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Grodada Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

simple vs continuous

0 One question about the present perfect : where could I find the list of verbs which can be either used in the simple form or in the continuous form in the same contexts?02br
00For example, 01i00He has been working here for 10 years02i00 and 01i00he has worked here for 10 years02i00 are both correct while 01i00He has been washing his car for two hours02i00 could not be replaced by 01i00he has washed his car for two hours (the examples were taken from grammar books)02i00.02br
00The problem for me has always been to know which verbs could be used both ways (in the contexts with a complement introduced by 01i00for 02i00or 01i00since02i00).02br
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00Thanks0-
  

Top answer

0 The list? 02br 02br 00 CJ0-

— CalifJim

  • 0 The list?
  • 02br 02br 00 CJ0-
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14 Answers
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0 The list? I didn't know there was such a list!02br
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00 I imagine you are talking about stative verbs that allow the progressive ('continuous') form.02br
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01i00has worked - has been working02br
00 has lived - has been living02br
00 has waited - has been waiting02br
00 has rested - has been resting0
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0 In fact, I was not referring to the stative/dynamic opposition. 02br
01i00Work 02i00is not stative whereas 01i00live 02i00is, and, as you well know, we can find :02br
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01i00I've worked here for years02i00 and 01i00I've been working here for years02i00.02br
01i
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0 That´s interesting, I am wondering whether this isn´t a semantic difference you are talking of. "He has been playing..." means that he still plays tennis whereas "He has played .... " means that he has played tennis nearly his whole life long, at least as long as he lived, because he´s dead now.02br
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00Am I right? I would like to know the solution to this question as we
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0 In fact, if the person is dead you normally use the preterit (he played tennis all his life).0-
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1i00He has played tennis since he was a child 02i00sounds fine to me. Jim, do you see a problem with this?02br
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00If you want to say that he no longer plays (either because he no longer wants to, or because he is dead and unable to) then 01i00He played tennis from the time he was a child. 02i00(No "has played.")0-
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0 Good to know, thank you very much0-
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0 01blockquote
01cite10Grammar Geek12cite12br
11font11i10He has played tennis since he was a child 12i10sounds fine to me. Jim, do you see a problem with this?12font12br
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10If you want to say that he no longer plays (either because he no longer wants to, or because
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0 Well actually I made a mistake when opposing 01i00he has played tennis since he was a child02i00 and 01i00he has been playing tennis since he was a child02i00.02br
00 In that case both tenses are correct. But in the following example, unless I am mistaken, you cannot use the simple present perfect :02br
01i00He's be
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0Hi Grodada, 02br
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01font01i00He's washed dishes for two hours02i00 (impossible, according to what I could read in somme grammar books). 02font02br
02br
02br
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00Well, as I have reiterated many times, what is possible or otherwise has a lot to do with the context.00 00If
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0Hi Grodada02br
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00This is extremely interesting.02br
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00I notice that you've been using both forms only for actions going on for long durations02br
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00he has worked here for 10 years02br
02br
00he has been working here for 10 years02br
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00LIKEWISE I THINK WE 01i00CAN0
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