Do you think the (1) and (2) in post #9 both work?
I'm going to assume you're asking whether they
could work
in any context. The answer is yes. But it isn't a good question because you haven't made it very clear what context you're thinking of.
Do you agree with what my friend said in that post?
Not all of it, no. Look:
1.
Mary learns English for many years, but she never goes to English-speaking countries. Today she has a chance to do that - she gets a free ticket to Britain! So she starts to prepare everything she will need on the journey.
2.
Mary has been learning English for many years but she has never been to any English-speaking countries. Today she has a chance to do that - she gets a free ticket to Britain! So she starts to prepare everything she will need on the journey.
In (1), if the passage is meant, for example, as a summary of what happens in a narrative text, then the bold part works as
part of the narrative itself. That means the learning and the not going to English-speaking countries are both story elements. In other words, they are part of the story and we read about her doing these things.
In (2), if the passage is meant, for example, as a summary of what happens in a narrative text, then the bold part works as
background context to the narrative. That means that the learning and the not going to English-speaking countries are mentioned to give background to Mary's present situation (and the events of 'Today') in the story. The story probably doesn't recount her doing these things.
Is that clear?