Forum newsfeeds
Forum Newsfeeds


Sites for Teachers

Sites for Teachers


Go Back   UsingEnglish.com ESL Forum > Learning English > Ask a Teacher

Notices

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old 29-Oct-2004, 15:43
Anonymous
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default grammar

Dear Teacher,

What is the defference bettween the following two sentences

1- I have been working here for two years
2- I have worked here for two years

also in the following sentence why (want) is in the past

- I told her father that I wanted to marry her






Thanks
Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
  #2 (permalink)  
Old 31-Oct-2004, 04:04
Mister Micawber's Avatar
Key Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Country: USA
Posts: 1,817
Current Location: Japan
First Language: English
Member Type: English Teacher
Thanks: 0
Thanked 10 Times in 10 Posts
Mister Micawber is on a distinguished road
Default Re: grammar

(1) and (2) are quite similar in intent, but the continuous tense emphasizes the ongoing activity of working, while the simple tense states the simple fact of the event. Continuous often shows the speaker's interest or involvement in the topic.

In the third sentence, the verb of reported speech is normally consistent with the time of the report ('told'), not with the time of the original speech. But in your sentence, for instance, if the situation still holds true-- if you still want to marry her-- then the present simple is equally acceptable.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Tags
grammar

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Teaching Grammar Red5 General Language Discussions 5 11-Jul-2007 08:13
what is the base of Grammar in English? Anonymous Ask a Teacher 1 22-Jun-2004 08:04
corrections help Anonymous Ask a Teacher 4 21-Feb-2003 16:05


New To Site? Need Help?

All times are GMT. The time now is 10:50.


vBulletin, Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.2.0
Copyright © 2002 - 2008 UsingEnglish.com