''She has been teaching/has taught English since she was 25''.

[Rachel Adams]

Hello.


Are both tenses always interchangeable in such sentences even if I use a different verb, for example; ''teach'' or ''work''? These sentences are from the book: Complete English Grammar Rules. “I have been living in New York City since I was 18.” “I have lived in New York City since I was 18.”

These are my sentenes:

''She has been teaching English since she was 25''.
''She has taught English since she was 25''.

 

[Rover_KE]

Your sentences are interchangeable. Somebody else will have to advise you on whether such sentences are always interchangeable.

***

Please note that I have changed your thread title.

Extract from the Posting Guidelines:

'Thread titles should include all or part of the word/phrase being discussed.'

 

[teechar]

I agree with Rover that the sentences above essentially mean the same. However, with other verbs, the meaning could change.
Consider the verb "wait", for example. Can you see how the meaning would be different?

 

[Rachel Adams]

I have been waiting for you for two hours. I am angry. My friend has just come. I am no longer waiting for him/her. Or could be still waiting.

I have waited for you for two hours. I am still waiting or my friend has just came back.

I have waited for you. Without ''for two hours'', as I read in my textbooks suggests the action is no longer in progress.

 

[teechar]

I have been waiting ---> I am still waiting
I have waited ---> I stopped waiting

 

[Rachel Adams]

Thank you. I thought perhaps if the present perfect continuous also expresses an action which has recently stopped, ''I have been waiting for you'' could also mean that the person is no longer waiting for someone. Like in: ''it has been raining'', it is no longer raining as it has just stopped raining. The ground is wet.

Do you think this is a good grammar book to buy?
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-English-Grammar-Rules-Exceptions-ebook/dp/B01IIU5LF2

PDF https://www.pdfdrive.com/english-grammar-rules-books.html

 

[Rachel Adams]

Could you recommend one, please?

 

[Rachel Adams]

Thank you! It is not divided into levels, is it? intermediate or advanced, for example.

 

[Tarheel]

Thank you. I thought perhaps if the present perfect continuous also expresses an action which has recently stopped, ''I have been waiting for you'' could also mean that the person is no longer waiting for someone. Like in: ''it has been raining'', it is no longer raining as it has just stopped raining. The ground is wet.

Do you think this is a good grammar book to buy?
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-English-Grammar-Rules-Exceptions-ebook/dp/B01IIU5LF2

PDF https://www.pdfdrive.com/english-grammar-rules-books.html

That's not how I see things.

I have been waiting for you - the waiting is going on now and has been going on for (in this case) an unspecified period of time.

It has been raining - the raining is going on now and has been going on for (in this case) an unspecified period of time.

If the waiting or the raining had stopped I would not use present perfect continuous. I would use past tense. It's the default usage in such a case.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Murphy says: ''we use the present perfect continuous for an activity that has recently stopped or just stopped. There is a connection with now.
''You are out of breath. Have you been running''?
''I have been talking to Carol about the problem and she thinks that''...

That's why I thought I could use the present perfect continuous in a situation where I just stopped waiting for someone, I am no longer waiting for that person because he/she has just come. '' I have been waiting for you''.

 

[Tarheel]

If the person just got there you aren't waiting for her anymore. The waiting has ceased.

 

[Tarheel]

Murphy says: ''we use the present perfect continuous for an activity that has recently stopped or just stopped. There is a connection with now.
''You are out of breath. Have you been running''?
''I have been talking to Carol about the problem and she thinks that''...

1. The person has stopped running, but her metabolism is still in overdrive.
2. She hasn't stopped talking to Carol. In fact, she continues to do so.

 

[emsr2d2]

Slightly off-topic: I don't think being out of breath has anything to do with one's metabolism.

 

[Tarheel]

If a person's out of breath isn't that because they've been working hard ( for them)? Is metabolism the wrong word here?

 

[emsr2d2]

The metabolism refers to the chemical processes that go on within the organs of the body in order to maintain life. It's particularly commonly used to how fast someone burns calories. Being out of breath after a run, I would say, demonstrates the person's respiratory system in action.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Murphy gives those examples to show that the present progressive is used to talk about actions that have recently stopped.

 

[Tarheel]

The metabolism refers to the chemical processes that go on within the organs of the body in order to maintain life. It's particularly commonly used to how fast someone burns calories. Being out of breath after a run, I would say, demonstrates the person's respiratory system in action.

OK. She has stopped running, but she is still breathing hard.
:up:

 

[Tarheel]

Murphy gives those examples to show that the present progressive is used to talk about actions that have recently stopped.

I think you're looking for present perfect there.

 

[Tarheel]

How about starting another thread with an interesting sentence to discuss? (I think this thread has unraveled.)

 

[Rachel Adams]

No, I am not. The book says it(the present progressive) is used to talk about actions that have recently stopped. If I can say: 'my hands are dirty because I have been gardening'', the present perfect continuous shows that the action has just stopped. Why cannot I say:''I have been waiting for you' to mean that I have just stopped waiting. The action has just stopped.