✅ Exercises of #Unit-11

⚡️Further Notes on the differences between the Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Continuous Tenses*⚡️***

⚜️(1) When we want to express, ask or tell "how long" or the "time duration" of an action, the Present Perfect Continuous would be more natural:
a - He has been learning English since 2002.
b- They have been watching TV for two hours.

BUT REMEBER:
Some verbs express "state" not "action"; therefore, we use the Present Perfect Simple not the Continuous which "State Verbs" that we have discussed earlier in our course:
a- We have known each other since 2002.
b- I have had a car for two years.

To conclude:
- Dynamic implies change (action)
- Stative implies no change (state)

1. Most verbs in English are dynamic: work, live, eat, etc.
2. A small group of verbs are stative: (know, understand, etc.).
3. Exceptions to the rule: some verbs can be used in a dual sense i.e. a stative or a dynamic sense:
   "be": although "be" is generally stative it can have a temporary dynamic sense: My boss is being nasty.

The verb can be used in a stative sense when it means to "stay" or "be alive" i.e. a state: He didn't live to see the realization of his dream. All other meanings are dynamic.

The verb "come" is another example compare:
I come from Germany (stative: I am from Germany)
I am coming from Germany (dynamic: travelling).

It measures four metres. (stative)
He is measuring the car. (dynamic)

1. Sometimes you make a stative verb dynamic to add emphasis only:
   I hope she...
   I am hoping she.... (dynamic: hope very much).

Final Note:
The verbs "live", "work" and "smoke" are usually said to be treated as stative verbs not actions.

⚜️(2) In negative sentences, it's more natural to use the Present Perfect Simple not the Present Perfect Continuous. If you remember, the Present Perfect Simple expresses an action that has started and finished or never happened before. The Continuous expresses an action that has started before now and has been continuing up until now.

So, there is no need to focus on the duration of a verb that is has not happened at all:
- I have not played music before. (correct)
- I have not been playing music before. (unnatural)

#Unit-11 How long have you (been)...?

*✅ *Exercises of #Unit-10

⚡️Further reading on the differences between the Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Continuous Tenses⚡️

(1) I have been playing tennis for five years.

The tense is the Present Perfect Continuous Tense. The time phrase indicates the duration (five years). The combination of the tense and the time phrase forces us to read it as: "I have been playing tennis for five years now." This gives us the reading that the activity has been going on for five years up until now. It also implies that the activity is likely to keep continuing, at least in the immediate future.

(2) I have played tennis for five years.

The tense is the Present Perfect Simple. The time phrase is, again, "for five years". However, the sentence is different from (1). It doesn't force us to read the time part as "for five years up to now".
It's unclear exactly when exactly in the past the speaker has played tennis. All we know is that it happened before now, at least five years but before now not up to now. (In other words, it's possible to read the sentence as "At some point in my life, I've played tennis for five years.") It's unclear whether it has ended or not. It's also possible that it's been continued up until now, and possibly will continue into the future. The speaker says nothing explicitly, so we have a wider range of possible readings.

Having said that, the preferred reading, out of context, is: "I have played tennis for five years now." Which means nearly the same thing as (1). When we read both alternatives as "for five years now", the difference is very little. To demonstrate such a small difference, these examples can be helpful:

How long have you been playing tennis?
I've been playing tennis for five years.

Do you know how to play tennis?
Of course, I've played tennis for five years.

⚡️Further reading on the differences between the Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Continuous Tenses⚡️

Let's consider these two sentences:

1- I have played tennis for five years.
2- I have been playing tennis for five years.

Both sentences are correct and ALMOST mean the same thing. The only difference is that we use:

1- The Present Perfect (Simple)
"I have played tennis for five years."
to put emphasis on the action, and we use:

2- The Present Perfect Continuous
"I have been playing tennis for five years."
to put an emphasis on the duration of the activity.

Remember!
(Present Perfect Continuous is used to focus on the action and not on the completion of the action. The Present Perfect Simple, on the other hand, focuses on the completion and result of the action).

#Unit-10 I have been doing vs. I have done✅️

⚡️Further reading on the uses of the Present Perfect Continuous Tense⚡️

⚜️1. Unfinished Actions with concentrating on the Duration from the Past Until Now:

(We use the present perfect continuous to show that something started in the past and has continued up until now. "For five minutes," "for two weeks," and "since Tuesday" are all durations which can be used with the present perfect continuous.):

a. We have been waiting here for two hours!

b. She has been working for that company for three years.

⚜️2. Finished actions:

(Actions which have recently stopped (though the whole action can be unfinished) and have a result, which we can often see, hear, or feel, in the present. We don't use a time word here.):

a. I've been running, so I'm really hot.

b. It's been raining so the pavement is wet.

⚜️3. Recently, Lately:

(We can also use the present perfect continuous WITHOUT a duration such as "for two weeks". Without the duration, the tense has a more general meaning of "lately." We often use the words "lately" or "recently" to emphasize this meaning.):

a. Recently, I have been feeling really tired.

b. She has been watching too much television lately.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Remember that the present perfect continuous has the meaning of "lately" or "recently." So, if you use the present perfect continuous in a question such as "Have you been feeling alright?", it can suggest that the person looks sick or unhealthy. A question such as "Have you been smoking?" can suggest that you smell the smoke on the person.
Using this tense in a question suggests you can see, smell, hear or feel the results of the action.

⚜️4. Repeated Actions:

(We use the Present Perfect Continuous Tense for repeated actions to say for how long the action has been occurring i.e. with mentioning the duration of repetition):

a. I have been getting this magazine every week for a year.

b. She has been going to school every morning for two months.

⚜️5. Action Continuity rather than Action Completeness:

(Present perfect continuous is used to focus on the action and not on the completion of the action. The Present Perfect Simple, on the other hand, focuses on the completion and result of the action):

a. She has been writing a book. (focusing on the action of writing - the book may (not) have been finished)

a. She has written a book. (focusing on the result - the book has been finished)

b. They’ve been negotiating the contract. (focusing on the action, it’s not important if it’s finished or not)

b. They’ve negotiated the contract. (focusing on the result, the negotiation has been finished)

⚜️6. Temporary Actions:

(When the action/event is more temporary we often use present perfect continuous. When it is more permanent we often use present perfect simple.):

a. They’ve lived in Italy for many years. (Present perfect simple)

b. I’ve been living here for a month. (Present perfect continuous)

#Unit-9 Present Perfect Continuous

#Unit-8 Present Perfect-2