The baby cries all morning
The baby cries all morning.
The baby has been crying all morning.
I think both of these are grammatical but carry different meanings. The first one shows a general habit while the second one shows something has happened in the near past. Am I correct?
sequence-of-tenses
asked 16 hours ago
Kshitij SinghKshitij Singh
1,360117
add a comment |
The baby cries all morning.
The baby has been crying all morning.
I think both of these are grammatical but carry different meanings. The first one shows a general habit while the second one shows something has happened in the near past. Am I correct?
sequence-of-tenses
asked 16 hours ago
Kshitij SinghKshitij Singh
1,360117
add a comment |
The baby cries all morning.
The baby has been crying all morning.
I think both of these are grammatical but carry different meanings. The first one shows a general habit while the second one shows something has happened in the near past. Am I correct?
sequence-of-tenses
asked 16 hours ago
Kshitij SinghKshitij Singh
1,360117
The baby cries all morning.
The baby has been crying all morning.
I think both of these are grammatical but carry different meanings. The first one shows a general habit while the second one shows something has happened in the near past. Am I correct?
sequence-of-tenses
sequence-of-tenses
asked 16 hours ago
Kshitij SinghKshitij Singh
1,360117
asked 16 hours ago
Kshitij SinghKshitij Singh
1,360117
asked 16 hours ago
Kshitij SinghKshitij Singh
1,360117
asked 16 hours ago
Kshitij SinghKshitij Singh
1,360117
asked 16 hours ago
Kshitij SinghKshitij Singh
1,360117
1,360117
add a comment |
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
Yes, you are correct.
The present tense has (at least) two uses in English: It can refer to something that is happening right now, or, probably more often, to something that happens continually.
If I say, "John works at Fwacbar Company", I might mean that he is working there right now, at this instant. But more often people make such a statement to mean that he works there on a regular basic. He may not be working there at this very moment, but he worked there yesterday and will work there tomorrow and probably the day after that, and so on.
The present perfect continuous, like "has been crying", refers to action that began in the past and continues to the present. It is often used with a time frame of some kind, like "has been crying all morning", "have been working there for ten years", etc. Note the time frame could be very short or very long, like "My boss has been yelling at me for five minutes" and "The Ark of the Covenant has been lost for centuries" are both quite valid.
answered 16 hours ago
JayJay
46.8k14496
Am I correct in the intuition thatcriesis the "usual" state: babies cry a lot, this one cries often in the mornings, whereashas been cryingconveys some kind of speciality: this particular baby is normally quite calm, but now has been crying all morning, is perhaps something wrong with him/her?
– Oleg Lobachev
9 hours ago
"I might mean that he is working there right now, at this instant." Is that right? I would never assume that from that sentence. If that was the intention, wouldn't the correct phrasing be "John is working at..."? "John works..." would ALWAYS mean regular basis. Could totally be wrong though, I just haven't heard that.
– Aethenosity
39 mins ago
add a comment |
You're correct on the first sentence. It shows a general habit as you say.
The second sentence uses the present perfect tense. It's use means that the baby has been crying all morning and is still crying in the present. The action or effect is still present and ongoing. So to say, "something has happened in the near past" would not be correct since that would be saying that the action is now over.
answered 16 hours ago
Don B.Don B.
61610
New contributor
Don B. is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
Well, The baby's been crying all morning... can be said right after they stopped crying (...; thank God you came!). I'd therefore reformulate it to say "up until now" (where "now" doesn't really have to mean this very instant, but it does literally).
– userr2684291
15 hours ago
"The baby's been crying all morning" can be said even before they stop crying. Or after. It's just a description of the state of affairs that morning.
– nomen
11 hours ago
add a comment |
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2 Answers
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2 Answers
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active
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Yes, you are correct.
The present tense has (at least) two uses in English: It can refer to something that is happening right now, or, probably more often, to something that happens continually.
If I say, "John works at Fwacbar Company", I might mean that he is working there right now, at this instant. But more often people make such a statement to mean that he works there on a regular basic. He may not be working there at this very moment, but he worked there yesterday and will work there tomorrow and probably the day after that, and so on.
The present perfect continuous, like "has been crying", refers to action that began in the past and continues to the present. It is often used with a time frame of some kind, like "has been crying all morning", "have been working there for ten years", etc. Note the time frame could be very short or very long, like "My boss has been yelling at me for five minutes" and "The Ark of the Covenant has been lost for centuries" are both quite valid.
answered 16 hours ago
JayJay
46.8k14496
Am I correct in the intuition thatcriesis the "usual" state: babies cry a lot, this one cries often in the mornings, whereashas been cryingconveys some kind of speciality: this particular baby is normally quite calm, but now has been crying all morning, is perhaps something wrong with him/her?
– Oleg Lobachev
9 hours ago
"I might mean that he is working there right now, at this instant." Is that right? I would never assume that from that sentence. If that was the intention, wouldn't the correct phrasing be "John is working at..."? "John works..." would ALWAYS mean regular basis. Could totally be wrong though, I just haven't heard that.
– Aethenosity
39 mins ago
add a comment |
Yes, you are correct.
The present tense has (at least) two uses in English: It can refer to something that is happening right now, or, probably more often, to something that happens continually.
If I say, "John works at Fwacbar Company", I might mean that he is working there right now, at this instant. But more often people make such a statement to mean that he works there on a regular basic. He may not be working there at this very moment, but he worked there yesterday and will work there tomorrow and probably the day after that, and so on.
The present perfect continuous, like "has been crying", refers to action that began in the past and continues to the present. It is often used with a time frame of some kind, like "has been crying all morning", "have been working there for ten years", etc. Note the time frame could be very short or very long, like "My boss has been yelling at me for five minutes" and "The Ark of the Covenant has been lost for centuries" are both quite valid.
answered 16 hours ago
JayJay
46.8k14496
Am I correct in the intuition thatcriesis the "usual" state: babies cry a lot, this one cries often in the mornings, whereashas been cryingconveys some kind of speciality: this particular baby is normally quite calm, but now has been crying all morning, is perhaps something wrong with him/her?
– Oleg Lobachev
9 hours ago
"I might mean that he is working there right now, at this instant." Is that right? I would never assume that from that sentence. If that was the intention, wouldn't the correct phrasing be "John is working at..."? "John works..." would ALWAYS mean regular basis. Could totally be wrong though, I just haven't heard that.
– Aethenosity
39 mins ago
add a comment |
Yes, you are correct.
The present tense has (at least) two uses in English: It can refer to something that is happening right now, or, probably more often, to something that happens continually.
If I say, "John works at Fwacbar Company", I might mean that he is working there right now, at this instant. But more often people make such a statement to mean that he works there on a regular basic. He may not be working there at this very moment, but he worked there yesterday and will work there tomorrow and probably the day after that, and so on.
The present perfect continuous, like "has been crying", refers to action that began in the past and continues to the present. It is often used with a time frame of some kind, like "has been crying all morning", "have been working there for ten years", etc. Note the time frame could be very short or very long, like "My boss has been yelling at me for five minutes" and "The Ark of the Covenant has been lost for centuries" are both quite valid.
answered 16 hours ago
JayJay
46.8k14496
Yes, you are correct.
The present tense has (at least) two uses in English: It can refer to something that is happening right now, or, probably more often, to something that happens continually.
If I say, "John works at Fwacbar Company", I might mean that he is working there right now, at this instant. But more often people make such a statement to mean that he works there on a regular basic. He may not be working there at this very moment, but he worked there yesterday and will work there tomorrow and probably the day after that, and so on.
The present perfect continuous, like "has been crying", refers to action that began in the past and continues to the present. It is often used with a time frame of some kind, like "has been crying all morning", "have been working there for ten years", etc. Note the time frame could be very short or very long, like "My boss has been yelling at me for five minutes" and "The Ark of the Covenant has been lost for centuries" are both quite valid.
answered 16 hours ago
JayJay
46.8k14496
answered 16 hours ago
JayJay
46.8k14496
answered 16 hours ago
JayJay
46.8k14496
answered 16 hours ago
JayJay
46.8k14496
46.8k14496
Am I correct in the intuition thatcriesis the "usual" state: babies cry a lot, this one cries often in the mornings, whereashas been cryingconveys some kind of speciality: this particular baby is normally quite calm, but now has been crying all morning, is perhaps something wrong with him/her?
– Oleg Lobachev
9 hours ago
"I might mean that he is working there right now, at this instant." Is that right? I would never assume that from that sentence. If that was the intention, wouldn't the correct phrasing be "John is working at..."? "John works..." would ALWAYS mean regular basis. Could totally be wrong though, I just haven't heard that.
– Aethenosity
39 mins ago
add a comment |
Am I correct in the intuition thatcriesis the "usual" state: babies cry a lot, this one cries often in the mornings, whereashas been cryingconveys some kind of speciality: this particular baby is normally quite calm, but now has been crying all morning, is perhaps something wrong with him/her?
– Oleg Lobachev
9 hours ago
"I might mean that he is working there right now, at this instant." Is that right? I would never assume that from that sentence. If that was the intention, wouldn't the correct phrasing be "John is working at..."? "John works..." would ALWAYS mean regular basis. Could totally be wrong though, I just haven't heard that.
– Aethenosity
39 mins ago
Am I correct in the intuition that
cries is the "usual" state: babies cry a lot, this one cries often in the mornings, whereas has been crying conveys some kind of speciality: this particular baby is normally quite calm, but now has been crying all morning, is perhaps something wrong with him/her?– Oleg Lobachev
9 hours ago
Am I correct in the intuition that
cries is the "usual" state: babies cry a lot, this one cries often in the mornings, whereas has been crying conveys some kind of speciality: this particular baby is normally quite calm, but now has been crying all morning, is perhaps something wrong with him/her?– Oleg Lobachev
9 hours ago
"I might mean that he is working there right now, at this instant." Is that right? I would never assume that from that sentence. If that was the intention, wouldn't the correct phrasing be "John is working at..."? "John works..." would ALWAYS mean regular basis. Could totally be wrong though, I just haven't heard that.
– Aethenosity
39 mins ago
"I might mean that he is working there right now, at this instant." Is that right? I would never assume that from that sentence. If that was the intention, wouldn't the correct phrasing be "John is working at..."? "John works..." would ALWAYS mean regular basis. Could totally be wrong though, I just haven't heard that.
– Aethenosity
39 mins ago
add a comment |
You're correct on the first sentence. It shows a general habit as you say.
The second sentence uses the present perfect tense. It's use means that the baby has been crying all morning and is still crying in the present. The action or effect is still present and ongoing. So to say, "something has happened in the near past" would not be correct since that would be saying that the action is now over.
answered 16 hours ago
Don B.Don B.
61610
New contributor
Don B. is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
Well, The baby's been crying all morning... can be said right after they stopped crying (...; thank God you came!). I'd therefore reformulate it to say "up until now" (where "now" doesn't really have to mean this very instant, but it does literally).
– userr2684291
15 hours ago
"The baby's been crying all morning" can be said even before they stop crying. Or after. It's just a description of the state of affairs that morning.
– nomen
11 hours ago
add a comment |
You're correct on the first sentence. It shows a general habit as you say.
The second sentence uses the present perfect tense. It's use means that the baby has been crying all morning and is still crying in the present. The action or effect is still present and ongoing. So to say, "something has happened in the near past" would not be correct since that would be saying that the action is now over.
answered 16 hours ago
Don B.Don B.
61610
New contributor
Don B. is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
Well, The baby's been crying all morning... can be said right after they stopped crying (...; thank God you came!). I'd therefore reformulate it to say "up until now" (where "now" doesn't really have to mean this very instant, but it does literally).
– userr2684291
15 hours ago
"The baby's been crying all morning" can be said even before they stop crying. Or after. It's just a description of the state of affairs that morning.
– nomen
11 hours ago
add a comment |
You're correct on the first sentence. It shows a general habit as you say.
The second sentence uses the present perfect tense. It's use means that the baby has been crying all morning and is still crying in the present. The action or effect is still present and ongoing. So to say, "something has happened in the near past" would not be correct since that would be saying that the action is now over.
answered 16 hours ago
Don B.Don B.
61610
New contributor
Don B. is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
You're correct on the first sentence. It shows a general habit as you say.
The second sentence uses the present perfect tense. It's use means that the baby has been crying all morning and is still crying in the present. The action or effect is still present and ongoing. So to say, "something has happened in the near past" would not be correct since that would be saying that the action is now over.
answered 16 hours ago
Don B.Don B.
61610
New contributor
Don B. is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 16 hours ago
Don B.Don B.
61610
New contributor
Don B. is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 16 hours ago
Don B.Don B.
61610
answered 16 hours ago
Don B.Don B.
61610
61610
New contributor
Don B. is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Don B. is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Don B. is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
Well, The baby's been crying all morning... can be said right after they stopped crying (...; thank God you came!). I'd therefore reformulate it to say "up until now" (where "now" doesn't really have to mean this very instant, but it does literally).
– userr2684291
15 hours ago
"The baby's been crying all morning" can be said even before they stop crying. Or after. It's just a description of the state of affairs that morning.
– nomen
11 hours ago
add a comment |
1
Well, The baby's been crying all morning... can be said right after they stopped crying (...; thank God you came!). I'd therefore reformulate it to say "up until now" (where "now" doesn't really have to mean this very instant, but it does literally).
– userr2684291
15 hours ago
"The baby's been crying all morning" can be said even before they stop crying. Or after. It's just a description of the state of affairs that morning.
– nomen
11 hours ago
1
1
Well, The baby's been crying all morning... can be said right after they stopped crying (...; thank God you came!). I'd therefore reformulate it to say "up until now" (where "now" doesn't really have to mean this very instant, but it does literally).
– userr2684291
15 hours ago
Well, The baby's been crying all morning... can be said right after they stopped crying (...; thank God you came!). I'd therefore reformulate it to say "up until now" (where "now" doesn't really have to mean this very instant, but it does literally).
– userr2684291
15 hours ago
"The baby's been crying all morning" can be said even before they stop crying. Or after. It's just a description of the state of affairs that morning.
– nomen
11 hours ago
"The baby's been crying all morning" can be said even before they stop crying. Or after. It's just a description of the state of affairs that morning.
– nomen
11 hours ago
add a comment |
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