Present Perfect Simple OR Continuous

Question

Hello againPlease which one is correct and why?- Look at all this water, it (has rained - has been raining) very hard.Thanks

Icy_blue · Accepted Answer

I prefer the latter. But I can't tell  why.

Clive · Answer

Hi guys,

I, too, prefer the continuous. It stresses the duration of the raining, which fits with the idea that there is a lot of water.

Best wishes, Clive

Penicillin · Answer

OK

Why have you chosen Continuous not Simple?

CalifJim · Answer

If you say It has rained you mean that a 'rain event' happened at some time in the past, but you don't say when.

If it rained three months ago, you can still say It has rained.

If you say It has been raining you mean that the 'rain event' has just recently occurred or may even still be in progress as you speak.

The choice of been raining coincides better with the fact that there is water to be seen.

The more obvious it is at the moment of the utterence that some activity has been in progress, the more the tendency to use the perfect continuous. The more evidence there is that some activity has been in progress, the more the tendency to use the perfect continuous.

Compare:
Jerry has smoked. (At some time in his life Jerry smoked.)
Jerry has been smoking. (Jerry smoked here very recently. I can still smell the smoke in the air.)

Susan has eaten spaghetti. (Susan is familiar with the taste of spaghetti because she has eaten it.)
Susan has been eating spaghetti. (Susan has spaghetti sauce all over her mouth.)

CJ

Penicillin · Answer

Thanks guys

Marius Hancu · Answer

Very good pointers by CalifJim, confirmed by this posting in another forum:

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From: Django Cat

Question

Does the following sentence have to take the present perfect simple or
would the continuous aspect be possible, too?

Over the past 25 years or so, more and more Americans have jumped/have
been jumping (?) at quick-fix solutions for their fast-food habits.

Answer

Both work.

Many native speakers would prefer present perfect continuous which
(ironically as it's the more complex structure) tends to sound more
colloquial.

There's also a slight difference in meaning; to me "more and
more Americans have jumped" suggests they've jumped, and now they've
arrived, while "more and more Americans have been jumping" suggests that
they continue to jump; but it's a fairly subtle distinction.
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Present Perfect Simple OR Continuous

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