Choose the best present perfect simple or continuous form to complete each sentence.
1The auditors ............... every one of the 48 expense claims, so the final report is ready to publish.
Wrong!
"have checked" presents all 48 checks as completed, which is necessary for the report to be ready.
2Rina ............... the database since early this morning, and she is only halfway through.
Wrong!
"has been updating" describes an activity continuing from this morning; "only halfway through" shows it is unfinished.
3We ............... four different suppliers so far, but none of them can meet the deadline.
Wrong!
"have contacted" counts four completed contacts; "four different suppliers" makes the result important.
4Your sleeves are covered in flour. ............... bread again?
Wrong!
"Have you been baking" asks about the recent activity that explains the flour on the person's sleeves.
5............... the supplier's revised proposal yet? I need your final decision now.
Wrong!
"Have you read" asks whether the whole proposal has been completed, as a final decision is required now.
6The museum ............... this portrait since 1984, when it was donated by the artist's family.
Wrong!
"has owned" is the simple form because ownership is a state continuing since 1984.
7This is the third time the security system ............... a false alarm this week.
Wrong!
"has triggered" refers to one completed event on each of three occasions; "the third time" provides the count.
8The technicians ............... the network fault continuously for over two hours, and they are still working on it.
Wrong!
"have been investigating" emphasizes an activity continuing for over two hours and still in progress.
9After weeks of testing, the engineers ............... the fault at last, and the system is now stable.
Wrong!
"have eliminated" presents the fault as fully removed; the stable system confirms the completed result.
10According to the meter, the new solar panels ............... a total of 6,000 kilowatt-hours since January.
Wrong!
"have generated" reports the completed cumulative total shown by the meter.
11I ............... through the archived emails all afternoon, but I still haven't found the missing attachment.
Wrong!
"have been searching" describes an activity continuing all afternoon without achieving its goal yet.
12The server ............... a single error since the patch was installed, according to the monitoring log.
Wrong!
"hasn't produced" reports that the number of errors since the patch is zero; "a single error" focuses on completed occurrences.
Exercise complete
0 out of 12
correct answers
Answers
- The auditors have checked every one of the 48 expense claims, so the final report is ready to publish.
- Rina has been updating the database since early this morning, and she is only halfway through.
- We have contacted four different suppliers so far, but none of them can meet the deadline.
- Your sleeves are covered in flour. Have you been baking bread again?
- Have you read the supplier’s revised proposal yet? I need your final decision now.
- The museum has owned this portrait since 1984, when it was donated by the artist’s family.
- This is the third time the security system has triggered a false alarm this week.
- The technicians have been investigating the network fault continuously for over two hours, and they are still working on it.
- After weeks of testing, the engineers have eliminated the fault at last, and the system is now stable.
- According to the meter, the new solar panels have generated a total of 6,000 kilowatt-hours since January.
- I have been searching through the archived emails all afternoon, but I still haven’t found the missing attachment.
- The server hasn’t produced a single error since the patch was installed, according to the monitoring log.