How to define the recent past: how recent is recent?
I have a question about the meaning of "recent past" in relation to the use of the present perfect continuous.
For example: "I am tired because I have been cleaning my house." I am not cleaning now, I have finished cleaning recently, but I am tired in the present because of the past action. The past action has to be recent to justify the present perfect continuous.
How recent is recent? If I stopped cleaning an hour ago but I am still tired now, can I use the present perfect continuous?
Top answer
olive file 673 If I stopped cleaning an hour ago but I am still tired now If you are going to continue the cleaning process, and have paused temporarily to take a break, you can use the present perfect continuous.
- olive file 673 If I stopped cleaning an hour ago but I am still tired now If you are going to continue the cleaning process, and have paused temporarily to take a break, you can use the present perfect continuous.
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olive file 673If I stopped cleaning an hour ago but I am still tired now
If you are going to continue the cleaning process, and have paused temporarily to take a break, you can use the present perfect continuous.
0olive file 673How recent is recent?
Recency is relative to the temporal scope of the action you are reporting.
Does it take a long time to clean your house? Four hours? Then you can probably say that you have been cleaning your house up to about two hours after you have finished cleaning your house. But after four hours, probably not.
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