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 #2 (permalink) Wed Nov 19, 2008 17:02 pm Has watched television vs. Has been watching TV? |
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Hi,
IMO, 1) suggets that your sister's no longer watching TV, whereas 2) implies that she is still watching TV.
My two cents.
Regards |
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 SkiIucK
I'm here quite often ;-)
Joined: 09 Oct 2006
Posts: 850
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| #3 (permalink) Wed Nov 19, 2008 21:52 pm Has watched television vs. Has been watching TV? |
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| Torsten wrote: |
Hi, what is the difference if any between the following two sentences:
1) My sister has watched TV for 3 days straight.
2) My sister has been watching TV for 3 days straight.
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Hi Torsten
This thread is relevant to your question.
Sentence 1 suggests that she watched TV on each of these days: the day before yesterday, yesterday and today. The actual amount of time spent watching TV on each of those days is unspecified. It could have been only a few minutes on each of the days, or it could have been much longer. She may or may not be watching TV at the exact moment the sentence is uttered. However, without any further context, it is possible that she is not watching at this very moment.
Sentence 2 could mean the same thing as sentence 1. However, without further context, I would tend to assume that she is still watching right now. In addition, this sentence could theoretically mean that she has watched TV non-stop (i.e. around the clock) for the last three days -- though that possibility seems fairly unlikely.
.
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Yankee
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| #4 (permalink) Thu Nov 20, 2008 0:52 am Has watched television vs. Has been watching TV? |
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It seems much the same to me as it does to Amy; except that in BrE, "in a row" would probably replace "straight".
To my mind, #1 presents the action from outside; while #2 puts you inside it.
Another possible use of #1 (but not #2):
1. Have you ever watched tv for three days in a row? — No, but my sister has.
MrP |
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MrPedantic
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Location: Southern England
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