GIVE ANSWERS - English

@sureshbabupula Counterexamples to the ones you gave:

I know this neighbourhood! I’ve been living here for 5 years! Each year I was even attending the local festival. Unfortunately rents were increasing too much every 6 months. I signed the rental contract for my new place two years ago.

Event of living somewhere, started in the past and finished in the past - 2 years ago. It’s relevant to the present time - present knowledge of the neighbourhood. Continual aspect because of both festival attendence and rising rents. Therefore present perfect continuous tense is needed here.

I’ve lived here for 5 years. Today is the 5th anniversary of me signing the rental contract. I think that 5 years is too long to be somewhere. I would like to move to another city!

Here, the period of the event - so far - is 5 years. The event still continues beyond the present - you still live there. You have a wish to leave because of the length of time spent - so the period of 5 years is relevant to you right now. However, there is an end point of consideration - now. You are not really interested within the context in what is happening between the commencement of living there 5 years ago or now - only that between the start and end time points = 5 years. Therefore present perfect simple is the appropriate tense.

@sureshbabupula your answer is highly incomplete and doesn’t really explain it.

Both forms can be used but I don’t think you quite understand the difference between the two in your examples.

It’s not difficult:

Both tenses of course talk about an event beginning in the past which is somehow relevant to the present point in time.

Present perfect simple: interested in the event as a start + completion, not what happens in-between.

Present perfect continuous: what’s happening between the event’s start and end is interesting in the context.

There are counter-examples to yours next message above...

@mac2210

Could you please name the ”grammar books” you are referring to which state that present perfect continuous and present perfect simple mean the same thing? And where their advice about ”where both options are possible, use Present perfect continuous.” comes from.

I want to call out this poorly formulated garbage. It’s clearly evident that the authors of these grammar books are clueless about the basics - even the difference between simple and continuous tense forms.

I’ve actually lectured and taught students in academic and technical writing courses at universities. Some students have problems with basic verb tense forms when trying to produce them in writing and for very obvious reasons. No, they don’t ”mean the same thing”...

@gabby1209 @Garence @mac2210 @londial They definitely don’t have the same meaning.

Hint: consider the difference between present simple and present simple continuous and try to understand that first.

If you don’t understand and feel the difference between present simple and present simple continuous verbs, then I seriously doubt you would understand how present perfect simple and present perfect continuous differ. There are more than one or two native speakers who don’t - even native speakers who label themselves as ”English teachers”.

It has the same meaning but grammar books state that where both options are possible, use Present perfect continuous.

These sentences are interchangeable

”I’ve lived here for five years”, means that you won’t necessarily continue to live here, but it does not mean that you will necessarily move.

Disagree. These 2 sentences mean the same thing. They are interchangeable.