Screens &Habits
Present Perfect Continuous · duration · digital lifestyle
Your level · You are here
Get Talking · Section 1
5 minStart the conversation
What's the first thing you check on your phone in the morning? How long does it take?
Guess your daily screen time. Then check the real number. How close were you?
Name one digital habit you'd like to change. Why haven't you changed it yet?
Grammar · Section 2
8–10 minPresent Perfect Continuous — actions still happening (or just stopped)
- Use 'have/has + been + -ing' to talk about an action that STARTED in the past and is either STILL HAPPENING or has JUST STOPPED — and you want to emphasise the DURATION or the visible RESULT. 'I've been scrolling for an hour' (still doing it, or just stopped, and you feel it).
- Compare with Present Perfect Simple ('I've scrolled three times today') which focuses on the COMPLETED action.
- Time markers: for / since / all morning / lately / recently.
- Common at B1+: 'I've been trying to cut down', 'She's been working from home for months', 'My eyes hurt — I've been staring at a screen all day.' Don't use it with stative verbs (know, believe, own) — say 'I've known her for years', not 'I've been knowing'.
I've been scrolling Instagram for forty minutes. I need to stop.
He's been working from home since March.
Lately I've been trying to leave my phone in another room at night.
My eyes are killing me — I've been staring at this screen all day.
She's been learning Spanish on Duolingo for two years.
Question 1.Choose the most natural sentence:
Question 2.Which verb does NOT work with Present Perfect Continuous?
Question 3.Best time marker for PPC?
Question 4.'My eyes hurt because…'
Build the sentence → spot the natural chunks → say it aloud → reply like a real conversation.
1.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
2.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
3.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
4.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
Quick check 1.Pick the natural complaint:
Vocabulary · Section 3
5–7 minWords & phrases to learn
Doom-scrolling
endlessly scrolling negative news/social media
In context
"I've been doom-scrolling all morning and I feel terrible."
Now try it yourself
Describe the last time you doom-scrolled — what triggered it?
Screen time
total time spent on phone/computer screens
In context
"My screen time was eight hours yesterday — embarrassing."
Now try it yourself
Tell your teacher your honest weekly screen-time average.
Cut down (on)
reduce gradually
In context
"I'm trying to cut down on social media in the evenings."
Now try it yourself
Name one thing you're trying to cut down on this month.
Plugged in / unplug
constantly connected / take a break from devices
In context
"I need to unplug this weekend — I've been plugged in non-stop."
Now try it yourself
When was the last time you fully unplugged for 24 hours?
Notifications
pop-up alerts from apps
In context
"I turned off notifications and it changed my life."
Now try it yourself
Which app's notifications would you turn off first? Why?
Brain rot
feeling mentally drained from low-quality content
In context
"Three hours of short videos — total brain rot."
Now try it yourself
Describe brain rot in your own words.
Algorithm
the system deciding what you see online
In context
"The algorithm knows me better than my mum."
Now try it yourself
What does your TikTok or Insta algorithm think you love?
Digital detox
a deliberate break from devices
In context
"We did a weekend digital detox in the countryside."
Now try it yourself
Plan your ideal 48-hour digital detox out loud.
Pick at least three words from above and use each one in a sentence about your real life. Say each one aloud before you write.
Ask your teacher (or a partner) a question that uses one of today's words. They reply using a different word.
Rank today's words from most to least useful for you this week. Defend your top choice.
Finish: "Honestly, I'd say…" using one of today's words.
Tip: aim to reuse at least two of these words later in the Speaking and Writing tasks.
Tap an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.
Pronunciation · Section 4
3–4 minContracting 'have been' to /vbɪn/ in natural speech
Native speakers contract 'I have been' to 'I've been' and reduce it further so 'been' sounds like /bɪn/ — short and unstressed. The STRESS goes on the -ING verb and the duration: 'I've been SCROLLING for HOURS.' If you stress 'been', it sounds robotic. Practise the rhythm: weak-weak-STRONG-weak-STRONG. Also: 'haven't been' → /hævnt bɪn/, run together.
- • I've been SCROLLING for HOURS↘
- • She's been WORKING from HOME since MARCH↘
- • I haven't been SLEEPING well LATELY↘
- • We've been TRYING to UNPLUG more↘
Reading · Section 5
8–10 minWhy your phone wins every night
You decided, again, that tonight you'd read a book before bed. You put the phone face-down. Twenty minutes later you've been scrolling for ninety. What happened?
The honest answer is that the apps on your phone have been engineered, very carefully, by some of the smartest people in the world, to win exactly this fight. Infinite scroll removes the natural stopping point a book or even a TV episode gives you. Variable rewards — the next post might be brilliant, or might be nothing — keep your brain pulling the slot-machine lever. And notifications hijack the same attention system that evolved to spot tigers in the grass.
This isn't a willpower problem. People who 'have great willpower' have usually just built better friction: phone in another room, notifications off, greyscale mode, app limits that actually lock. The single most effective change, according to almost every study, is moving the charger out of the bedroom. You're not weak. You've been playing a rigged game. Change the game.
Question 1.According to the text, why is it so hard to stop scrolling despite your intentions?
Question 2.What does the text identify as the single most effective change?
Question 3.What does the author mean by saying you've been 'playing a rigged game'?
Question 4.What attitude does the author express towards people who struggle to put their phone down?
Q1.The text says putting down your phone is mainly a willpower problem.
Q2.Infinite scroll removes natural stopping points.
Listening · Section 6
8–10 minTwo friends on a screen-time intervention
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Show transcript
Priya:Right, honest question — what was your screen time last week?
Tom:Don't make me say it. Seven and a half hours a day. I've been doom-scrolling Twitter every night and I can feel my brain rotting.
Priya:Yeah, mine was bad too. I've been trying to cut down for months, honestly. Nothing's worked.
Tom:Same. What's the trick? Because 'just put it down' is rubbish advice.
Priya:I read this thing — move your charger out of the bedroom. That's it. I've been doing it for two weeks and I genuinely sleep better.
Tom:Just that? Doesn't sound like enough.
Priya:It sounds small but it changes everything. You're not lying in bed for an hour scrolling because the phone's literally in another room. Friction wins, willpower loses.
Tom:Okay. I'll try it tonight. What about the daytime though? I've been getting notifications every two minutes.
Priya:Turn them all off. Not 'fewer' — all of them, then add back the three you actually need. I've been doing that since January and I haven't missed anything important.
Tom:Right. Charger out of the bedroom, notifications off. Talk to me in a week — I want to see if I survive.
Question 1.How long has Priya been sleeping better since moving the charger out of her bedroom?
Question 2.What does Priya say to do about notifications?
Question 3.When Tom says 'just that? Doesn't sound like enough', what does this reveal about him?
Question 4.What does Priya mean by 'friction wins, willpower loses'?
Exam tip · Section 7
5 minSpeaking — Cambridge B1 Preliminary Part 3 / FCE Part 2 (collaborative discussion)
Task
Discuss with your teacher: which TWO of these would most reduce screen time — (a) move charger out of bedroom, (b) delete social media apps, (c) turn off notifications, (d) digital-detox weekends? Reach an agreement in 2–3 minutes.
Strategy
In collaborative tasks, examiners reward INTERACTION more than 'right answers'. (1) Don't just list opinions — react to your partner ('That's a good point, but…'). (2) Use Present Perfect Continuous to justify ('I've been trying that for months, it works'). (3) Hedge before disagreeing ('I see what you mean, but personally I think…'). (4) NEGOTIATE explicitly — 'Shall we go with those two?' Aim to TALK TO each other, not at the examiner.
Example
I'd go with notifications off, definitely. I've been doing it for a year and it's life-changing. And the charger out of the bedroom — I see what you mean about detox weekends, but they don't fix the daily problem. Shall we agree on those two?
Practice · Section 8
8–10 minFill in the blank
Question 1.I've ____ scrolling for two hours — I need to stop.
Question 2.She has been working from home ____ March.
Question 3.I'm trying to ____ down on social media.
Question 4.Let's go for a weekend digital ____.
Question 5.The ____ knows me better than my mum.
There isn't one "right" answer — write a natural version, then compare with the model.
Q1.Complain about your screen using PPC.
Q2.Describe a habit you're trying to change.
Q3.Suggest a digital detox plan.
Q4.Describe what notifications do to you.
Writing · Section 9
5 minPut it in writing
Your task
Write a 120–150 word post for a friend describing a digital habit you've been trying to change. Use Present Perfect Continuous at least 4 times, and at least 5 of the lesson vocabulary items.
Your answer
Your work saves automatically0 words
Show model answer
Honestly, I've been losing the battle with my phone for months. My screen time has been creeping up to nearly seven hours a day, and I've been doom-scrolling in bed until 1am most nights. Last week I finally tried something different: I moved the charger out of the bedroom and turned off every single notification except WhatsApp from my family. It's only been a week, but I've been sleeping properly for the first time in ages and my brain feels less like total rot. I'm not deleting any apps — I just needed friction. If you've been feeling the same way (and I know you have, you told me), try those two things. Forget willpower. Change the game.
Speaking · Section 10
10–15 minMake it a real conversation
Role-play with your teacher (or a partner): two friends meet for coffee. One has been on a 30-day digital detox; the other thinks it's pointless. Discuss screen habits, what's worked, what hasn't, and agree on ONE change you'll both try next week. Use Present Perfect Continuous and at least 4 of the lesson vocabulary items.
Useful phrases
- • I've been trying to…
- • Honestly, screen time has been…
- • What's worked for me is…
- • I see what you mean, but…
- • Shall we both try…?
Speaking reflection & notes
Your work saves automatically0 words
- AHow's the digital detox going?
- B_______________
- AI should try it. I've been doom-scrolling till 2am every night.
- B_______________
- AOkay deal — I'll try both this week.
- B_______________
Homework · Section 11
Take-homeTake it home
Track your screen time for 3 days. Write a short paragraph using PPC describing what you noticed.
Move your phone charger out of the bedroom for a week. Record a 60-second voice note about the result.
Find a 2-minute YouTube clip about digital wellbeing. Note 3 PPC structures used.
Homework notes
Your work saves automatically0 words
Recap · Section 12
2–3 minWhat you've learned
- Present Perfect Continuous = have/has + been + -ing → ongoing or just-stopped actions with duration.
- Use for / since / lately / all day with PPC.
- Don't use PPC with stative verbs (know, believe, own).
- Digital lifestyle vocab: doom-scrolling, cut down, unplug, brain rot, algorithm.
- Friction beats willpower — charger out of bedroom, notifications off.