0
Guyper Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Continuous

1."They have talked for the last hour"
1."They have been talking for the last hour"

2."I have had a cold for two weeks"
2."I have been having a cold for two weeks"

3."He has not practiced his english"
3."He has not been practicing his english"

Hi, when do I use "present perfect continuous" instead of "present perfect simple"?

When I use "present perfect continuous", does it indicate that the doer is still in the process of doing the actual action at this very moment?

Or do I only use it when I want to add a specific starting time or duration of the action in the sentence?

Thank you
  

Top answer

"-- Presumably, they have finished. "-- And are still talking. "-- 'Have' meaning possession does not normally appear in continuous aspect.

— Mister Micawber

  • "-- Presumably, they have finished.
  • "-- And are still talking.
  • "-- 'Have' meaning possession does not normally appear in continuous aspect.
  • "-- The names of languages should be capitalized.
  • -- T hey can often be used interchangeably, with the continuous form suggesting emphasis on duration or increased emotional content, as in your #3 above.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

1 Answers
0
These are OK:

1."They have talked for the last hour."-- Presumably, they have finished.
1."They have been talking for the last hour."-- And are still talking.
2."I have had a cold for two weeks."-- 'Have' meaning possession does not normally appear in continuous aspect.
3."He has not practiced his English."-- The names of languages should
0

Related Questions