[Grammar] have been becoming?

[emsr2d2]

It sounds(to me) like Jenny got ill and got ill and got ill many many times during the last week, which I don't think it makes sense. But maybe I was wrong, that's why I've been keeping asking in the last couple of days. Please tell me if my concept is correct?

"Jenny has been getting ill over the last week" means "She has been getting progressively ill over the last week". It suggests that at the beginning of the week there was nothing wrong with her, and then she started to feel ill, then she felt worse and worse as the week went on. That's the thing about the progressive - it suggests progression! ;-)

If she was ill on Monday, fine on Tuesday, ill on Wednesday, fine on Thursday, ill on Friday etc, then I would say "Jenny has been ill several times this week" or "Jenny was ill several times last week" or "Jenny has been ill time and time again in the last week". That does not suggest that she was ill every day with the same illness.

 

[Heidi]

I think I need to think about all the information carefully, besides, I still have lots of homework to do. Thanks a lot!