[Grammar] I live

[Kotfor]

Is it grammatically correct to say: "I live here all my life." or should it be only: "I have lived/have been living here all my life."

 

[msselvakumar93]

Hi,

Correct one is "I have been living here all my life."

Regards,
Selva

 

[JMurray]

"I have lived here all my life" is also correct.

not a teacher

 

[Kotfor]

The reason why I am asking is that I can see it sometimes said this way:

1) I live here all my life, always in the same apartment. My father and mother live here.
The Corpse With the Silver Tongue


2) "How old d'ya think I am?" he asked. I undershot. "Seventy-five?" "Ha!" he laughed (delighted by the figure). "Ha! I'm ninety- two. Yessir, ninety-two last winter, an' I live here all my life.
Tales of a Low-Rent Birder


3) I live here all my life, see? Is all the time call like Pailetaville. Where is the dump?
Gumbo Ya-Ya: Folk Tales of Louisiana


I wonder did the authors use this tense on purpose just to show that those characters were not educated or something or is it really acceptable in some varieties of English?

 

[5jj]

I wonder did the authors use this tense on purpose just to show that those characters were not educated or something
Probably
or is it really acceptable in some varieties of English?

It is not acceptable in any standard variety of English.

 

[Rover_KE]

Hi,

Correct one is "I have been living here all my life."

Regards,
Selva

Your suggestion is correct, Selva, but please read this extract from the forum's Posting Guidelines:

'You are welcome to answer questions posted in the Ask a Teacher forum as long as your suggestions, help, and advice reflect a good understanding of the English language. If you are not a teacher, you will need to state that clearly at the top of your post.'

Thank you.

 

[JMurray]

Your examples are all taken from very informal conversation, and it seems that one of the people quoted is a native French speaker, so strict rules of English syntax etc don't necessarily apply and might sound inauthentic in the context of the story.

not a teacher