A: I haven’t seen your brother lately. Has he gone away?
B: Yes, he’s/he has been sent to America.
A: When did he go?
B: He went last month.
A: Have you had any letters from him?
B: I haven’t, but his wife has been hearing from him regularly.
A: Does she intend to go out and join him?
B: They’ve thinking about it but haven’t quite decided it.
Unfortunately they’ve had a lot of expense lately and perhaps haven’t got the money for her fare.
TOM: What have you done with my knife? (Where have you put it?)
ANN: I put it back in your drawer.
TOM (taking it out): But what have you been doing with it? The blade’s all twisted! Have you been using it to open tins?
A: Do you see those people on that little sandy island? They’ve been waving handkerchiefs for the last hour. I wonder why.
B: They need help. The tide’s coming and very soon that little island will be under water. Have you been sitting here calmly and doing nothing to help them?
A: I’ve never been here before. I didn’t know about the tides.
A Practical English Grammar (A.J. Thomson & A.V. Martinet) 