[Grammar] She has been a singer.

[vpkannan]

Hi

Does 'She has been a singer' mean that she was and is still a singer till now or just that she was a singer in the past for some continuous duration, but not now?

Thanks.

 

[teechar]

It spans from the past right up to the present moment. It does not tell us whether she is still a singer or not.

 

[Tdol]

As it stands, all we know is that at some stage in her life she was a singer. The wider context or a time phrase like for ten years would bring her career up to the present.

 

[englishhobby]

I am a Non-NEST (Non-native English-Speaking Teacher)

I think, if someone says 'She has been a teacher' and nothing else, that would mean "She used to work as a teacher at some period of her life".

 

[Tdol]

It would. But sentences usually occur within contexts.

 

[englishhobby]

Sometimes we just hear somebody's phrase and try to imagine the context.