Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Continuous

Question

1."They have talked for the last hour"1."They have been talking for the last hour"2."I have had a cold for two weeks"2."I have been having a cold for two weeks"3."He has not practiced his english"3."He has not been practicing his english"Hi, when do I use "present perfect continuous" instead of "present perfect simple"?When I use "present perfect continuous", does it indicate that the doer is still in the process of doing the actual action at this very moment?Or do I only use it when I want to add a specific starting time or duration of the action in the sentence?Thank you

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

These are OK:

1."They have talked for the last hour."-- Presumably, they have finished.
1."They have been talking for the last hour."-- And are still talking.
2."I have had a cold for two weeks."-- 'Have' meaning possession does not normally appear in continuous aspect.
3."He has not practiced his English."-- The names of languages should be capitalized.
3."He has not been practicing his English."

Hi, when do I use "present perfect continuous" instead of "present perfect simple"?-- They can often be used interchangeably, with the continuous form suggesting emphasis on duration or increased emotional content, as in your #3 above.

When I use "present perfect continuous", does it indicate that the doer is still in the process of doing the actual action at this very moment?-- Essentially, yes.

Or do I only use it when I want to add a specific starting time or duration of the action in the sentence?-- No, that is irrelevant.

Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Continuous

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