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ESL forum >
Ask for help > are the 2 options possible?
are the 2 options possible?
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patrenou
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are the 2 options possible?
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If A STUDENT WRITES
Mary said: _ " I have been eating fish for the last 3 weeks"
or Mary said: _ " I have eaten fish for the last 3 weeks"
I think I�ll have to accept both as there is no evidence of information that tells me it is a finished action. Perhaps Mary wanted the emphasize in the first sentence that she was tired of eating fish and in the second sentence she only wants to inform me. DO YOU AGREE?
Thanks
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27 Nov 2009
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Zora
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I also agree with you, and ladybird, who also is in agreement with us! lol
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27 Nov 2009
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RabbitWho
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Yeah you �re right. I hate things out of context like this, it �s so unnatural.
Another possible context... I think that if you ate fish non stop for 3 weeks you would die, or vomit many many times.
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27 Nov 2009
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apayala
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My opinion:
I have been eating fish for the last 3 weeks
or
I have eaten fish during the last 3 weeks.
But honestly, I don�t know why the second option sounds ok to me with "during" but not with "for".
So probably I am wrong but I felt like giving my opinion anyway
Hugs to everybody |
27 Nov 2009
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lorig
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during the last three weeks doesn �t sound 100 percent English to me.... I �d say the two you proposed are the same. you could also substitute last instead of past..same thing. I �m a native and honestly, in my opinion, they both work! |
27 Nov 2009
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RabbitWho
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If you have eaten fish at any point during the last few weeks you cannot join our club!
- I have eaten fish during the last 3 weeks. :(
--- I haven �t eaten any fish in the last 3 weeks! yay!
Everything �s right. It depends on the context. |
27 Nov 2009
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Malvine
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As far as I remember, Present Perfect Simple answers the questions "How much/many?" and Present Perfect continuous answers the question "How long?" -
How much fish have you eaten? - 10 kilos.  How long have you been eating fish? - For 3 weeks/Since my marriage.  |
28 Nov 2009
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patrenou
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Thanks so much for your help!!
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28 Nov 2009
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