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The D In Paris Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

Verb tense usage

I'd like comments on what you readers think of the difference between the two sentences:
"I have been working here for 4 years" and "I have worked here for 4 years"
(besides their grammatical classifications)
  

Top answer

The D In Paris I'd like comments on what you readers think of the difference between the two sentences: "I have been working here for 4 years" and "I have worked here for 4 years" (besides their grammatical classifications) I think the first sentence clearly indicates that your employment there will continue. It could be in doubt in the second.

— Philip

  • The D In Paris I'd like comments on what you readers think of the difference between the two sentences: "I have been working here for 4 years" and "I have worked here for 4 years" (besides their grammatical classifications) I think the first sentence clearly indicates that your employment there will continue.
  • It could be in doubt in the second.
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8 Answers
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The D In ParisI'd like comments on what you readers think of the difference between the two sentences:
"I have been working here for 4 years" and "I have worked here for 4 years"
(besides their grammatical classifications)
I think the first sentence clearly indicates that your employment there will continue. It co
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Hi Philip,

I don't think so. Consider, "I've been working here for 4 years, and now I can no longer work here because ..." . A friend's thoughts were that by using the continuous, a stronger but somewhat more casual statement is made. Thus it might just be that we use the present perfect case in a more formal, maybe written case; and that in everyday talk, we have a tendency to
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The D In ParisHi Philip,

different tenses seem to able to be used interchangeably.

I can't really argue with the question of their being interchangeable. That's why I underlined 'could' in my original response.
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The present perfect simple and the present perfect continuous can sometimes be used interchangeably, but definitely not always. It is simply the case that with certain verbs and in certain constructions, the difference between the perfect simple and the perfect continuous isn't as great as it is with others.

- I've written a letter. (The letter is definitely finished.)
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The second sentence is simply incorrect, and cannot be used in formal writing. The 4 years working period is a long process, so present perfect is absolutely unacceptable here. The first sentence is correct.

You can say, "I have done this," but definitely you cannot say "I have done this for 10 minutes," right? I hope you get the idea.
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You are mistaken. The present perfect can be used with a for-clause of time if you choose an appropriate predicate.

I have banked at First National for 10 years.
She has slept in that bed for 20 years.
We have worked at this company for 5 years.
They have lived in that town for 3 years.
He has worn that shirt for a week.

But to return to the q
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I have to agree. It sounded odd to my ears too. Present perfect continous to me puts a little more emphasis on the length of time during which an act is happening. In terms of employment, I would prefer to say "John has been working at the same company for 25 years and he is still just a supervisor" rather than "has worked". But as pointed out, present perfect continous does not always work an
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When referring to a particular activity that has been in progress up to now, the present perfect continuous is often preferable to the present perfect simple to answer the question or describe "how long up to now?" whereas the present perfect simple would usually be used to answer the question "how many/much up to now?"

Q: How long have you been playing card
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