|
Paul: |
Hello, John. I haven't seen
you for ages. |
Paul hasn't seen John
at all - there's no sense of a continuous action. |
|
What have you been doing
since we last met? |
Paul wants to have lots of information about John's life - he is sure that
a lot could have happened. |
|
John: |
Oh, I'm still in Paris but I've
given up my job |
You can only give up a job once and it doesn't take long! |
|
and I've been studying at
the Sorbonne since last October. |
John wants to make it clear that the studying is continuous, not just a
one-time event. He studies all the time. |
|
John: |
Well, it hasn't been easy |
... and it still isn't easy. We don't use usually the progressive form
with the verb 'to be'. |
|
but my family have been helping
me out |
John wants to make it clear that the family have helped more than once -
it's a continuous process. |
|
and Mary's been promoted.
|
This happened just once - now she has a new job. |
|
She's been working
at the foreign desk since May. |
... and she is still working there.
This is continuous. |