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Ask for help > present perfect progressive and present perfect simple
present perfect progressive and present perfect simple
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gharbi2009
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present perfect progressive and present perfect simple
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Dear colleagues, I �m teaching some adult students present perfect progressive and presenr perfect simple and they find it difficult to distinguish when the progressive form. Therefore, I �m considering making a general assumption and telling them it as a rule but I �m afraid I may teach them something wrong. Here is my assumption: any sentence in the present perfect progressive can be changed in the present perfect simple without a great change in meaning but not any sentence in the present perfect simple can be changed into the progressive. What do you think? |
9 Jun 2016
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Gi2gi
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I think that present perfect progressive aka present perfect continuous focuses on the duration of the action over a PERIOD of time while the present perfect - on the completed action. Also, verbs which do not have a continuous aspect cannot be used in progressive (continuous) tenses. E.g. it would be quite unnatural to say �I have been liking pizza since childhood�, you should say �I have liked pizza�... And the other way round, if you focus on the duration of the action that is still under way, and the action is expressed by a non-stative verb, perfect continuous should be used. �I have been waiting for you for two hours now... Where have you been?� Perfect Continuous tenses also focus on what I call the �cause of a present result � ... If something has been going on for a while and you are thinking of a result it has led to . E.g. �The house smells of onions and garlic, Mary has been cooking something nasty� :)))) Also, there�s a difference between �Who has drunk my beer?� - the glass is empty :( and � who�s been drinking my beer?� - you caught the bastard in the middle of the process and he could not drink it up :D
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9 Jun 2016
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yanogator
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Giorgi (naturally) explained it very well. I will point out, though, that if the house smells of onions and garlic, Mary has probably been cooking something wonderful! "Who has drunk my beer?" isn �t a great example, because it is much more natural to say "Who drank my beer?", mainly because the action is completely in the past. Even though the emphasis is on the result (an empty glass), we don �t use the present perfect for this one. Unfortunately, I can �t tell you why that is. The "Who has been drinking my beer?" example is excellent, though. If you left the table for a while and returned to find less beer in your glass, that is just what you would ask. To add just a little to what Giorgi said, we use the present perfect continuous when the situation doesn �t require any information about whether or not the action is completed. If you are redecorating your house and giving the relatives a progress report, you might say "I have painted the living room". If your wife comes home and finds you with paint all over your clothes and hair, you might say, "I have been painting the living room". There is some implication that the job isn �t finished, but it is not definite. If you �re worried about your health, you might say to the doctor, "I have been losing weight". That brings it up to the present, without any implication about whether it will continue. If the weight loss seems to have ended (maybe a while before your visit to the doctor), you would more likely say, "I have lost some weight". Bruce |
9 Jun 2016
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ninon100
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Wow, there �s a revelation! WHY can �t we say "Who �s drunk my beer?" Is that a mistake or just an American trait? Also, can we say "Who �s eaten my cake?" or "Who �s taken my money?" if we can �t see either? OR "Who ate my cake? Who took my money" is the only correct option??? |
9 Jun 2016
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12bprecise
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This text seems to explain it pretty thoroughly. http://ngl.cengage.com/assets/downloads/grcontext_pro0000000013/in_context_2_su.pdf For most lessons on tense, I would recommend Teaching Tenses, by Rosemary Aitken. Her suggested contexts include the following: explaining the present situation or appearance, accounting for a period of time now finishing, explaining present expertise, new temporary habits, describing developing symptoms, and verbs of wishing/hoping. I would recommend practicing each tense separately with meaning-based activities in the appropriate contexts of use. |
9 Jun 2016
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yanogator
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Well, ninon100, they aren �t wrong, but they don �t sound at all natural to me. Bruce |
9 Jun 2016
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gharbi2009
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Thanks for your precious comments. However, my point is that in some cases when a sentence in the present perfect progressive used with for or since, we can hardly see differences in meaning with present perfect simple. For example, they have been building a house for a year or they have built a house for a year.( in both sentences, they are still building the house) -. When it comes to "they have built a house" the house is ready but they have been building a house ( they are still building the house). Also because stative verbs can not be used in the progressive, any sentence in the present perfect progressive with for and since can be changed into present perfect simple: Am I right here? please further explanation and thanks again for your previous useful comments. |
9 Jun 2016
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yanogator
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We wouldn �t say "They have built a house for a year". With a time period, you can �t use "have built", because that means completion of the activity. Similarly, we wouldn �t say "I have cut my finger for a year" or ""I have sold my car for a year". These three examples show the simple present perfect meaning only completed action. If your new question is asking if any present perfect progressive with for or since can be changed to simple with for or since, then my examples show that this is not the case. Yes, they can all be changed to PP simple, but not always with for or since. Bruce |
9 Jun 2016
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12bprecise
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I agree with Bruce. "They have built a house for a year" is impossible. |
9 Jun 2016
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redcamarocruiser
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I agree with Bruce �s analyses, and after trying to find examples where present perfect continuous would be almost the same in meaning as present perfect, I could not find any. "Have you been seeing her?" (dating her) vs. "Have you seen her?" (spotted her, encountered her, had her in your field of vision) The present perfect progressive tense is used in the fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Someone has been sleeping in my bed. Someone has been sitting in my chair. Someone has been eating my porridge. Maybe if your students know the fairy tale in their native language, they can see in what context present perfect progressive is used (if there is any correspondence between English verb tenses and a similar structure in their native language). It might become obvious to them that the present perfect simple tense would not convey the same meaning as the present prefect progressive. "Someone has been sleeping in my bed" is what we would say. "Someone has slept in my bed" does not convey the same feeling and would not be said in this context, in my opinion. But maybe their native language does not make the difference between the two tenses (which can be checked by thinking of how one would retell the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears in their native language). Another example would be from Hansel and Gretel where the witch says, Nibble nibble like a mouse, Who �s been nibbling at my house? We would not say,"Who has nibbled at my house?" However, in German they use a different tense than in English. �Knusper, knusper, Kn�uschen, wer knuspert (present tense) an meinem H�uschen?�
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9 Jun 2016
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redcamarocruiser
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So (see post above), maybe the best course of action is 12bprecise �s: "practicing each tense separately with meaning-based activities in the appropriate contexts of use." This can be done at englishclub.com .
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9 Jun 2016
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