[Grammar] Have been + adjective

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FreeToyInside

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"... agree with the rule..." or "... agree (that) the rule in this link is correct?"

That's a very common sentence pattern, so I'm assuming you're asking whether the advice he gives is good, and we shouldn't use the pattern for feelings or situations that may change suddenly. I can't understand why that would be the case and he didn't give examples or an explanation why it's wrong.

I could say "it's been raining for three days straight," and there's no reason why the rain couldn't suddenly stop as rain frequently does. "The dog has been stinky since he came in from outside," but I could give the dog a bath right then and solve that problem immediately. Although personal feelings don't usually change immediately, they certainly can. Anxiety about not hearing from a loved one can be relieved as soon as the person gets a phone call from them ("I've been anxious to hear from him all day.") Nervousness about taking a test is likely to go away as soon as the test is over, especially if you think you've done well ("I've been nervous about this test for over a week.")

So no, I don't agree with his rule. I'm not sure what situation he was thinking of when he wrote it.


(not a teacher, just a language lover)
 

5jj

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Until 23.53 (my time), when FreeToyInside's post appeared, I could have said "I have been wondering how best to word my response to this question". At 23.53, I stopped wondering, quite suddenly.
 

dawnngcm

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Thank you both!


Could anyone tell or show me when I should use ‘Have been + adjective'?

I have this question in mind for a while because I have been taught that ‘have/has been’ often combine with ‘verb’ to form different tenses.

And I saw examples of ‘have been + phrase/adv’ in Present Perfect section in grammar book such as ‘Sam have been a teacher for ten years’ / ‘We have been there’.

There haven’t many examples or usage of ‘have been + adjective’ in grammar book/internet although I saw this kind of sentence many times.


I really appreciate if you could tell or show me this.

Many thanks!
 

FreeToyInside

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It would typically be a situation that started being (adjective) in the past and continues to be (adjective) at the time of saying it.

"I've been tired since class got out." "
"It's been really humid for days now."
"Dad's been grouchy all afternoon."
"My knee's been swollen since my surgery."

(not a teacher, just a language lover)
 

dawnngcm

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Thank you very much, FreeToyInside.

It seems to me that it is a Prefect tense sentence. Only adjective is used instead of participles.

Thanks again!
 
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