Present Perfect vs Present Perfect Continuous

Travis ________________ (study) for the exam all day.

• has studied

• has been studying

Answer explanation

It is a big deal the situation has been going on for the whole day. Present Perfect Continuous :P

Laura ___________ (read) ten books each summer.

• has read

• has been reading

Answer explanation

Present Perfect focuses on the "how many". Present Perfect Continuous, on the "how long".

Emily ___________ (believe) in ghosts ever since she was a child.

• has believed

• has been believing

Answer explanation

"To believe" is not an action. Stative verbs cannot be used in Progressive Tenses.

Ashley __________ cough syrup to see if her bronchitis improves.

• has taken

• has been taking

Answer explanation

An ongoing, non-permanent situation.

Liam _________ for that company since 2017.

• has worked

• has been working

Answer explanation

Curious thing, the English language. Both verb tenses provide the same meaning to the sentence. :P

Sam ___________ (cook) lasagna and the sheet pan is now all burnt.

• has been cooking

• has cooked

Answer explanation

Poor sheet pan. Unusable because of a previous action. Present Perfect Continuous.

Lou __________ (watch) "One Piece" since its release.

• has watched

• has been watching

Answer explanation

Can you believe "One Piece" is still going on? Neither do I.

Rebecca __________ (see) Sam for a month.

• has seen

• has been seeing

Answer explanation

See? A sense. Sense-related verbs are stative and cannot be used is Progressive/Continuous tenses.

Mr. Jaffe, you said you _______________ (taste) iron for a week, didn't you?

• have been tasting

• have tasted

Answer explanation

But to taste is a stative verb!!!! Yes, but "tasting" is an action that requires your tongue to be active. So in this case, is a dynamic verb.

Marisha __________ (taste) every item on this menu. I trust her palate.

• has tasted

• has been tasting

Answer explanation

I cannot tell when Marisha tasted the menu.