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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Are these ones correct?

I've been driving the car for one hour while you are doing nothing!

I've been driving the car for one hour but you are still doing nothing!

I mean: Can present perfect continuous and present continuous be mixed?

If this sentences are not ok, please explain why
  

Top answer

These are OK: I've been driving the car for an hour while you've been doing nothing! -- 'while' indicates that the time of both actions is the same. I've been driving the car for an hour, but you are still doing nothing!

  • These are OK: I've been driving the car for an hour while you've been doing nothing!
  • -- 'while' indicates that the time of both actions is the same.
  • I've been driving the car for an hour, but you are still doing nothing!
  • -- The first action in from the indefinite past till now; the second action is now.
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11 Answers
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These are OK:

I've been driving the car for an hour while you've been doing nothing! -- 'while' indicates that the time of both actions is the same.

I've been driving the car for an hour, but you are still doing nothing! -- The first action in from the indefinite past till now; the second action is now.
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So I cannot mix present perfect continuous and continuous with "while". In other cases I can mix it,right? Could you give more examples where I can and where I cannot mix these tenses? It would be great!

P.S by the way, I cannot use "while" in the first sentence because of Sequence of Tenses?

Thank you!
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So I cannot mix present perfect continuous and continuous with "while".-- I would think usually not, since 'while' indicates 2 actions at the same time.
In other cases I can mix it,right?-- I would think so, usually. It is difficult to make absolute statements about English!

Could you give more examples where I can and where I cannot mix these tenses? It would be great
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What if i say: " I have been waiting for you for 5 hours while you were hanging out in a bar!" Is it correct to say that way?

another one: "I have been waiting for you for 5 hours but you were hanging out in a bar!"

"I have been talking to you not to drink for 15 years but you will always be drinking tonight"

Please comment this sentences and explain what they exactly m
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I have been waiting for you for 5 hours while you were hanging out in a bar!
I have been waiting for you for 5 hours but you were hanging out in a bar!
I have been telling you not to drink for 15 years but you will be drinking tonight again.

Please comment this sentences and explain what they exactly mean-- They are possible inde
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Ok, here is my understanding: Approximately

I have been waiting for you for 5 hours while you were hanging out in a bar! - means that the husband just came home and his wife has waited him 5 hours and the husband is not in a bar now.

I have been waiting for you for 5 hours but you were hanging out in a bar! - means the same

I have been telling you not t
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Yes to all. The reason for the present perfect vs past in you first two sentences is that the speaker is viewing the extent of her waiting up till the present moment, while she is viewing the hanging-out as a past action. If both verbs in both sentences were present perfect, there would be no real difference in meaning, just a slightly different perspective in the speaker's mind.
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Thank you! I'd like to ask about the first sentence. "I have been waiting for you for 5 hours while you were hanging out in a bar!" Is it supposed that the husband was hanging out in a bar exactly for 5 hours? Do we know how much time he was hanging out? It can be that he spent in a bar more than 5 hours, right?
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Relax. There is no exact time specified for either person. The speaker is upset.
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So, "I have been waiting for you for 5 hours while you were hanging out in a bar!" equals "I have been waiting for you for 5 hours while you have (or had?) been hanging out in a bar!"

I think "had" is not suitable cause you have said that 'while' indicates that the time of both actions is the same. So I have to use "have" instead of "had"

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