The key answer of exercise 7
The key to exercise solutions in chapter 5.1 - Are you creative? for the textbook New Total English Intermediate - Students' Book with authors Rachael Roberts, Antonia Clare and JJ Wilson from Pearson Education
Question
The sentences below use the wrong verb tenses. Work in pairs and say why the underlined tenses are wrong.
Answer
- The question is about how long something has taken, so the Present Perfect Continuous is better.
- The Present Perfect Simple indicates that the cleaning has recently been finished. Use the Present Perfect Continuous to show that it is incomplete.
- The Present Perfect Continuous indicates that the attempt to give up is incomplete. Use the Present Perfect Simple to show that it is now complete.
- The continuous form can’t be used with state verbs.
- The Present Perfect Continuous is better to emphasise the repetition of the activity.