Present Perfect Simple/Continuous

Question

Hello!I've got a little problem with rules here:The verb have can be used:a. for possession ( have a car) Here, we should normally use the Present Perfect Simpleb. for action (have a drink)According to Murphy's English Grammar in use, we can use continuous forms with expressions such as "have a holiday". Since it's not possession, why is the following sentence correct?I haven't had a holiday for ages"."I haven't been having a holiday for ages" it sounds wrong anyway, but why?Thanks A LOT in advance!

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

"I have a car." is simple present, not present perfect. And this is not a possessive form grammatically. A possessive form, for example, would be: "That's my car."

"Have a drink." is imperative. There is no such thing as an "action form of a verb."

"Have a nice holiday." is imperative, not continuous.

"I haven't had a vacation in ages." is present perfect negative. A possessive form might be, for example, "I have my vacation coming up."

"I haven't been having a vacation in ages." is not right. This is a usage problem not a grammatical one. "Have" and "vacation" are not used together like this. But you could say, correctly:

A: "What's wrong. You look upset."

B: "I want to leave. I haven't been having a good time at this party." ("Have been having" is present perfect continuous; "haven't been having" is present perfect continuous negative.)

CalifJim · Answer

anonymous
Hello!

I've got a little problem with rules here:
The verb have can be used:
a. for possession ( have a car) Here, we should normally use the Present Perfect Simple
b. for action (have a drink)

You haven't said so, but in situation b. you can usually use the simple or the continuous, depending what you mean.

a. "stative" — doesn't have to be possession.

I have a car. / I have a brother. / I have time to talk to her. / The room has plenty of ventilation. / He has the necessary skills for the job. / She has a knack for saying the right thing at the right time. / They don't have a clue what's going on. / Larry has veal on his plate.

b. "dynamic" — have as part of a word group that describes an action

I have a drink after work every day.
(sense: always, regularly, habitually, repeatedly)

I am having a drink ([as I'm talking to you on the phone just now / as soon as I get home]).
(sense: just now, soon)

I have a headache whenever I get nervous. / I'm having one of my headaches. / She has nightmares at least twice a week. / She's having a nightmare. / We have tuna fish on Mondays. / We're having tuna fish tonight. / The Joneses have a party every Christmas. / The Joneses are having a party this week. / The boss always has a holiday in August. / It's August, so the boss is having a holiday. That's why he's not in the office.

CJ

Present Perfect Simple/Continuous

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