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Olive file 673 Posted 6 years ago
Grammar

Has cut or has been cutting?

If you find nail clippings in the sink or on the floor of the bathroom at work for example, what would you say:

someone has cut their nails at work or someone has been cutting their nails?

I am asking because again I am confused: both can be used for a recent action with a result in the present. Present perfect simple if the focus is on the action being finished (short nails) and present perfect continuous if the focus is on the process of doing the action ( the cutting itself). In my opinion the focus is on the action, not the result of the finished action, but I don't know if the action is recent or not, maybe the clippings have been there a while. To clarify, the person who left the clippings is no longer there.

  

Top answer

Someone has been cutting their nails.

  • Someone has been cutting their nails.
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1 Answers
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Someone has been cutting their nails.

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