ESL Grammar: PRESENT PERFECT TENSE (6) – Have Been + Adjective

In this ESL grammar lesson, students learn to use the construction “have been + adjective” in the present perfect tense. Students then practice rewriting sentences, using this construction.

ESL Grammar: Using “Have Been + Adjective” with the Present Perfect Tense

The structure “have been + adjective” is used with the present perfect tense to indicate that a particular state or condition has been ongoing from the past up to the present. It emphasizes the continuity of the state or feeling.

Structure:

• Affirmative: Subject + have/has + been + adjective
  • Example: She has been excited about her new job.
• Negative: Subject + have/has + not + been + adjective
  • Example: They have not been pleased with the results.
• Interrogative: Have/has + subject + been + adjective?
  • Example: Have you been satisfied with the service?

Examples:

• Affirmative: He has been tired lately due to his busy schedule.
• Negative: She has not been happy with the recent changes.
• Interrogative: Have you been curious about the new project?

The English grammar lesson below teaches the grammatical structure of “have been + adjective” in the present perfect tense, in a clear and simple manner that is easy for ESL learners to understand. Our series of ESL grammar lessons on subjects and verbs introduce these concepts and reinforce them through helpful and instructive exercises.

This lesson is available for free download, and you can download many more English grammar lessons focusing on advanced aspects of English grammar (past continuous tense, present perfect tense, present perfect continuous tense, passive voice, embedded questions, relative clauses) in our comprehensive, intermediate- to advanced-level ESL grammar textbook Great, Great Grammar! (Book 3: Tenses and More!).