been and was

[zacky]

please need to know the difference between

"been" and "was" and the proper usage of either one of them...
he was shot.... "it means that happened in the past"
he's been shot..." it could mean it just happened couple of mins,hours,days...is that correct what im thinking?????

and the meaning of "may have"
i may have said something that may have displeased you... does that mean i probably said something that possibly displeased you as in past form??

"may have" is it as same as "might have"???

 

[Nightmare85]

**Neither a teacher nor a native speaker.**

First off: Sentences begin with a Capital letter and end with one . ! or ? ;-)
(Or at least with a smiley, but only on forums )

Since I barely use may/might, I can only try to explain you the was/been usage.

He has been shot.
He was shot some minutes ago, and he needs instant help now.
The shot, that happened in the past, still affects the present.
It's still possible that you can prevent bad ramifications/effects.

He was shot.
A while ago he was shot, but everything is okay now - he was in a hospital.
Even if something wouldn't be okay (let's say he cannot move his right arm anymore) it's past and nothing can be done against the effects of that shot.

This is how I see it.

P.S: Maybe you should create an extra thread regarding "may have" and "might have."

Cheers!