Has it rained? Have you waited? I have waited. It has rained.

[Rachel Adams]

Can present perfect be used in the following sentences? Present perfect continuous is the usual choice, but would a native speaker use present perfect simple too in my sentences and do the statements written next to the sentences with present perfect express the same idea as the sentences?

1. "It has rained for two hours" = can mean it is no longer raining.
2. "It has rained for two hours" = can mean it is still raining.

3. "I have waited for two hours = can mean I am still waiting.
4. "I have waited for two hours = can mean I have stopped waiting.

5. "How long have you waited?" = can mean the person is still waiting.
6. "How long have you waited??" = can mean the person has just made decision to go home. Or it is because of something else that he is no longer going to wait.

7. "How long has it rained?" = can mean it is still raining.
8. "How long has it rained?" = can mean it has stopped raining.

 

[emsr2d2]

I find all eight of your sentences unnatural.

I wouldn't use 1 or 2. I'd say "It's been raining for two hours" if it were still raining. If it's stopped, I'd say "It rained for two hours earlier/yesterday/on Tuesday".

I wouldn't use 3 or 4. I'd say "I've been waiting for two hours" if I were still waiting. If the waiting is over, I'd say "I waited for two hours" or, less likely, "I was waiting for two hours".

I wouldn't use 5 or 6. I'd say "How long have you been waiting?" if the person was still waiting. If they weren't, I'd ask "How long did you wait?" or "How long were you waiting?"

I wouldn't use 7 or 8. I'd say "How long has it been raining [for]?" if it were still raining. If it's stopped, I'd ask "How long did it rain for?"

 

[5jj]

I have closed this thread.

I think we have done to death your never-ending questions about the differences between the continuous and non-continuous forms of the present perfect, Rachel. No matter what we say, you keep repeating your questions in questionably different forms.

p.s. I have no objection if another mod re-opens the thread, but I shall attempt to keep to my resolve to ignore such questions in the future.

 

[emsr2d2]

I heartily support the closing of this thread. I was tempted to open my response with words to the effect of "Oh my goodness! Are you really still banging on about this?" I chose not to, purely on the basis that I wanted to make it clear that all of your examples were unnatural. However, I won't be answering any more question of this type. You really need to move on, Rachel. You will become much more accomplished at understanding/using tenses by listening to native speakers and reading well-written English prose.