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Infinity Posted 21 years ago
Grammar

Present perfect continuous

0 It says, 02br
00“The Present Perfect Continuous tense is used to express continuous, ongoing actions which have already been completed at the time of speaking or writing.” 02br
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00Then, for instance, 02br
00“I have been reading an illustrated book about birds.” 02br
00I understand this implies that I am not reading the book now. 02br
00But does this suggest that I have finished the book already? 02br
00Could it possibly be used to describe my current situation, when I’ve read the book up to 200 pages so far, and I have 150 pages more to go? 02br
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00Thanks in advance. 0-
  

Top answer

0 It does not mean that you have necessarily finished the book. You could have read only 200 pages. The meaning is ambiguous.

— Rvw

  • 0 It does not mean that you have necessarily finished the book.
  • You could have read only 200 pages.
  • The meaning is ambiguous.
  • 02br 02br 00If you have finished the book, you might say, "I have read an illustrated book about birds" to indicate an action completed relative to the present.
  • " 02br 02br 00The Present Perfect Continuous (also called "Progressive") Tense means that at the present moment the action is not ongoing.
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9 Answers
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0 It does not mean that you have necessarily finished the book. You could have read only 200 pages. The meaning is ambiguous. 02br
02br
00If you have finished the book, you might say, "I have read an illustrated book about birds" to indicate an action completed relative to the present. If you have not finished the book, you might say, "I am reading an illustrated book abo
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0 Hello rvw, and thank you for your clear explanation. I have a question. 02br
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00Does your principle: [The Present Perfect Continuous Tense means that at the present moment the action is not ongoing] also hold when the sentence includes a 00 time adverbial ? That is, for example: 02br
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00(1) I have been running for an hour. 02br
00
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0 Hello, rvw, I have one more little question (just out of a curiosity): 02br
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00Can I say: 02br
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00# I have been running frequently. 02br
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00in the similar way as 01i00 ? 02br
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00Thank you for your help, in advance. Roro 02br
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0 I have one more question (your explanation intrigued me). 02br
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00Can I use the simple present form in your examples without a great change of their meanings? 02br
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00That is: 02br
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00-I run every day. (I am not running now. I may or may not continue my series of runs tommorrow.) 02br
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00-We buy ou
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0 Hello Infinity 02br
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00[url="05000"]E-anglais[/url] explains this way about "I've been reading something". 02br
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00If you don't know French, you can ask Madame Pieanne to translate it. 02br
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0101b00Present Perfect Progressive (or Continuous)02b02br
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0 Roro, 02br
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00It's interesting how 01i00for an hour02i00 adds a context to 01i00I have been running.02i02br
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00I agree that 02br
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00"... in (2) the only possible interpretation is this 00 extends up to the present moment. (In (1) such an interpretation is not so strictly neces
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0 Hello, rvw, thank you very much ! You cleared up my uncertainty. 02br
00I really appreciate your help. 0-
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0 Hello dear, 02br
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00first of thanks so much for your beautiful Explening of Present perfect continuous, 02br
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00Thanks 02br
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00hashmat Froogh from Afghanistan 0-
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0 Hello, hashmat Froogh, nice to meet you! 0-
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