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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Present perfect continuous
Can the present perfect continuous be used to express irritation? If so, how? Any examples?
Top answer
I'd say any tense can express irritation. Why don't you write a few examples of present perfect continuous first and then see in what situations that might be said out of annoyance or frustration. Or, imagine a girl saying she is thinking about breaking up with her boyfriend.
- I'd say any tense can express irritation.
- Why don't you write a few examples of present perfect continuous first and then see in what situations that might be said out of annoyance or frustration.
- Or, imagine a girl saying she is thinking about breaking up with her boyfriend.
- He asks why -- what has he done?
- Because you...
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5 Answers
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I'd say any tense can express irritation.
Why don't you write a few examples of present perfect continuous first and then see in what situations that might be said out of annoyance or frustration.
Or, imagine a girl saying she is thinking about breaking up with her boyfriend. He asks why -- what has he done?
Because you... [finish the sentence]
Why don't you write a few examples of present perfect continuous first and then see in what situations that might be said out of annoyance or frustration.
Or, imagine a girl saying she is thinking about breaking up with her boyfriend. He asks why -- what has he done?
Because you... [finish the sentence]
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Thank you for your answer. But it's not a common/typical use, is it? I'm supposed to do a lesson on the topic and I'm wondering about the need/use of it with this particular tense. Especially if you can use any other tense to express irritation.
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You are being a jerk!
He is being impossible!
Your son has been acting like a monster all afternoon. Take him. I'm going shopping.
You have been ignoring me for two weeks. I've found a Marine with great abs. It's over.
What do you think? Do you think the first is more or less irritated than the second? I think it's only more immediate.
He is being impossible!
Your son has been acting like a monster all afternoon. Take him. I'm going shopping.
You have been ignoring me for two weeks. I've found a Marine with great abs. It's over.
What do you think? Do you think the first is more or less irritated than the second? I think it's only more immediate.
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It seems to me that it's not really about the tense but the words you use in the sentence.
I'm thinking of sentences that can express irritaion if used with another i.e. present continuous tense. For example:
She always loses her keys. (Fact, no bad feelings)
She's always losing her keys. (irritation)
If I say 'She's been losing her keys since ...', does it aut
I'm thinking of sentences that can express irritaion if used with another i.e. present continuous tense. For example:
She always loses her keys. (Fact, no bad feelings)
She's always losing her keys. (irritation)
If I say 'She's been losing her keys since ...', does it aut
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The original question was "Can it express irritation" and the answer is yes.
If your question is "Does present continuous convey more irritation than present simple?" then the answer is a resounding yes.
Only the speaker knows if using the present perfect continuous expresses more irritation because it has been building up for all this time, or less because you have come to acce
If your question is "Does present continuous convey more irritation than present simple?" then the answer is a resounding yes.
Only the speaker knows if using the present perfect continuous expresses more irritation because it has been building up for all this time, or less because you have come to acce
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