elenah
Junior Member
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2015
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Russian
- Home Country
- Russian Federation
- Current Location
- Russian Federation
Hello,
if it's not too much trouble, could you help me with a little confusion I have in using present perfect continuous and past continuous< please?:lol: - maybe a silly question...:roll:
I'm quite clear about using the present perfect continuous for actions which are in progress at the time of speaking.
I'm little bit confused about resent actions which have just stopped:
For example, in this sentence:
The ground is wet. It has been raining -
- we are talking about resent past. The rain possibly has just stopped or stopped recently
Why would it be wrong to say:
the ground is wet. it was raining. ?:?:
Is it because when we use past continuous we are referring to a specific time in the past and when we use the present perfect continuous we are talking about unspecified past :shock::roll::?:
or
I was having my lunch when my boss phoned
but I can't say
I have been having my lunch when my boss phoned
is it because the present perfect continuous is used for unspecified period?:roll::?:
thank you in advance :-D;-):up:
Elena
if it's not too much trouble, could you help me with a little confusion I have in using present perfect continuous and past continuous< please?:lol: - maybe a silly question...:roll:
I'm quite clear about using the present perfect continuous for actions which are in progress at the time of speaking.
I'm little bit confused about resent actions which have just stopped:
For example, in this sentence:
The ground is wet. It has been raining -
- we are talking about resent past. The rain possibly has just stopped or stopped recently
Why would it be wrong to say:
the ground is wet. it was raining. ?:?:
Is it because when we use past continuous we are referring to a specific time in the past and when we use the present perfect continuous we are talking about unspecified past :shock::roll::?:
or
I was having my lunch when my boss phoned
but I can't say
I have been having my lunch when my boss phoned
is it because the present perfect continuous is used for unspecified period?:roll::?:
thank you in advance :-D;-):up:
Elena