19-Oct-2003, 13:27
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Originally Posted by Casiopea Quote: |
No matter how you describe "for the past week", it is still a past time expression and is supposed not to stay with Present Perfect.
| 1. I've visited them for the past week (not Ok)
2. I've not visited them for the past week. (Ok)
Sentence 2. is Ok because 'not' negates the continuity expressed by the preposition 'for', which being the head of the 'past time expression' "for the past week" modifies 'have visited'.
In other words, 'not' blocks the implication that 'have visited' expresses continuity. If 'not' wasn't there to block modification from 'for...', 'for' would modify 'have visited' as expressing continuity, with the result being ungrammatical as in 1. That is, 'have visited' doesn't express continuity; but, 'have been visiting' does.
The problem is solved by making the verb continuous, as in 3, thereby making the verb and its modifier compatible, or, as you say, 'stay with'.
3. I have been visit ing them for the past week. (Ok)
Cas :D | Nicely put, IMHO. Which gives a very nice role to the Perfect Continuous!! :wink:  |