Present Prefect Tense

Question

I need to save more money for a trip as I have not been visiting the Philippines for almost three years.However, my teacher corrected this sentence.....I have not visited the Philippines....I thought it must be "have been" but why? I am a bit confused.

Dimsumexpress · Accepted Answer

There are choices of word to be consdiered. Hope, want, need and have to mean something slightly different. Given the context, I would choose "

I hope to save more money for a trip to the Philippines as I haven't visited the place for almost three years.

CalifJim · Answer

Vicente P. Teng III thought it must be "have been" but why?

Supposing that during the time prior to three years ago you had been traveling regularly to the Philippines and back very frequently, you could say that you have not been visiting the Philippines for three years. You had been visiting before that, so since then you have not been visiting.

But supposing that during the time prior to three years ago you had not been traveling regularly and often to the Phillipines and back, then you had not been visiting on regular and frequent basis, but only now and then. You had visited (once or twice within a longer period of time), but you had not been visiting (regularly and often), so since then you have not visited.

To summarize:
If you had been visiting (regularly and often) before you stopped three years ago, now you say that you have not been visiting for three years.
If you had visited (but not regularly and often) before you stopped three years ago, now you say that you have not visited for three years.
_____________

Compare:

I haven't been going to the gym to exercise for six months. (I used to go regularly and often before that.)
I haven't gone to France for ten years. (I did not use to go regularly and often to France -- only once in a great while.)

CJ

Present Prefect Tense

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