thin grey layer of dust on everything
- dirty
- not clean
- untidy
- with things in the wrong places
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